Jalostotitlán ( nah, Xālōztōtitlān, , place of sandy caves, ) 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 ori ...

and municipality located in the northeast corner of the state of Jalisco, Mexico, in a region known as Los Altos. The municipality shares its border on the north with the municipality of

Teocaltiche Teocaltiche ( nah, Teocaltillitzin "place near the temple") is a town and municipality in the central-western Mexican state of Jalisco. It is located in the northeastern highlands region of Jalisco, commonly referred to in Spanish as "Los Altos de ...

, the east with the municipality of

San Juan de los Lagos San Juan de los Lagos (Spanish for " Saint John of the Lakes") is a city and municipality located in the northeast corner of the state of Jalisco, Mexico, in a region known as Los Altos. It is best known as the home of a small image of the Virgi ...

, to the south with the municipality of San Miguel el Alto, to the southwest with the municipality of

Valle de Guadalupe The Valle de Guadalupe (Guadalupe Valley) is an area of Ensenada Municipality, Baja California, Mexico that is an increasingly popular tourist destination for wine and Baja Med cuisine. It is located north of the City of Ensenada and southeas ...

, and to the west with the municipality of Cañadas de Obregón. The town is located in a midsection of the country, with semi-desert, arid lands to the north and more fertile lands to the south. Winters are relatively cold and summers are hot and rainy. The municipality also includes the towns of San Nicolás de las Flores, Teocaltitán de Guadalupe, San Gaspar de los Reyes and Mitic. In the center of town are the churches that originate from the 16th century, when the town was first founded. Jalostotitlan it's also known for its religious tourism to Santa Ana de Guadalupe, for being the birthplace of the saint Toribio Romo.

Etymology

The name "Jalostotitlán" is a Spanish rendering of the Nahuatl toponym ''Xālōztōtitlān'', a locative which can be loosely translated as "place of sandy caves", or more accurately, "in the place of caves of sand" (from '' xālli'' "sand" and '' ōztōtl'' "cave"), referring to caves with sandy deposits from which sand was extracted.

History

In 1164, the residents of the area (mostly from the

Tecuexe The Tecuexe were an indigenous peoples of Mexico, who lived in the eastern part of present-day Guadalajara. History It is believed that the Tecuexe derived from the dispersion of Zacateco groups from La Quemada. Like the Zacatecos, the Tecuexe ...

and

Caxcan The Caxcan were a partly nomadic indigenous people of Mexico. Under their leader, Tenamaztle, the Caxcan were allied with the Zacatecos against the Spaniards during the Mixtón Rebellion in 1540-42. During the rebellion, they were described as ...

tribes) resisted

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 ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl ...

advances, who had just settled in nearby

for a period of 40 years before moving on to

Tenochtitlán , ; es, Tenochtitlan also known as Mexico-Tenochtitlan, ; es, México-Tenochtitlan was a large Mexican in what is now the historic center of Mexico City. The exact date of the founding of the city is unclear. The date 13 March 1325 was ...

. The Spaniards first arrived in the area during the conquest of Tonalá under Captain Pedro Almíndez Chirino with the 350 Spaniards and 500 Purépecha and Tlaxcaltecs under his control. After a series of rebellions, the area was placed under the Spanish crown in 1541. The town of Jalostotitlán was founded by Fray Miguel de Bologna in 1544. After the Mexican War of Independence, Jalostotitlán gained the status of a town in 1838. The municipality of Jalostotitlán was created on 21 May 1872. Jalostotitlan is the location of sites associated with canonized Mexican Catholic priests Toribio Romo Gonzalez and Pedro Esqueda Ramírez, who were murdered by federal troops during 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 ...

or La Cristiada Jalostotitlán was elevated to city status on 1 September 1970 and made the seat of the municipality. Jalostotitlán is the birthplace of famed General José María González de Hermosillo, who fought in the

Mexican War of Independence The Mexican War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia de México, links=no, 16 September 1810 – 27 September 1821) was an armed conflict and political process resulting in Mexico's independence from Spain. It was not a single, co ...

. The city of

Hermosillo Hermosillo (), formerly called Pitic (as in ''Santísima Trinidad del Pitic'' and ''Presidio del Pitic''), is a city located in the center of the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is the municipal seat of the Hermosillo municipality, the ...

, Sonora is named in his honor. It is also the birthplace of famed poet Alfredo R. Plascencia Jáuregui.

Population

The population of the municipality of Jalostotitlán totaled 71,948 inhabitants according to the 2000 census. Of these, 2,200 reside in the municipal seat. Similar to the rest of the Los Altos region, Jalostotitlán did not retain a large indigenous population. Only two-tenths of one percent of inhabitants speak an indigenous language according to the census. Most of the residents can trace their ancestry to Spain and France

Economy

The main activities in the municipality are agriculture, cattle-farming and the services industry. In the past 15 years Jalostotitlán has become a relevant manufacturing center, producing shoes, leather goods and dairy products. One of the main sources of income for the families of the town, are the "remesas" or remittances of relatives that live abroad (mainly in the United States).

Annual fiestas in Jalostotitlan

There are two fiestas that are celebrated in Jalostotitlán once a year. The "Carnaval" that is held early to mid-February and the other in August (August 1–15) is the "Fiestas De La Virgen De La Asuncion" or "La Quincena", a religious festival. During the Carnaval, there are many activities and events throughout the week. Carnaval has concerts, also known as "palenques". Bullfighting, cockfighting and parades are part of the activities. "Terrazas" or outdoor bars are found in the plaza accompanied with live bandas and mariachi music. The Fiestas in August include mariachi music, Caxcan native dances, allegoric and big-rig truck parades and at night a "Castillo" or tower with fireworks every night. People from United States (mostly from California and other western states) go there to visit families during these festivals. Fiestas de la Vigen de la Asuncion en agosto

Fiestas de la Vigen de la Asuncion en agosto

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jalostotitlan Municipalities of Jalisco