Atotonilco El Alto is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...

and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

, in

Jalisco Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal ...

Los Altos (Jalisco) Los Altos de Jalisco, or the Jaliscan Highlands, is a geographic and cultural region in the eastern part of the Mexican state of Jalisco, famed as a bastion of Mexican culture, cradling traditions from Tequila production to ''Charrería'' equ ...

region in central-western

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

. The municipality covers an area of 638.15 km. Atotonilco (pronounced ah-toh-toh-NEAL-co) means "place of hot waters", in Náhuatl. "El Alto"("The High One") was later added in honor of those who died in the

Cristero War The Cristero War ( es, Guerra Cristera), also known as the Cristero Rebellion or es, La Cristiada, label=none, italics=no , was a widespread struggle in central and western Mexico from 1 August 1926 to 21 June 1929 in response to the implementa ...

in the early 1920s. As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 51,798.

History

The town was first established by the

Purépecha The Purépecha (endonym pua, P'urhepecha ) are a group of indigenous people centered in the northwestern region of Michoacán, Mexico, mainly in the area of the cities of Cherán and Pátzcuaro. They are also known by the pejorative " Tarascan ...

in late 1400, according to

myth. The region was conquered in June 1530 by the

Nuño de Guzmán Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán (c. 14901558) was a Spanish conquistador and colonial administrator in New Spain. He was the governor of the province of Pánuco from 1525 to 1533 and of Nueva Galicia from 1529 to 1534, and president of the first Ro ...

. Martin del Campo was the first

encomendero The ''encomienda'' () was a Spanish labour system that rewarded conquerors with the labour of conquered non-Christian peoples. The labourers, in theory, were provided with benefits by the conquerors for whom they laboured, including military ...

and the evangelization of the region was entrusted to the

Franciscans , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

. Atotonilco in 1551 was given in encomienda to the conquistador Andrés de Villanueva. In November 1824 the State Congress ruled that the village of Atotonilco hereafter would have the title of town, and would also be the head of the department which includes Arandas and Ayotlán. On May 15, 1868, the governor of Jalisco, Antonio Gómez Cuervo, elevated the status of Atotonilco to a city, which it retains to this day.

Atotonilco El Alto municipality

Has 112 towns. Atotonilco El Alto, Cienega del Pastor, Milpillas, La Santa Rosa, La Cofradia, San Francisco de Asís, Santa Elena, La Guadalupana, San Joaquin, El, Ojo de Agua de Morán, El Agua Caliente, El Nacimiento, San Jose del Valle, San Joaquin, San Antonio de Fernandez, Nuevo Valle, Margaritas, La Purisma, Los Adobes and more.

Taretan Water Park

In 1950, Taretan Water Park started functioning as a natural hot spring bath and an amusement place for families located at the sides of the Taretan River. Taretan was founded in the highlands of Jalisco. It was remodeled in the mid-1920s and now it houses a stone statue of St. Michael Archangel the Patron Saint of Atotonilco. It also has several sheds with tables and chairs made out of stone, dressing rooms, and a playground for young children to play. This park is mostly known for its waters. Hispanic legend of this place claims that the waters in Taretan have healing properties.

Notable people

* Venerable Maria Luisa de la Peña, Mexican Roman Catholic nun and founder of the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles * José Trinidad Sepúlveda Ruiz-Velasco, Bishop of San Juan de los Lagos, Jalisco * General

Enrique Gorostieta Enrique Gorostieta Velarde (Monterrey, 1889 – Atotonilco el Alto, June 2, 1929) was a Mexican soldier best known for his leadership as a general during the Cristero War. Life Born in Monterrey into a prominent Mexican-Basque family, Enrique ...

was killed there during the Cristero War.

References

External links

Atotonilco El Alto municipality

Atoto Website
* https://web.archive.org/web/20160624004408/http://atotonilco.gob.mx/atogobmx1215/atotonilco-el-alto/turismo/naturaleza/322-parque-taretan {{Authority control Municipalities of Jalisco Populated places established in 1528