Soteapan 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 city located in the south-central zone of the Mexican

State State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

, about 260 km from state capital

Xalapa Xalapa or Jalapa (, ), officially Xalapa-Enríquez (), is the capital city of the Mexican state of Veracruz and the name of the surrounding municipality. In the 2005 census the city reported a population of 387,879 and the municipality of which ...

. As of 2000, the municipality counted 27,487 inhabitants within 528.07 km², including about 10,000 in the main city area of Soteapan.

History

Historically the city of Soteapan was mentioned as a part of the municipality of Coatzacoalcos by colonial Spanish references, yet was only recognised as a separate Mexican municipality in 1831. The area in the

pre-columbian era 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, ...

was an area of contention between the Aztec empire and its southern neighbours. The area only recently obtained paved road access and is considered to be one of the most impoverished communities in Mexico. Its population is composed of mainly of

Popoluca Popoluca is a Nahuatl term for various indigenous peoples of southeastern Veracruz and Oaxaca. Many of them (about 30,000

, with a small amount of Nahula people. Though many speak their native language,

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

is the predominant language.

Geography

The municipality of Soteapan is delimited to the north by

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...

, to the east by

Mecayapan Mecayapan is a municipality and city in Veracruz, Mexico. It is located in south-east zone of the State of Veracruz, about 428 km from state capital Xalapa. It has a surface of 523.96 km2. It is located at . The municipality of Mecayapan is ...

, to the south by Chinameca and

Acayucan Acayucan is a city in the Mexican state of Veracruz, located in the state's southeast, in the Olmeca region. It serves as the municipal seat for the Acayucan Municipality. At the 2005 INEGI Census, Acayucan reported a population of 49,945. Ref ...

, and to the west by

Hueyapan de Ocampo Hueyapan de Ocampo is a Mexican municipality Veracruz. It is located in south of the state, about 245 km from state capital Xalapa. The municipality has an area of 824.18 km. The municipality of Hueyapan de Ocampo is delimited to the n ...

and

Catemaco Catemaco () is a city in Catemaco Municipality located in the south of the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located on Lake Catemaco, with the municipality stretching north to the Gulf of Mexico. Catemaco is a tourist destination, with its m ...

Economy

Economically, Soteapan depends on

small-scale agriculture A smallholding or smallholder is a small farm operating under a small-scale agriculture model. Definitions vary widely for what constitutes a smallholder or small-scale farm, including factors such as size, food production technique or technology ...

and cattle ranching. The area invites many tourists due to several waterfalls and views of pristine mountains. The area is located near the volcanoes of the

Sierra de los Tuxtlas The Sierra de Los Tuxtlas (Tuxtlas Mountains) are a volcanic belt and mountain range along the southeastern Veracruz Gulf coast in Eastern Mexico. The Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve (Biósfera Los Tuxtlas) includes the coastal and higher elevations ...

and is located within a large part of the

Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve The Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve or Biósfera Los Tuxtlas, is a biosphere reserve located in the coastal and higher elevations of the Sierra de los Tuxtlas, in Los Tuxtlas of Veracruz state, in south eastern Mexico. Ecoregion The area is notable ...

Celebrations

During March there is a celebration to honour to San José, the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of the town, and in December there is a celebration to honour to

Virgen de Guadalupe Our Lady of Guadalupe ( es, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe), also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe ( es, Virgen de Guadalupe), is a Catholic title of Mary, mother of Jesus associated with a series of five Marian apparitions, which are believed t ...

History

Geography

Economy

Celebrations

References

External links