La Huacana Municipality is a
municipality in the south-central part of the Mexican
state of
Michoacán
Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo (; Purépecha: ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of ...
. It has a population of 32,757. Its municipal seat is the
city of the same name.
Etymology
Huacana is a word of
Chichimeca origin that means "Place of Dresses". Another version as to the origin of the name is that it was described only as "A place where a grey hair is floated on the water" by an indigenous inhabitant when she was asked the region's name.
Populated places in the municipality
*
La Huacana, the largest town in the municipality, with a population of 9,395.
* Zicuiran, 20 kilometres from the head of the municipality, with a population of 2,921.
* El Chauz, 27 kilometres away, with a population of 2,220.
* Los Olivos, 40 kilometres away, with a population of 624.
* Cupuan del Rio, 48 kilometres away, with a population of 1,536.
* Copales, 15 kilometres away, with a population of 283.
* Oropeo, 20 kilometres away, with a population of 321.
Geography
The municipality has an area of 1,952.60 square kilometres and a population of 32,757 inhabitants according to the 2010 census.
La Huacana municipality is located in the southern part of the state 480 meters above sea level, and is bordered to the north by the municipalities of
Nuevo Urecho and
Ario Ario may refer to:
Places
*Ario Municipality, Mexico
*Ario de Rosales, main town of Ario Municipality
Other
*Ario Barzan, who was an ancient royal Persian commander who led a last stand of the Persian army against Alexander the Great.
*The gro ...
, to the east by
Turicato, to the south by
Churumuco
Churumuco is a municipality located in the southeastern part of the Mexican state of Michoacán. The municipality has an area of 1,119.44 square kilometres (1.90% of the surface of the state) and is bordered to the north by the municipality of ...
and
Arteaga, and to the west by
Múgica Mugica or Múgica (in Basque Muxika) is a Basque surname. Variations: Mujica (disambiguation), Mujica, Mújica, Mújico, Mujika, Mugika and Mojica.
*Antonio Mugica (born 1974), Venezuelan businessman
*Carlos Mugica (1930–1974), Argentine Roman Ca ...
and
Apatzingán
Apatzingán (in full, Apatzingán de la Constitución) is a city and municipal seat of the municipality of Apatzingán in the west-central region of the Mexican state of Michoacán.
Geography
The Municipality of Apatzingán is located in the Ti ...
. Its distance from the state capital
Morelia is 161 kilometers. Its surface area is 1,951.91 km
2, representing 3.32% of the whole state.
Michoacán
''Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México''. Retrieved on October 7, 2007
Its orography is composed of southern foothills of the transverse volcanic system, the hills of Las Canoas, La Copa, El Estribo, La Sierrita and El Milpillas. Features of its hydrography are the rivers Huamito, Pastoria and Capirio, and the streams Zapiero, San Pedro Jorullo and San Antonio. The municipality contains Zicuiran dam and some cold water springs and one hot water spring. Its weather is tropical with summer rains and in other parts it is dry steppe. It has an annual rainfall of 800.0 mm and temperatures ranging from 10 to 54 degrees Celsius. Its forest is mostly made up of pine, oak, shrubbery of different types and hydrophilic vegetation.
History
During the wars before the Spaniards arrived, this place was conquered by the Tarascan state, by the successors of Tariacuri: Hiquingare, Tangaxuan and Hirepan. These rulers, in order to ensure the payment of tribute, appointed Cupauxanti as chieftain. In the 16th century, with the arrival of the Spaniards, shortly after the conquest of Apatzingan, La Huacana became an ''encomienda
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 ...
'' under Juan Pantoja. In 1789 Jose Maria Morelos
Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods.
* Jose ben Abin
* Jose ben Akabya
*Jose the Galile ...
was the curate
A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...
of the parish of Tamacuaro de la Aguacana.
Notable people
* Ernesto Rodriguez, a social activist, who implemented land redistribution in the area, establishing the first '' ejido'' in La Huacana in May 1936. He was killed on 4 December 1937 as a result of this land redistribution.
References
{{Michoacán
Municipalities of Michoacán
1907 establishments in Mexico