Xonotla
Encyclopedia
Xonotla is a town located northeast of Puebla
Puebla, Puebla
The city and municipality of Puebla is the capital of the state of Puebla, and one of the five most important colonial cities in Mexico. Being a planned city, it is located to the east of Mexico City and west of Mexico's main port, Veracruz, on the main route between the two.The city was founded...

 in Mexico. It shares a border with Tuzamapan de Galeana to the north, Cuetzálan del Progreso to the east, Zoquiapan and Nauzontla to the south and Caxhuacan and Huehuetla
Huehuetla
Huehuetla is a town and one of the 84 municipalities of Hidalgo, in central-eastern Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 262.1 km².As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 22,927....

 to the west.

Name

The town bears its name from the Nahuatl
Nahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...

 word "Xonotl,jonote" which means hard crust and "Tla" which means abundant, which together means "Where the jonote is abundant". The town was called "Xonotla" by the people because there are many trees whose oil was used to cure hurts. The place was named by Ixocélotl whose name means "Jaguar Face".

History

The place was founded by Ixocélotl in 1180 A.D. Xonotla was a densely populated area when the conquistadors arrived. Two languages were spoken at that time, Náhuatl and Totonaca. In 1591, San Martín Tuzamapan, Santiago Ecatlán and San Francisco Ayotoxco belonged to Xonotla. Moctezuma
Moctezuma I
Moctezuma I , also known as Motecuhzoma Ilhuicamina, Huehuemotecuhzoma or Montezuma I , was the fifth Aztec emperor - king of Tenochtitlan...

 conquered this area and received tribute of corn, beans and chile when it was available. The people worshiped Totonac
Totonac
The Totonac people resided in the eastern coastal and mountainous regions of Mexico at the time of the Spanish arrival in 1519. Today they reside in the states of Veracruz, Puebla, and Hidalgo. They are one of the possible builders of the Pre-Columbian city of El Tajín, and further maintained...

.

On 13 August 1552 Diego Ramirez charted the town. In 1608, an epidemic swept through the town.

Geography

The town measures 73.99 square kilometers, Its located 800 meters over the sea and goes down to 500 meters toward the Zempoala and Tozán rivers.

Main ecosystems

Flora are chalahuite, jonote, blood of degree, encino, charcoal, cedar, mahogany and a great variety of perennial leaf shrubs. It has ferns, including arborescentes, orchids, camellias, lilies and tulips. Agriculture consists of coffee plantations and small corn farms.

Fauna range from armadillo
Armadillo
Armadillos are New World placental mammals, known for having a leathery armor shell. Dasypodidae is the only surviving family in the order Cingulata, part of the superorder Xenarthra along with the anteaters and sloths. The word armadillo is Spanish for "little armored one"...

, wild boar, coyote, tejón, rabbit, squirrel, doves and to chachalaca
Chachalaca
Chachalacas are mainly brown birds from the genus Ortalis. These cracids are found in wooded habitats in far southern United States , Mexico, and Central and South America. They are social, can be very noisy and often remain fairly common even near humans, as their relatively small size makes them...

s. Reptiles include coralillo, flying, aquatic nauyaca, mazacuate, trout, catfish, prawn, acamaya, and others.

Natural resources

Wood from the forests is used for construction.

The ground can be classified into 4 characteristic groups:
  • Litosol: It is the predominant ground. It occupies more than 50% of the surface mainly in the central and sud-occidental portion.
  • Regosol: It is located in the northeastern portion. It presents onerous phase.
  • Feozem: It is located in the creek of Apulco.
  • Andosol: It is located in a reduced area of the southwest

Population

There are 2 ethnic groups. The largest is the Náhuatl followed by the Totonaco. According with the 1995 populations count ther are 4,559 people living there.

Economic activity

Xonotla produces corn, beans and coffee. Farm animals include cattle, pigs, goats, donkeys and rabbits. Fishing industry is relies on Catfish, prawns, mojarra, robalo, acamayas and rive in the area.

The primary industries are nixtamal mills and furniture manufacturing.

Tourism

Legend has it that a miracle took place in the church. Many years ago, a native walking across the mountain saw a rock fall away from the mountain. He investigated to see if everything was all right, and found a virgin maiden in a cave. People pray at the site.
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