Polotitlán de la Ilustración is the name of the municipal seat of the municipality of Polotitlán, which is located in the

State of Mexico The State of Mexico, officially just Mexico, is one of the 32 federal entities of the United Mexican States. Colloquially known as Edomex (from , the abbreviation of , and ), to distinguish it from the name of the whole country, it is the mo ...

, in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. It is located in the northwestern part of the state, bordering the state of Hidalgo. It is 125 km north of

Toluca Toluca , officially Toluca de Lerdo , is the States of Mexico, state capital of the State of Mexico as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. Toluca has a population of 910,608 as of the 2020 census. The city forms the core of the Grea ...

, the state capital, and 121 km north-northwest of

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

. "Polotitlán" is made up of the Spanish surname ''Polo'' and the

Nahuatl Nahuatl ( ; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahuas, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller popul ...

suffix ''titlán''. The name means "Place of the Polos", in memory of the family that fought in the

Mexican War of Independence The Mexican War of Independence (, 16 September 1810 – 27 September 1821) was an armed conflict and political process resulting in Mexico's independence from the Spanish Empire. It was not a single, coherent event, but local and regional ...

The town

Because of the lack of water supplies and the cold, this area was not permanently settled prior to the arrival of the Spanish. For similar reasons, this area was distributed among the Spaniards late, in the latter half of the 16th century. Only around the beginning of the 18th century is there evidence of permanent communities here, as the ranches managed little by little to transform the topography with irrigation techniques. What is now the town began as a ranch called "El Ventorrillo", "la Soledad", "San Antonio del Río" as well as the later "San Antonio Polotitlán" and belonged to the municipality of San Jerónimo

Aculco Aculco is a municipalities of Mexico, municipality located in the Atlacomulco Region of the State of Mexico in Mexico. The name comes from Nahuatl. The municipal seat is the town of Aculco de Espinoza, although both the town and municipality are c ...

in the 17th century. The first Polo, Juan Luis Polo, came here in 1774. However, the family members who made themselves notable in the War of Independence were Col. José Rafael Polo, with his brothers José Trinidad y Manuel for their actions in the districts of Jilotepec de Abasolo,

Huichapan Huichapan (; Otomi: Nxamädo) is a town and one of the 84 municipalities of Hidalgo, in central-eastern Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 668.1 km2. Its name derives from the Classical Nahuatl ''Huēyichiyapan''. In 2020, the mun ...

and Tula. A chapel was built here in 1847 and Polotitlán was recognized as a town in 1852. In 1878, the current name of Polotitlán de la Ilustración was adopted after General

Porfirio Díaz José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori (; ; 15 September 1830 – 2 July 1915) was a General (Mexico), Mexican general and politician who was the dictator of Mexico from 1876 until Mexican Revolution, his overthrow in 1911 seizing power in a Plan ...

called it this when he visited in 1876. The total population of the town in 2005 was 2,819. The most notable construction in the town is a "Porfirian-style" bandstand crowned with a clocktower that faces the 4 directions. It also serves as a monument to José Rafael Polo.

The municipality

The limits of Polotitlán are the following ones, to the north with the states of Hidalgo and Querétaro, to the south with Aculco, the east with the states of Hidalgo and Jilotepec and the west with Aculco and the state of Querétaro. The municipality was established in 1875. The municipality of Polotitlán occupies a territorial extension of 132,8 kilometers square, which represents 0,6% of the total surface of the organization The total population of the municipality as of 2005 was 12,319. Agriculture most land that can be used for agriculture is, usually for seasonal crops like corn or vegetables and most of this needs to be irrigated. Because of the harsh conditions of the area, 409.137 hectares are classified as "without vegetation". While there is some pastureland, there is not enough to support commercial livestock-raising. There are also some small industries and family workshops making clothing, candles, cushions, and concrete.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Polotitlan de la Ilustracion Municipalities of the State of Mexico Otomi settlements Populated places established in 1852 1852 establishments in Mexico