Lagunillas () is a

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descri ...

town in the

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 ...

San Martín de Hidalgo San Martín de Hidalgo, formerly San Martín de la Cal, is the largest town and municipal seat of San Martín de Hidalgo Municipality, in Jalisco in central-western Mexico. As of 2015, the town had a population of 7,819. It is located 16 km (10 mi ...

in the Mexican state of Jalisco. The town is enclaved in the local and statewide touristic area

Sierra de Quila Sierra de Quila, officially the Sierra de Quila Flora and Fauna Protection Area, is a Mexican Flora and Fauna Protection Area in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. It has an area of 15,193 hectares, and is located within six municipalities: San Martí ...

, one of Jalisco's largest protected forests. Lagunillas is known region-wide as an enchanting place with red-colored dirt roads and adobe houses with wooden accents contrasting a solid dark green forest and the silhouette of the Cerro El Huehuentón.

Toponymics

''Lagunillas'' (lah-gun-nee-yahs) in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

means "small lakes". The word is a combination of the noun ''laguna'', meaning "lake", and the suffix ''illa'' which means "small".

History

Lagunillas was probably founded by a group of settlers who, when searching for farmland, found small freshwater lakes. The town is atop a

mesa A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge or hill, which is bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and stands distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas characteristically consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks capped by a ...

surrounded by forests of

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

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts ...

trees. The town is still surrounded by the

, whose beauty symbolizes untouched nature. The population of Lagunillas has had a steady decline due to its rural location, it is currently 106 as of 2010.

Economy

During the

peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-f ...

harvest in Lagunillas, many residents from adjacent towns come to pick peaches for no cost, due to the hospitality of Lagunillas' residents.

Maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. The ...

and

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 ...

are farmed, but not in a significant quantity. Orchards of peaches and cherries are the town's agricultural symbol.

References

External links

Official Site
{{Municipality of San Martín de Hidalgo Populated places in Jalisco