Atotonilco El Alto is a town and municipality, in

Jalisco Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal En ...

in Los Altos (Jalisco) region in central-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 638.15 km. Atotonilco (pronounced ah-toh-toh-NEAL-co) means "place of hot waters", in Náhuatl. "El Alto"("The High One") was later added in honor of those who died in the Cristero War in the early 1920s. As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 51,798.

History

The town was first established by the

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 ...

in late 1400, according to

myth. The region was conquered in June 1530 by the

Nuño de Guzmán Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán (c. 14901558) was a Spanish conquistador and colonial administrator in New Spain. He was the governor of the province of Pánuco from 1525 to 1533 and of Nueva Galicia from 1529 to 1534, and president of the first Royal ...

. Martin del Campo was the first encomendero and the evangelization of the region was entrusted to the Franciscans. Atotonilco in 1551 was given in encomienda to the conquistador Andrés de Villanueva. In November 1824 the State Congress ruled that the village of Atotonilco hereafter would have the title of town, and would also be the head of the department which includes Arandas and Ayotlán. On May 15, 1868, the governor of Jalisco, Antonio Gómez Cuervo, elevated the status of Atotonilco to a city, which it retains to this day.

Atotonilco El Alto municipality

Has 112 towns. Atotonilco El Alto, Cienega del Pastor, Milpillas, La Santa Rosa, La Cofradia, San Francisco de Asís, Santa Elena, La Guadalupana, San Joaquin, El, Ojo de Agua de Morán, El Agua Caliente, El Nacimiento, San Jose del Valle, San Joaquin, San Antonio de Fernandez, Nuevo Valle, Margaritas, La Purisma, Los Adobes and more.

Taretan Water Park

In 1950, Taretan Water Park started functioning as a natural hot spring bath and an amusement place for families located at the sides of the Taretan River. Taretan was founded in the highlands of Jalisco. It was remodeled in the mid-1920s and now it houses a stone statue of St. Michael Archangel the Patron Saint of Atotonilco. It also has several sheds with tables and chairs made out of stone, dressing rooms, and a playground for young children to play. This park is mostly known for its waters. Hispanic legend of this place claims that the waters in Taretan have healing properties.

Notable people

* Venerable Maria Luisa de la Peña, Mexican Roman Catholic nun and founder of the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles *

José Trinidad Sepúlveda Ruiz-Velasco José Trinidad Sepúlveda Ruiz-Velasco (March 30, 1921 – September 4, 2017) was a Mexican Prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Sepúlveda Ruiz-Velasco was born in Atotonilco El Alto, Mexico and was ordained a priest on March 27, 1948. Velas ...

, Bishop of

San Juan de los Lagos, Jalisco San Juan de los Lagos (Spanish for " Saint John of the Lakes") is a city and municipality located in the northeast corner of the state of Jalisco, Mexico, in a region known as Los Altos. It is best known as the home of a small image of the Virg ...

* General

Enrique Gorostieta Enrique Gorostieta Velarde ( Monterrey, 1889 – Atotonilco el Alto, June 2, 1929) was a Mexican soldier best known for his leadership as a general during the Cristero War. Life Born in Monterrey into a prominent Mexican-Basque family, Enrique G ...

was killed there during the Cristero War.

References

External links

Atotonilco El Alto municipality

Atoto Website
* https://web.archive.org/web/20160624004408/http://atotonilco.gob.mx/atogobmx1215/atotonilco-el-alto/turismo/naturaleza/322-parque-taretan {{Authority control Municipalities of Jalisco Populated places established in 1528