Álamo is a city in the

Mexican state The states of Mexico are first-level administrative territorial entities of the country of Mexico, which is officially named Mexico, United Mexican States. There are 32 federal entities in Mexico (31 states and the capital, Mexico City, as a sepa ...

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

that serves as the seat of the surrounding municipality of

Temapache Álamo Temapache (or simply Temapache) is a municipality located in the montane central zone in the Mexican state of Veracruz, about 90 km from state capital Xalapa. It has a surface of 65.80 km2. It is located at . The municipal seat is at ...

. Elevated to

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

status in 1973, it had 24,159 inhabitants in 2010. The city's name is derived from the many ''álamo'' trees (''

Platanus wrightii ''Platanus wrightii'', the Arizona sycamore, is a sycamore tree native to Arizona and New Mexico with its range extending south into the Mexican states of Sonora, Chihuahua, and Sinaloa.Laferriere, J.E. Platanaceae, "Sycamore or Plane Tree Famil ...

'') growing along the

Pantepec River The Pantepec River is a river of Mexico that belongs to the Tuxpan River basin, on the Gulf of Mexico slope. The Pantepec River is considered the upper course of the Tuxpan River. The Pantepec River begins in the mountains of the state of Hidalg ...

. The main industry is

orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

production.

History

Before European contact, it was occupied by the

Huastec people The Huastec or Téenek (contraction of ''Te' Inik'', "people from here"; also known as Huaxtec, Wastek or Huastecos) are an indigenous people of Mexico, living in the La Huasteca region including the states of Hidalgo, Veracruz, San Luis Potos� ...

and later by the

Aztec The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those g ...

s. Around 800-1300 AD, before the Aztec invasion, the territory was occupied by the

Totonac The Totonac are an indigenous people of Mexico who 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 quarters in Teotihuacán (a city wh ...

and Huastec cultures. Altars from that period, called ''cues'' are found along the banks of the

. In 1683, the Dutch pirates

Laurens de Graaf Laurens Cornelis Boudewijn de Graaf (c. 1653 – 24 May 1704) was a Dutch pirate, mercenary, and naval officer in the service of the French colony of Saint-Domingue during the late 17th and early 18th century. De Graaf was also known as Laurencil ...

(know locally as "Lorencillo") and

Nicholas van Hoorn Nicholas van Hoorn (c. 1635 in Vlissingen – buried 24 June 1683, in Isla Mujeres) was a merchant sailor, privateer and pirate. He was born in the Netherlands and died near Veracruz after being wounded on the Isla de Sacrificios. ''Nikolaas'' or ...

ravaged the region during their capture and looting of the port city of

. The region was awarded the title of "Heroico Temapache de Gutiérrez Zamora" by Decree No. 45 of 10 October 1878. The city itself grew from a small peasant village through rural migrants and cyclical workers. In the

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...

, the region was controlled by General

Manuel Peláez Manuel Peláez Gorrochotegui (1885–1959) Mexico, Mexican military officer, noteworthy for his participation in the Mexican Revolution of 1910 to 1920. Manuel Peláez was born in 1885 in the Huasteca region of the state of Veracruz, in the co ...

who had organized a small force. In 1912, Penn-Mex Fuel Oil began

drilling Drilling is a cutting process where a drill bit is spun to cut a hole of circular cross-section in solid materials. The drill bit is usually a rotary cutting tool, often multi-point. The bit is pressed against the work-piece and rotated at ra ...

the ''Álamo Well no. 1'' which attracted many workers. Álamo was established as a town in 1926 and was elevated to municipal status in 1927 through the efforts of Guillermo Velez, who became the first constitutional mayor. In December 1973, the town of Álamo was elevated to the status of city.

Archaeology

In January 2021, archaeologists from the

National Institute of Anthropology and History National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

(INAH) discovered a 500-year-old

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

statue of a mysterious woman wearing a large headdress in a citrus orchard in the town of Hidalgo Amajac in Álamo. The sculpture depicted as the woman dressed in detailed clothes and jewelry, tassel-like earrings and a circular necklace called "oyohualli". It is the unique sculpture of its type ever found in the area. Because of posture and dress, researchers supposed that she played an urgent role and probably she was a ruler in her time. The measures of sculpture were 60 centimeters in wide and approximately 25 centimeters in thick.

Coat of arms

The city's coat of arms depicts a corn cob held by two hands, over the background of an orange, symbolizing the agricultural activities of the region. Over the top is the President José López Portillo vehicular bridge, which is located at the entrance to the city and represents progress. In the top left, there is a factory, symbolizing the juice industry, and at the top right is a head of cattle representing livestock industry. The bottom of the shield is decorated by two branches of

tobacco leaves Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus ''Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the chie ...

, and below them the full name of the municipality: Temapache Álamo, Veracruz

Climate

Álamo is located in the north of

, at an elevation of 40 meters above sea level. It is located about 380-km north of the state capital,

Xalapa Xalapa or Jalapa (, ), officially Xalapa-Enríquez (), is the capital city of the Mexican state of Veracruz and the name of the surrounding municipality. In the 2005 census the city reported a population of 387,879 and the municipality of which ...

. Its climate is hot and extreme, the average annual temperature is 24 °C and annual precipitation is 1.391 m.

Demographics

Throughout the city there are about 10,000 speakers of indigenous languages, primarily

Nahuatl Nahuatl (; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahua peoples, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller ...

. The main religions are

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

. In the Population Census of 2000, there were 22,011 households, with an average of 4.6 occupants per dwelling.

Education

Álamo has 149 preschools, 179 elementary and 47 secondary schools. It has 15 institutions of high learning.

