Salvatierra () is a Mexican city (and

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 ...

) located in the valley of Huatzindeo in the

lowlands Upland and lowland are conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level. In studies of the ecology of freshwater rivers, habitats are classified as upland or lowland. Definitions Upland and lowland are portions of p ...

of the state of

Guanajuato Guanajuato (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato), is one of the 32 states that make up the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 46 municipalities and its capital city i ...

. It is rich in civil and religious architecture; haciendas, bridges, convents and large houses surrounded in tradition and history. With an area of 507.70 square kilometres, Salvatierra accounts for 1.66% the total area of the state. It is bordered to the north by

Tarimoro Tarimoro is the municipal seat of the municipality of Tarimoro in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. History The original settlement was a community of Otomi people The Otomi (; es, Otomí ) are an indigenous people of Mexico inhabiting the ...

and Cortazar, to the south by

Acámbaro Acámbaro is a city and municipality in the southeastern corner of the Mexican state of Guanajuato, on the banks of the Lerma River, and the oldest of the 46 municipalities of Guanajuato. Acámbaro was originally a Purépecha settlement which w ...

and the state of

Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo (; Purépecha: ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of ...

, to the west by

Yuriria Yuriria, Guanajuato, Mexico,(), is one of 46 municipalities in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. Geography Yuriria is located in the "Bajío", or lowlands, of Guanajuato. It is bordered to the east by Salvatierra and Santiago Maravatío, to th ...

and

Santiago Maravatío Santiago Maravatío is a Mexican city (and municipality) located in the Bajío (''lowlands'') of the state of Guanajuato. With an area of 91.760 square kilometres, Santiago Maravatío accounts for less than 1% of the surface of the state. It is b ...

, and to the northeast by

Jaral del Progreso Jaral del Progreso is a Mexican city and municipality located in the Bajío (''lowlands'') of the state of Guanajuato. With an area of , Jaral del Progreso accounts for 0.57% of the surface of the state. It is bordered to the north by Salamanca, ...

. The municipality had a total of 94,558 inhabitants of which 34,066 lived in the city of Salvatierra, according to the 2005 census. As of 2020 the municipality had a total of 94,126 inhabitants, compared to 2010, the population in Salvatierra decreased by -3.02% In

pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, th ...

times the area was known as Huatzindeo (or Guatzindeo) which means "Place of beautiful vegetation" by the mostly

Purépecha The Purépecha (endonym pua, P'urhepecha ) are a group of indigenous people centered in the northwestern region of Michoacán, Mexico, mainly in the area of the cities of Cherán and Pátzcuaro. They are also known by the pejorative "Tarascan ...

inhabitants. In 1646 Salvatierra became the first city of

, thus making it the oldest city in the state. Salvatierra was declared a

pueblo magico In the Southwestern United States, Pueblo (capitalized) refers to the Native tribes of Puebloans having fixed-location communities with permanent buildings which also are called pueblos (lowercased). The Spanish explorers of northern New Spai ...

in 2012 by the Mexican government.

History

The first inhabitants of valley of Huatzindeo belonged to the

Chichimeca Chichimeca () is the name that the Nahua peoples of Mexico generically applied to nomadic and semi-nomadic peoples who were established in present-day Bajio region of Mexico. Chichimeca carried the meaning as the Roman term "barbarian" that des ...

culture, who by the 12th century were found in many communities across the valley. The Chichimeca were eventually conquered by the

Purépecha people The Purépecha (endonym pua, P'urhepecha ) are a group of indigenous people centered in the northwestern region of Michoacán, Mexico, mainly in the area of the cities of Cherán and Pátzcuaro. They are also known by the pejorative "Tarascan ...

, along with most of the lower region of the present-day state of Guanajuato. The first

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

ans to arrive to the valley of Huatzindeo were

Franciscan friars The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

who came to the region with the intent of converting the native populations to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

. The Franciscan friars built and ran the first Spanish "''hospitalillo''," hospital, in the indigenous village of Huatziendeo (located to the left of the Lerma river) between 1535 and 1550. The Franciscan friars were soon joined by

cacique A ''cacique'' (Latin American ; ; feminine form: ''cacica'') was a tribal chieftain of the Taíno people, the indigenous inhabitants at European contact of the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. The term is a Spa ...

s and other Spanish pioneers who settled in the valley of Huatzindeo and built haciendas. Much of the hard labor at the haciendas was provided via

encomienda The ''encomienda'' () was a Spanish labour system that rewarded conquerors with the labour of conquered non-Christian peoples. The labourers, in theory, were provided with benefits by the conquerors for whom they laboured, including military ...

s by the indigenous population. By 1600 typhoid fever, smallpox and other diseases had almost wiped out the native population who lacked the needed antibodies since these diseases were alien to the native population at the time, and the village of Huatzindeo ceased to exist. Many of the Spaniards already in the area relocated to

pundaro, while others remained and founded San Andrés Chochones. San Andrés Chochones was built on the right side of the Lerman river – directly across from where the village of Huatzindeo had once stood. San Andrés de Salvatierra was founded under the order of Spanish viceroy Don Garcia Sarmiento de Sotomayor, 2nd Count of Salvatierra and Marquis of Sobroso, on February 9, 1644. In 1646 the town was granted the title of city, becoming the first city in the state of Guanajuato. During 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 ...

on April 18 of the year

1813 Events January–March * January 18–January 23 – War of 1812: The Battle of Frenchtown is fought in modern-day Monroe, Michigan between the United States and a British and Native American alliance. * January 24 – T ...

a battle called Batalla del Puente de Batanes took place on the Bridge of Batanes in Salvatierra, between insurgent forces led by Ramón López Rayón, younger brother of the supreme insurgent commander,

Ignacio López Rayón Ignacio López Rayón (July 31, 1773 in Tlalpujahua, Intendancy of Valladolid (present-day Michoacán), New Spain – February 2, 1832 in Mexico City) was a general who led the insurgent forces of his country after Miguel Hidalgo's death, d ...

