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El Arenal is a town 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 go ...
in the state of
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 En ...
in central-western
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. El Arenal is known as the gateway to the so-called "blue agave" region in the Jaliscan Highlands (Los Altos de Jalisco). The municipality has an area of approximately . As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 13,574.


The tequila factories

The municipality includes La Providencia (claimed to be the first to export tequila to Europe), Cascahuín, Don Rigo and Don Valente factories.


Toponymy

Its name derives from the terrestrial conditions of the first settlement, since there was a lot of sand in the valley.


Coat of arms

The municipal coat of arms is divided into four quarters. In the upper part there are some mounds of sand, an abundant material at the time of the first settlement, which gave its name to the municipality, and an
agave ''Agave'' (; ; ) is a genus of monocots native to the hot and arid regions of the Americas and the Caribbean, although some ''Agave'' species are also native to tropical areas of North America, such as Mexico. The genus is primarily known for ...
plant, the cultivation of which has become economically important in the region. In the lower sections are the figures of a ''
milpa Milpa is a crop-growing system used throughout Mesoamerica. It has been most extensively described in the Yucatán peninsula area of Mexico. The word ''milpa'' is derived from the Nahuatl word phrase ''mil-pa'', which translates into "cultivated ...
'' (cultivated field ) and a cow, representing local agriculture, the main economic activity. In the upper central part, crowning the shield, the legend appears: "Homeland, Loyalty and Work", values ascribed to the natives of this municipality. The
City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
ran a contest for the best design of a coat of arms in commemoration of the 69th anniversary of the constitution of the municipality, with the winning design being submitted by Ana Elda Rosas Jiménez. The official coat of arms of the municipality was approved in the Cabildo session of May 30, 1992.


History

Its primitive settlers were Nahoa s. Shortly before the arrival of the conquerors, the Purépecha people found the region in its failed attempt to seize the salt flats on the beaches. Archeological studies indicated that the area may have been the center of the civilization that built the
Guachimontones Los Guachimontones is the largest Late Formative to Classic period (300 BCE to 450/500 CE) pre-Columbian archaeological site in the state of Jalisco.Christopher S. Beekman (2018). La secuencia cronológica temprana en Los Guachimontones. In Nuevo ...
pyramids. The founders of modern El Arenal were: Familias Ruiz, Castañeda, Ocampo, Ibarra, Rosales, and Sanchez, Donato Ruiz, Miguel Rosales Armas, Enrique Rosales Sánchez and his brother Emiliano; Manuel Ruiz and Andrés Ibarra. Its name derives from the ground conditions of the first settlement, since there was a lot of sand in the valley. Until 1922, El Arenal was a delegation of the municipality of
Amatitán Amatitán is the head of a municipality in the Mexican state of Jalisco, and is home to one of the world's largest tequila distilleries. It is the location of “La Hacienda de San José del Refugio”, a distillery which makes “ Tequila Herrad ...
. By decree number 2270, published on June 5 of 1923, the El Arenal police station was made a
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 go ...
. In 1925 the main square was built, having opened the streets and the beginning of the construction of the temple. In 1938, by decree number 4421, the municipality of El Arenal expands its large settlements.


Physical geography


Situation

The municipality of Arenal is located in the northwest of the state, at coordinates 20º42'44 '' to 20º52'15 '' north latitude and 103º37'04 '' at 103º42'45 '' west longitude, at an altitude of 1450 meters above sea level.


Delimitation

It borders the municipalities of
Amatitán Amatitán is the head of a municipality in the Mexican state of Jalisco, and is home to one of the world's largest tequila distilleries. It is the location of “La Hacienda de San José del Refugio”, a distillery which makes “ Tequila Herrad ...
to the north and west, to the south with Tala and to the east it borders
Zapopan Zapopan () is a city and municipality located in the Mexican state of Jalisco. Part of the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, the population of Zapopan city proper makes it the second largest city in the state, very close behind the population of ...
.


Extension

The extension of the El Arenal municipality is 181.81 km².


Geology

It is considered within the
Tertiary Period Tertiary ( ) is a widely used but obsolete term for the geologic period from 66 million to 2.6 million years ago. The period began with the demise of the non-avian dinosaurs in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, at the start ...
; The subsoil is made up of limestone, extrusive igneous rocks, rhyolite, andesite, basalt, tuff and volcanic gap.