Agriculture

The main agricultural products in the city are

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

bean A bean is the seed of several plants in the family Fabaceae, which are used as vegetables for human or animal food. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes th ...

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as Orange (fruit), oranges, Lemon, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and lim ...

watermelon Watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a flowering plant species of the Cucurbitaceae family and the name of its edible fruit. A scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, it is a highly cultivated fruit worldwide, with more than 1,000 varieti ...

papaya The papaya (, ), papaw, () or pawpaw () is the plant species ''Carica papaya'', one of the 21 accepted species in the genus ''Carica'' of the family Caricaceae. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within modern-day southern Mexico and ...

and pipián. Livestock are also an important agricultural commodity. In the municipality there are 431,131 head of cattle, 7,155 pigs, 7,200 of sheep, and 5,675 horses.

Attractions

There are a number of beautiful churches in the area, including the Church of Santiago Apostle, dating from the 16th century, and the Church of Pasture the Plain of Our Lady of Carmen. It also has tourist attractions such as the Hacienda de la Noria, Salto Waterfalls, 5 Towns, The Bridge of the Congregation of Limonar, and beaches along the banks of the River Pantepec.

Cuisine

Regional dish is the ''

zacahuil A tamale, in Spanish tamal, is a traditional Mesoamerican dish made of masa, a dough made from nixtamalized corn, which is steamed in a corn husk or banana leaf. The wrapping can either be discarded prior to eating or used as a plate. Tamale ...

'' a type of tamal (tamale is not the right word), made of dough, chili, pork or chicken wrapped in a bed of banana leaf and cooked in clay oven. The "huasteco dish" is made of sausage, corned beef, ham, bacon and fried

plantains Plantain may refer to: Plants and fruits * Cooking banana, banana cultivars in the genus ''Musa'' whose fruits are generally used in cooking ** True plantains, a group of cultivars of the genus ''Musa'' * ''Plantaginaceae'', a family of flowerin ...

with beans and

salsa verde Salsa verde () is a type of spicy, green sauce in Mexican cuisine based on tomatillo and green chili peppers. The tomatillo-based Mexican ''salsa verde'' dates to the Aztec Empire, as documented by the Spanish physician Francisco Hernández, a ...

. "Acamaya Soup", "huatape", "enchiladas de baile" and "barbecue beef" exemplify the rich cuisine of the municipality. Iglesiatemapache1

Traditions

Carnival

Carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

festivities begins forty days before Lent and concludes before Ash Wednesday. There are a number of dance troupes, some very informal with no choreography, but other groups are well-prepared. They are called

Malinche Marina or Malintzin ( 1500 – 1529), more popularly known as La Malinche , a Nahua woman from the Mexican Gulf Coast, became known for contributing to the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire (1519–1521), by acting as an interpreter, advi ...

by the inhabitants of the city. There is a movement to return to traditional style of celebration, with traditional wooden masks and band music.

Orange Fair

The annual Orange

Fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

is a major event during the last week of April. In 2010, it was called "CitroFest 2010". The event covered five hectares of land, with room for international guest speakers and business tables to allow producers to meet with large retail chains and consumers. There is also a

bullring A bullring is an arena where bullfighting is performed. Bullrings are often associated with the Iberian Peninsula, but they can also be found through Iberian America and in a few Spanish and Portuguese ex-colonies in Africa. Bullrings are o ...

, public theater, sculptures made from oranges, the meeting of the Sotavento and Huasteca music, exhibition of cultivation equipment, shopping, food, rides, among many other attractions. One of the biggest attractions at the fair is the Colotero Race. The competitors load basket full of oranges (up to 70 kg) on his back, which is held by a carrying strap to the front of the head. The length of the race varies, but is currently about a mile. Dropping the basket is an automatic disqualification.

Feast in honor of the Virgin of Our Lady of Sorrows

Festivities are held on 13 to 15 September in honor of the Virgin of Our Lady of Sorrows, where they perform dances of the region, religious and cultural events, enlivened by the jaranas and violins, traditional musical instruments of the Huasteca.

Day of the Lost Child

The Day of the Lost Child (''el día del niño perdido''), a religious tradition whose origins can be traced to the presence of the first evangelists of the New Indies, is held on 7 December. Participants light a

candle A candle is an ignitable wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time. A person who makes candles i ...

in remembrance. The tradition is based on the biblical episode from the

Gospel of Luke The Gospel of Luke), or simply Luke (which is also its most common form of abbreviation). tells of the origins, birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. Together with the Acts of the Apostles, it makes up a two-volu ...

called

Finding in the Temple The Finding in the Temple, also called Christ among the Doctors or the Disputation (the usual names in art), was an episode in the early life of Jesus depicted in chapter 2 of the Gospel of Luke. It is the only event of the later childhood of Je ...

, where

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

stayed behind in Jerusalem unbeknownst to his parents. When they discovered him missing, they searched for three days and found him at the

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

Tianguis Dominical

The traditional Sunday market (''

tianguis A is an open-air market or bazaar that is traditionally held on certain market days in a town or city neighborhood in Mexico and Central America. This bazaar tradition has its roots well into the pre-Hispanic period and continues in many cases e ...

'') is held in Álamo Plaza. It dates back to before European contact, when the Aztecs controlled the area. A wide range of goods are offered for sale, including manufactured goods, foodstuffs such as , cassava brown sugar, and homemade bread.

Government

The town council is composed of a municipal chairman, who is a trustee, and ten

aldermen An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members them ...

References

External links

Página oficial del Municipio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alamo, Veracruz Populated places in Veracruz