Ruiz 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 located in the north of 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 ...

Origin of the name

The name was given to honor General Mariano Ruiz (1846–1932), soldier of the Mexican Revolution and last political leader of the territory of

Tepic Tepic () is the capital and largest city of the western Mexican state of Nayarit, as well as the seat of the Tepic Municipality. Located in the central part of the state, it stands at an altitude of above sea level, on the banks of the Rí ...

, who lived in and supplied the settlement until 1910.

Population and location

The population of the municipality, according to the census of 1995, was 25, 591. The municipal seat itself had 12,266 inhabitants in 1995. The total area of the municipality was 900 square kilometers

Ruiz has boundaries in the north with the municipalities of

Rosamorada Rosamorada () is a municipality of the state of Nayarit in Mexico. It is located in the extreme north of the state. The area of the municipality is 2,073 km² and the population was 32, 217 in 2005, showing a significant decrease from 1980 when i ...

and

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 ...

; in the south with the municipalities of

and

Santiago Ixcuintla Santiago de Ixcuintla is a municipality and a municipal seat in the western Mexican state of Nayarit. The municipal population was 84,314 inhabitants (census of 2000) with the municipal seat having 18,269. The area of the municipality was 1,831 ...

; in the west with the municipalities of

Tuxpan Tuxpan (or Túxpam, fully Túxpam de Rodríguez Cano) is both a municipality and city located in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The population of the city was 78,523 and of the municipality was 134,394 inhabitants, according to the INEGI census ...

and

, and in the east with the municipality of

. See detailed map a

The land

The area of the municipality extends from the western lowlands to the foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental. About 70% of its surface is made up of rugged lands. The municipal seat is located on the coastal plain at an elevation of 30 meters above sea level. It is here where the agricultural lands are found, especially near the San Pedro River. In the mountains peaks reach as high as 1,640 meters, the case of Los Coquitos.

The climate

The climate is mild rainy and subhumid, with the rains falling from June to September. The area is free of frost and moderate winds are of little intensity.

Indigenous population

There is a relatively large indigenous population that lives in the mountains. According to the 1995 census it consisted of 1,866 people, or 9.8% of the population. The most numerous ethnic groups are the Cora people, Cora and the

Huichol The Huichol or Wixárika are an indigenous people of Mexico and the United States living in the Sierra Madre Occidental range in the states of Nayarit, Jalisco, Zacatecas, and Durango, as well as in the United States in the states of California ...

. These Indians can often be seen in the main population center selling their traditional crafts and stocking up on provisions.

Economic activity

The economy is based on agriculture with the main crops being: coffee, maize, sorghum, beans, pineapple, watermelon, tobacco, and chile. There is also significant cattle raising with around 20,000 head of cattle.

References

Enciclopedia de los Municipios de Mexico
{{Coord, 21, 57, N, 105, 09, W, source:kolossus-eowiki, display=title Populated places in Nayarit Municipalities of Nayarit