Xilitla 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 ...

( es, municipio) and town in the state of San Luis Potosí in the

Huasteca La Huasteca is a geographical and cultural region located partially along the Gulf of Mexico and including parts of the states of Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Puebla, Hidalgo (state), Hidalgo, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro and Guanajuato. It is roughly de ...

region of

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. The town is located at The municipality has an area of and had a population of 51,498 in 2010 of whom 6,576 lived in town of Xilitla. Xilitla is known for its fertile mountains and springs which create panoramic landscapes throughout the municipality.

Las Pozas Las Pozas ("the Pools") is a surrealistic group of structures created by Edward James, more than above sea level, in a subtropical rainforest in the Sierra Gorda mountains of Mexico. It includes more than of natural waterfalls and pools interla ...

gardens are a major tourist attraction.

History and Economy

The rugged landscape has partly shielded Xilitla from industrialization, helping preserve its indigenous

Huastec Huastec can refer to either: *Huastec people, an indigenous group of Mexico *Huastec language (also called "Wasteko" and "Teenek"), spoken by the Huastec people * Huastec civilization The Huastec civilization (sometimes spelled Huaxtec or Wastek ...

and Nahuatl cultures and traditional agrarian lifestyles. Most of Xilitla's residents live in over 100 rural villages of several dozen up to several hundred people. About 30,000 people in Xilitla live in indigenous households and about 20,000 of them speak an indigenous language, principally

. Most of the speakers of an indigenous language also speak Spanish.

Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North A ...

missionary activity in the Xilitla area began in 1537 and in 1553 construction began on the St. Augustine Convent. It was built to serve both a religious building and a fortress as the

Chichimeca war The Chichimeca War (1550–90) was a military conflict between the Spanish Empire and the Chichimeca Confederation established in the territories today known as the Central Mexican Plateau, called by the Conquistadores La Gran Chichimeca. Th ...

was in progress and one of the hostile Chichimeca tribes, the Pame, lived to the northwest. The convent was attacked and burned by the Indians in 1569 and 1587 and largely abandoned by the Augustines. In the 17th century, the Dominicans made another attempt to evangelize but were unable to overcome the hostility of the Indians. Finally, in the mid-18th century, Fray

Junípero Serra Junípero Serra y Ferrer (; ; ca, Juníper Serra i Ferrer; November 24, 1713August 28, 1784) was a Spanish Roman Catholic priest and missionary of the Franciscan Order. He is credited with establishing the Franciscan Missions in the Sierr ...

and the

Franciscans , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

succeeded in establishing a permanent missionary presence in the region. The economy is primarily agricultural with the main crops being

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

and

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. The genus ''Citrus'' is native to ...

. A coffee fair is held in August. A local food specialty is the zacahuil, a giant

tamale A tamale, in Spanish tamal, is a traditional Mesoamerican dish made of masa, a dough made from nixtamalized corn, which is steamed in a corn husk or banana leaf. The wrapping can either be discarded prior to eating or used as a plate. Tam ...

(3 to 4 feet long) wrapped in banana leaves and filled with pork on one side and chicken on the other.

Geography

The town of Xilitla has an elevation of and is located in the eastern slopes of the

Sierra Gorda The Sierra Gorda () is an ecological region centered on the northern third of the Mexican state of Querétaro and extending into the neighboring states of Guanajuato, Hidalgo and San Luis Potosí. Within Querétaro, the ecosystem extends from ...

mountain range, part of the Sierra Madre Oriental. Narrow valleys in the municipality dip to . La Silleta, a prominent thumb-shaped mountain, scalable only with mountain climbing gear, rises to six miles west of the city. The land area in the municipality is largely steep but habitable slopes. To the south and west, Xilitla borders the mountains of Querétaro and

Hidalgo Hidalgo may refer to: People * Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility * Hidalgo (surname) Places Mexico * Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico * Hidalgo, Coahuila, a town in the north Mexican state of Coahuila * Hidalgo, Nuevo Le� ...

states. To the northeast, Xilitla borders flat terrain along the Tancuilin river, and Mexican highway 85. There are a number of

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

s and caverns in Xilitla, as well as many natural

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season) Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...

s. Parakeet Cave, a short walk from the town, is home to a large number of green parrots which leave and re-enter the cave at dawn and dusk every day. The land is largely

sedimentary rock Sedimentary rocks are types of rock that are formed by the accumulation or deposition of mineral or organic particles at Earth's surface, followed by cementation. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause these particles ...

with striations visible on cliffs and roads.

Climate

The climatic classification for Xilitla is a humid subtropical climate closely bordering a

tropical monsoon climate An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

). Xilitla's altitude moderates the hot temperatures recorded in nearby areas at lower altitudes. Receiving more than 100 inches (2,500 mm) of precipitation annually, Xilitla is one of the wettest areas of Mexico. Rainfall occurs throughout the year, with maximum precipitation coming in summer, but winters are not as dry as in many other parts of Mexico.

Las Pozas

The natural beauty of Xilitla inspired eccentric English artist

Edward James Edward Frank Willis James (16 August 1907 – 2 December 1984) was a British poet known for his patronage of the surrealist art movement. Early life and marriage James was born on 16 August 1907, the only son of William James (who had inherite ...

to create

("the Pools"), a garden in a subtropical rainforest just outside the town of Xilitla. It includes more than of natural waterfalls and pools interspersed with towering

surrealist Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to ...

sculptures in concrete. James' objective was to create a " Garden of Eden" at Las Pozas. A foundation now owns and operates Las Pozas which is open to the public.James, Margaret Hooks
"Surreal Eden: Edward James & Las Pozas"
, Princeton Architectural Press, New York, 2006,

''New York Times Style Magazine'', March 30, 2008 Edward James house, near the centre of Xilitla is known as El Castillo and is now a hotel.

Museo
Leonora Carrington Mary Leonora Carrington (6 April 191725 May 2011) was a British-born Mexican artist, surrealist painter, and novelist. She lived most of her adult life in Mexico City and was one of the last surviving participants in the surrealist movement of ...

A museum with sculptures of

Leonora Carrington Mary Leonora Carrington (6 April 191725 May 2011) was a British-born Mexican artist, surrealist painter, and novelist. She lived most of her adult life in Mexico City and was one of the last surviving participants in the surrealist movement of ...

opened October 19, 2018.

Transportation

The highway to the southwest winds around tight curves through the mountains to Querétaro and

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

. Heading northeast from town, the highway winds 10 km to La Y Griega, a large T-intersection into highway 85.

Ciudad Valles Ciudad Valles is the second-largest city in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosí. It is located in the eastern part of the state (), in the cultural region of Huasteca. The city is also the municipal seat of the surrounding municipality of the s ...

is 100 km north along 85, and Tamazunchale is 50 km south. Buses run hourly from the town to

and Tamazunchale and several times daily to Monterrey,

, San Luis Potosí and

Tampico Tampico is a city and port in the southeastern part of the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. It is located on the north bank of the Pánuco River, about inland from the Gulf of Mexico, and directly north of the state of Veracruz. Tampico is the fifth ...

. More frequent buses are available at Y Griega.

References

External links

Página Oficial, Xilitla Pueblo Mágico
*
Topographic Map
- shows Xilitla in lower-left section {{DEFAULTSORT:Xilitla, San Luis Potosi Municipalities of San Luis Potosí Geography of San Luis Potosí Gardens in Mexico Pueblos Mágicos