Topography

Most of the municipality has semi-flat areas with elevations of 1550 to 1600 meters above sea level. They are followed in proportion by flat areas with elevations from 1400 to 1550 meters above sea level, and in a minimal proportion are rugged areas with elevations from 1600 to 1840 meters above sea level.


Hydrography

Belonging to the Lerma-Chapala-Santiago basin and the sub-basin of the Santiago-Cuisillos-Juchipila rivers; Its main currents are the Salado and Arenal rivers and the Las Tortugas, Arenal, Agua Dulce and Laguna Colorada streams.


Floors

The composition of the soil corresponds to those of the haplic Feozem type associated with the eutrophic Regosol and pelvic Vertisol.


Climate

The climate of the municipality has been classified as semi-dry; with winter and spring dry and semi-warm, with no defined winter season. The average annual temperature is 20 °C., And an average rainfall of 1,103.6 mm, with rainfall in the months of June and July. The prevailing winds are in the northwest direction. The annual average of days with frosts is 13.


Flora and fauna

The hills are covered with
oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
and spiny low vegetation. The hills and hillsides are covered with huizache,
nopal Nopal (from the Nahuatl word for the pads of the plant) is a common name in Spanish for ''Opuntia'' cacti (commonly referred to in English as ''prickly pear''), as well as for its pads. There are about 114 known species in Mexico, where it is ...
, granjeno, cat's claw and some fruit trees. The fauna is represented by species such as
deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...
,
squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...
,
rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...
,
reptile Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates (lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalians ( ...
and other minor species.


Natural resources

The natural wealth that the municipality has is represented by 900 hectares of
forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
. Its mineral resources are deposits of non-metallic elements: lime, quarry, sand, gravel, clay, kaolin, diatamite, quartz and feldspar.


Social and communications infrastructure

Health care is provided by the Ministry of Health of the State Government and by the Mexican Social Security Institute ( IMSS). The social welfare area is covered by the System for the Integral Development of the Family ( DIF), through the Municipal Committee in support of its different programs. There are grocery stores in the municipal seat and other locations. In the municipal head there is a public market where the inhabitants of smaller towns buy products. There is also a civic plaza, sports centers and recreational centers. There are also sites with natural attractions such as the Las Tinajas temporary spa and the Las Tortugas dam. Home ownership is fundamentally private. Counting much of them with the services of drinking water, electricity and drainage. The predominant materials in the construction of the houses are mostly adobe and in a smaller proportion of partition walls, with tile roofs and brick vaults. With regard to basic services, 93.5% of the inhabitants have drinking water; in sewerage the coverage is 94.4% and in the electricity service 97.4%. Ground transportation can be done through the Mexico-Guadalajara-Nogales highway. It has a network of rural roads and dirt roads in the towns. The municipality is integrated into the state rail network, through the Guadalajara-Nogales-Mexicali line of the Pacific Rail System (recently privatized company). It has the service of direct line of trucks, as well as buses of passage. Regarding the media, there is
mail The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letter (message), letters, and parcel (package), parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid ...
,
telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...
,
telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...
, radiotelephony and radio and
television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
signal.


Economy

The corn and agave crops stand out. Cattle of meat, milk and for work, pig and poultry are raised. The most developed industrial activity in this municipality is the elaboration of
tequila Tequila (; ) is a liquor, distilled beverage made from the Agave tequilana, blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, Jalisco, Tequila northwest of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Guadalajara, and in the Jaliscan Highlands ...
. The manufacture of food products is also important and cold meats are packed. The mining resources available to the municipality are represented by non-metallic minerals such as lime, quarry, sand, gr


Tourism

Santa Quintera is a hacienda located northeast of the town of El Arenal. The hacienda contains both agave fields as well as rocky hills with pine and holm oak forest. It is also home to the Mesa Alta archeological zone belonging to the Volador culture. It contains two Mesoamerican ballcourts along with a circular pyramid.


Government

The form of government is democratic and depends on Jalisco state government, and federal government. Elections are held every three years, when the municipal president and her/his council are elected.


Municipal presidents


References

{{Jalisco Municipalities of Jalisco