La Yesca is 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 ...

and the municipal seat of the same in the Mexican state of

Nayarit Nayarit (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nayarit ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit), is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 20 municipalities and its ...

. The population of the municipality was 12,025 (2005). The population of the town and municipal seat was 356 inhabitants in 2005. The population density was 7 inhabitants per square kilometer, one of the lowest in the state. The name is derived from a species of porous and soft wood called "yesca" ( en, tinder), which is found in the area.

Geography

La Yesca municipality covers , having the second largest area for municipalities in Nayarit. Located at the southern end of the

Sierra Madre Occidental The Sierra Madre Occidental is a major mountain range system of the North American Cordillera, that runs northwest–southeast through northwestern and western Mexico, and along the Gulf of California. The Sierra Madre is part of the American ...

, it is mostly mountainous terrain. It lies between 21º 10’ and 22º 00’ North latitude and 103º 43” and 104º 33’ west longitude. It is bordered to the southwest by the municipalities of Santa María del Oro, Jala and

Ixtlán del Río Ixtlán del Río is both a municipality and municipal seat in the Mexican state of Nayarit. In 2018 the population of the municipality was 33,289 (35,180 in the municipal seat) and the total area was 581.4 km². Ixtlán, as it is known to l ...

, to the northwest by the municipality of

El Nayar El Nayar is a municipality in the Mexican state of Nayarit. The population was 30,551 in 2005 in a total area of 5,100 km². The municipal seat of Jesús María had a population of 1,520 in 2005. El Nayar is the home of the Huichol, Cora, and t ...

, and to the north, east and south by the state of Jalisco. Mountainous zones comprise 95% of the area. The main elevations are Sierra el Pinabete at 1,420 m, the Sierra Pajaritos with an elevation of 2,500 m and the Sierra de Álica with an elevation of 2,200 m. The rivers are: the

Río Grande de Santiago The Río Grande de Santiago, or Santiago River, is a river in western Mexico. It flows westwards from Lake Chapala via Ocotlán through the states of Jalisco and Nayarit to empty into the Pacific Ocean. It one of the longest rivers in Mexico, ...

, Bolaños, Camotlán, Huaynamota and Jora Viejo. La Yesca has vast forest and mineral resources, as well as pastures for extensive cattle raising. The soil is generally rocky, eroded and with few lands for agriculture.

Demographics

The census of 1995 registered 4,350 indigenous inhabitants, which made up 35.92% of the population. La Yesca had the second largest indigenous population in the state after

Economy and infrastructure

The road system is precarious and the main means of transport is by plane. The economy is based on agriculture, which is almost all seasonal. Most of the planted area is used for corn. Cattle raising is the main activity of the municipality and there were more than 80,000 head in 1995. There is at least one active mine for gold and silver located on a 6 km² concession. The project includes two previous producing mines and a modern milling facility capable of milling 200 tonnes per day of feed. Approximately 200,000 tonnes of tailings are available to process immediately, with the tailings containing good grades of both gold and silver.mine info
/ref> La Yesca is the main processor of pine wood in the state. It produced 41% of the state total in 1995.

Notable residents

* Lupita Palomera (1913–2008), Mexican singer of radio, stage, film, and television. Successful performer of Mexican

bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...

. Known for her recordings of "Vereda tropical", "Perfidia", "Frenesí", and "Incertidumbre", among other songs. * Ahuizotl Sánchez (b. 1962), football player and manager

Notes and references

External links

Enciclopedia de los Muncipios de MexicoInformation about the mines
{{Nayarit Populated places in Nayarit Municipalities of Nayarit