, against the royalist forces commanded by

Agustín de Iturbide Agustín de Iturbide (; 27 September 178319 July 1824), full name Agustín Cosme Damián de Iturbide y Arámburu and also known as Agustín of Mexico, was a Mexican army general and politician. During the Mexican War of Independence, he built a ...

. The "Rayones" seized with fear, mainly the aide-de-camp Pedro Páez, who fled in the middle of the fight, facilitating the escape of other insurgents, ended up losing all their artillery. In addition to losing almost 170 troops who were either dead, imprisoned, or dispersed. However the biggest loss was losing Salvatierra, a base of operations. This was the beginning of the aggrandizement of Iturbide, as the viceroy granted Iturbide a promotion to the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

. Due to its rich soil and strategic location (midway between the three most populated areas, namely Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey) for most of the next three centuries the city was one of the most prosperous in the state of Guanajuato. However, unlike León,

Irapuato Irapuato is a Mexican city (and municipality) located at the foot of the Arandas Hill (in Spanish: ''Cerro de Arandas''), in the central region of the state of Guanajuato. It lies between the Silao River and the Guanajuato River, a tributary of t ...

, and

Celaya Celaya (; ) is a city and its surrounding municipalities of Mexico, municipality in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, located in the southeast quadrant of the state. It is the third most populous city in the state, with a 2005 census population of 3 ...

, Salvatierra never developed into a strong industrial town and has seen its working population shrink with many choosing to relocate to nearby cities and others leaving the country entirely to seek jobs in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Some microregions in the municipality have immigration levels of well over 50%, while the rate stands at 30% in the city. Cities and areas in the United States with sizable populations from Salvatierra include the metro areas of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, Salem,

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Moline, and

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Geography

Located in the Huatzindeo Valley, Salvatierra belongs to the Guanajuato geographical area of the Southern Valleys or Valles Abajeños. As for orography, the area belongs to the Mexican transversal neo-volcanic axis. In its hydrography, Salvatierra sits on the banks of the Lerma River, which greens the landscape most of the year. Most of the city is on the east bank of the

Lerma River The Lerma River ( es, Río Lerma) is Mexico's second longest river. It is a river in west-central Mexico that begins in Mexican Plateau at an altitude over above sea level, and ends where it empties into Lake Chapala, Mexico's largest lake, near ...

Climate

Salvatierra has a mostly warm temperate climate (Köppen climate classification

Cwa CWA or Cwa may refer to: Organisations * CWA Constructions, a Swiss manufacturer of gondolas and people mover cabins, a division of Doppelmayr Garaventa Group * Catch Wrestling Association, a former German professional wrestling promotion * Contin ...

), while the northernmost areas and some parts to the south having a more temperate climate which could be called subtropical highland climate (Köppen climate classification Cwb).

Cityscape

Microregions

Economy

Historically the economy was heavily agrarian, but currently is concentrated in the commercial sector, to the detriment of agricultural activity, which has specialized and focused on production that gets exported out the municipality. The commercial sector compromises 50.4% of the economy, followed by temporary accommodation and food and beverage preparation at 13.3%, "other services except government activities" which lists barbers, mechanics, repairman among other trades, at 12%, and the manufacturing industry, especially the

textile industry The textile industry is primarily concerned with the design, production and distribution of yarn, cloth and clothing. The raw material may be natural, or synthetic using products of the chemical industry. Industry process Cotton manufacturi ...

follows at 9.19%.

Culture

The city is host to many festivals including the Fiesta de la Candalaria, between January 26-February 9, which February 9th also coincides with the City's anniversary of foundation. In the month of May the Fiesta de la Virgen de la Luz es held. Fiesta de San Antonio de Padua is held on June 13. July 16 Fiesta de la Virgen del Carmen, and on November 20 the Feast of La Virgen del Rosario. Since 2007, Salvatierra recognized the bullfighting culture of its history, and taking advantage of the tricentennial of the Marquesado of this land, created a festivity with the name of the "Marquesada", which has as its main attraction the running of the bulls in the Pamplona style, remembering the salvaterrense bullfighting tradition, since in the current colony of La Esperanza the first bullfight was held in honor of the independence of Mexico, signed by the sixth Marquis of Salvatierra.

Crime

Three municipal employees, Mario Francisco Solano Muñoz, Hector Méndoza Beltrán, and Isaac Puente, were gunned down in their car on March 25,

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

. No arrests have been made. As of July 2022 the highest percentage of crime is theft with 184 cases reported in the year of 2022 and in between July 2021 and July 2022 the crime with the highest percentage increase is

homicide Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...

at a 550% increase with 15 reported.

Sister cities

* Huamantla, Tlaxcala *

Irwindale, California Irwindale is a city in the San Gabriel Valley, in Los Angeles County, California. The population was 1,422 at the 2010 census, down from 1,446 at the 2000 census. The ZIP Codes serving the area are 91010, which is shared with Duarte, 91702 ...

* Medina Sidonia, Spain * Comares, Spain * Zalamea de la Serena, Spain

References

External links

Cupareo, Mpio. de Salvatierra

(in Spanish) {{Authority control Populated places in Guanajuato Populated places established in 1644 Municipalities of Guanajuato Pueblos Mágicos 1644 establishments in the Spanish Empire