Santa María del Oro is a town and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

, in the Southeastern Region of

Jalisco Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...

, in central-western

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 ...

, being the least populous and most sparsely populated municipality in Jalisco. The municipality covers an area of 776.4 km². As of 2020, the municipality had a total population of 1,815.

History

Before the

Conquest of Mexico The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire was a pivotal event in the history of the Americas, marked by the collision of the Aztec Triple Alliance and the Spanish Empire. Taking place between 1519 and 1521, this event saw the Spanish conquista ...

(1519–1521), this region was inhabited by

Purépecha The Purépecha ( ) 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 derogatory term " Tarascan", an exonym, app ...

or Tarascan indigenous people, who had been defeated in the Saltpeter War (1480–1510) (Guerra del Salitre). Later it became a ranch called La Teja, which belonged to Ramón Ochoa, originally from Quitupan. It was part of the indigenous

ejido An ''ejido'' (, from Latin ''exitum'') is an area of communal land used for agriculture in which community members have usufruct rights, which in Mexico is not held by the Mexican state. People awarded ejidos in the modern era farm them indiv ...

of Jilotlán. In 1810, to the north of the town, the La Jarana

sugarcane mill A sugar cane mill is a factory that processes sugar cane to produce raw sugar or plantation white sugar. Some sugar mills are situated next to a back-end refinery, that turns raw sugar into (refined) white sugar. The term is also used to refer ...

was in feverish activity, which stopped working during 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 ...

. Both the previous mill and the Real de Oro mining center belonged to some

Spaniards Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance-speaking ethnic group native to the Iberian Peninsula, primarily associated with the modern nation-state of Spain. Genetically and ethnolinguistically, Spaniards belong to the broader Southern a ...

who lived in Cotija,

Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo, is one of the 31 states which, together with Mexico City, compose the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The stat ...

. These sources of work gave life to the region. There were more than twenty mines in operation and in the Real de Oro, which had blast furnaces,

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

and

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

mineral In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid substance with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. (2011): Mi ...

s were processed. The machinery was powered by the water that came from a dam that is located metres above. The gold and silver bars they obtained were continuously transported in large caravans to Mexico City. Such important sources of work had a bad end. The Spaniards resisted with the aid of royalist forces, the attacks of the insurgency, until 1812, the year in which any defense became impossible and then they decided to take refuge in Cotija provisionally, but later they were surprised and beheaded in Santa María del Oro. At the beginning of the 20th century, some

Americans Americans are the Citizenship of the United States, citizens and United States nationality law, nationals of the United States, United States of America.; ; Law of the United States, U.S. federal law does not equate nationality with Race (hu ...

resumed work on the Real del Oro. Now, only ruins remain. On 23 November 1883, the small town was elevated to vicariate of the Real del Oro de Huilamba, later being called Santa María del Oro. It received the name of Manuel M. Diéguez when the municipality was erected on 6 January 1939 in memory of the revolutionary and state governor , according to Decree number 4465. By Decree number 16475 of the State Congress it was authorized the change of name of the municipality of Manuel M. Diéguez to Santa María del Oro. This provision was authorized on 20 December 1996 and was published in the Official Newspaper ''El Estado de Jalisco'' (The State of Jalisco), on 4 February 1997, to enter into force the following day. By Decree number 17837 of the State Congress, published on 10 April 1999, the name of the municipality of Manuel M. Diéguez was changed to that of Santa María del Oro, Jalisco. The region abounds with yacatas, mounds of earth or little "pyramids". They were built by excavating wells, approximately 4 metres in diameter, which were filled with large river stones and form a mound on the surface.

Timeline

* 1480–1510. This region was the theater of the Saltpeter War. * 1523.

Spaniard Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking Ethnicity, ethnic group native to the Iberian Peninsula, primarily associated with the modern Nation state, nation-state of Spain. Genetics, Genetically and Ethnolinguisti ...

Alonso de Ávalos conquered the peoples of this region. * 1812. Insurgent forces under the command of Francisco Guzmán surprised and beheaded 42 Spaniards in the town of Santa María del Oro. * 1889, 1 October. The town of Santa María de Guadalupe became a political commissaryship subject to Jilotlán de los Dolores. * 1938, 28 December. The decree that created the municipality of Manuel M. Diéguez was approved. * 1997, 4 February. The decree that changed the name of the municipality of Manuel M. Diéguez to Santa María del Oro was published. * 1999. 10 April. The decree that changed the name of the municipality of Manuel M. Diéguez to that of Santa María del Oro was published.

Geography

Location

Santa María del Oro is located in the southeastern part of Jalisco between the geographic coordinates 19° 24' 15" and 19° 42' 30" North latitude, and 102° 32' 10" and 103° 03' 30" West longitude, at an altitude of 3182 feet (970 meters) above sea level. The municipality borders to the north with the municipalities of Valle de Juárez and Quitupan, and the state of Michoacán; to the east with the state of Michoacán; to the south with the municipality of Jilotlán de los Dolores; and to the west with the municipality of Tamazula de Gordiano.

