Polotitlán de la Ilustración is the name of the municipal seat of the municipality of Polotitlán that is located in the State of Mexico, in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. It is located in the northwestern part of the state, bordering the state of

Hidalgo Hidalgo may refer to: People * Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility * Hidalgo (surname) Places Mexico * Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico * Hidalgo, Coahuila, a town in the north Mexican state of Coahuila * Hidalgo, Nuevo Le� ...

. It is 125 km north of

Toluca Toluca , officially Toluca de Lerdo , is the state capital of the State of Mexico as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. With a population of 910,608 as of the 2020 census, Toluca is the fifth most populous city in Mexico. The city f ...

, the state capital and 121 km north-northwest of

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

. "Polotitlán" is made up of the Spanish surname ''Polo'' and the Nahuatl 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 ( 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 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 beginnings 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 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 commonly referred to as ...

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 Jilotepec de Molina Enríquez, known as Jilotepec de Abasolo until 1986, and commonly known as Jilotepec, is a city located in the northwest zone of the State of Mexico in Mexico. The name comes from Náhuatl, meaning "hill of corncobs". It is t ...

Huichapan Huichapan (; Otomi: Nxamädo) is a town and one of the 84 municipalities of Hidalgo, in central-eastern Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bo ...

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 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 state of Hidalgo and Jilotepec and to 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 the 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