Topography

Its surface is made up of rugged areas (39%), with heights ranging from 3281 to 5413 feet asl (1000 to 1,650 m). Some of the hills located in the municipality are the following: El Burro, El Cantón, El Candelero, Cerro Alto, Los Truncos, and Del Sombrero, as well as a ravine named Barranca de Milpillas; there are also semi-flat areas (23%) and flat areas (38%).

Soils

The territory is made up of land belonging to the Quaternary period. The composition of the soils is of predominant types chromic and eutric

cambisol A Cambisol in the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) is a soil in the beginning of soil formation. The horizon differentiation is weak. This is evident from weak, mostly brownish discolouration and/or structure formation in the soil pro ...

, added in some part with haplic feozem, and in other higher parts the lithosol is located. The municipality has a land area of 104,400 acres (42,249 hectares), of which 25,452 (10,300) are used for agricultural purposes, 30,606 (12,386) for livestock activities, 43,708 (17,688) are for forest use, and 35 acres (14 hectares) are urban land, the use of 4,599 (1,861) not being specified. As far as property is concerned, an extension of 83,613 acres (33,837 hectares) is private and another of 15,694 (6,351) is ejidal; there is no communal property. The type of property for 5,093 acres (2,061 hectares) has not been specified.

Hydrography

The hydrological resources are provided by the rivers: Itzícuaro, Canela, Oro, Hornos, Plátanos, Agostadero, and Horcones. The streams are: Los Bordones, Calaquio, Los Toros, La Chimenea, La Preñada, Barranca del Alnaco, Barranca del Llano, Juan Pablo, La Huerta, and El Granadillo. In addition to having three hot water springs.

Climate

The climate is semi-dry, with dry autumn, winter and spring, and warm, without well-defined winter thermal changes. The average annual temperature is 75 °F (24 °C), with a maximum of 88.5 °F (31.4 °C) and a minimum of 62 °F (16.6 °C). The rainfall regime is during July and August, with an average rainfall of 1,075.1 millimeters. The prevailing winds are from the southwest.

Flora and fauna

Its vegetation is made up of wooded areas where species such as

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

ash tree ''Fraxinus'' (), commonly called ash, is a genus of plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae, and comprises 45–65 species of usually medium-to-large trees, most of which are deciduous trees, although some subtropical species are evergr ...

and cold tropical species and a wide variety of fruit trees are located. There are

opossum Opossums () are members of the marsupial order Didelphimorphia () endemic to the Americas. The largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere, it comprises 126 species in 18 genera. Opossums originated in South America and entered North A ...

badger Badgers are medium-sized short-legged omnivores in the superfamily Musteloidea. Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by their squat bodies and adaptions for fossorial activity rather than by the ...

fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

es,

rabbit Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated ...

coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans''), also known as the American jackal, prairie wolf, or brush wolf, is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the Wolf, gray wolf, and slightly smaller than the c ...

deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...

s, and

skunk Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or gi ...

s, existing a great variety of birds.

Economy

Livestock:

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the ...

s, and

pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), also called swine (: swine) or hog, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is named the domestic pig when distinguishing it from other members of the genus '' Sus''. Some authorities cons ...

s are raised. In addition to

poultry Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of harvesting animal products such as meat, Eggs as food, eggs or feathers. The practice of animal husbandry, raising poultry is known as poultry farming. These birds are most typ ...

and

beehive A beehive is an enclosed structure which houses honey bees, subgenus '' Apis.'' Honey bees live in the beehive, raising their young and producing honey as part of their seasonal cycle. Though the word ''beehive'' is used to describe the nest of ...

s. Agriculture:

corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...

sorghum ''Sorghum bicolor'', commonly called sorghum () and also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, durra, imphee, jowar, or milo, is a species in the Poaceae, grass genus ''Sorghum (genus), Sorghum'' cultivated for its grain. The grain i ...

, and

agave ''Agave'' (; ; ) is a genus of monocots native to the arid regions of the Americas. The genus is primarily known for its succulent and xerophytic species that typically form large Rosette (botany), rosettes of strong, fleshy leaves. Many plan ...

stand out. Commerce: establishments dedicated to the sale of basic necessities and mixed shops that sell various items predominate. Services: professional, technical, community, personal and maintenance services are provided. Industry: the main industrial activity is the manufacture of

cheese Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...

. Mining: there are deposits of

, and

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

. Forest exploitation:

and

are exploited.

Tourism

Architecture

* Old church * Church ruins

Handcrafts

Umbrellas An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is usually designed to protect a person against rain. The term ''umbrella'' is traditionally used when protect ...

(colloquially called ''"chinas"'') made of

palm Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae ** List of Arecaceae genera **Palm oil * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music ...

leaves

Parks and reserves

* El Encarnizado * La Mesa del Valle * Mesa de las Águilas * Las Bufas * Llanos de Zipoco

Rivers and dams

* Pihuamo River * La Estancia Dam

Feasts

Religious feasts * The Guadalupana. 12 December

Government

Municipal presidents

References

External links

Santa María del Oro Municipality official government site

Map, postal code, by "Mail-Heraldo"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Santa Maria del Oro, Jalisco Municipalities of Jalisco Cities in Mexico es:Santa María del Oro