Jalpa is a town located in the
Mexican state
A Mexican State (), officially the Free and Sovereign State (), is a constituent federative entity of Mexico according to the Constitution of Mexico. Currently there are 31 states, each with its own constitution, government, state governor, a ...
of
Zacatecas
Zacatecas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Zacatecas, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 31 states of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Zacatecas, 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas City, Zacatec ...
, close to the border with
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 ...
and
Aguascalientes
Aguascalientes, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Aguascalientes, is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. At 22°N and with an average altitude of above sea level it is pre ...
and about a two hours drive south of the capital city,
Zacatecas
Zacatecas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Zacatecas, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 31 states of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Zacatecas, 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas City, Zacatec ...
. Jalpa is a colonial-style city, with cobble stone streets, narrow walkways, two main churches: El Señor de Jalpa and La Parroquia de San Antonio, and two plazas. Jalpa was modeled by the French in the 19th century. In the middle of the plaza is a
kiosk
Historically, a kiosk () was a small garden pavilion open on some or all sides common in Iran, Persia, the Indian subcontinent, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward. Today, several examples of this type of kiosk still exist ...
which remains in good shape today, after hundreds of years. Most houses are painted in bright colors just as in colonial times. The houses are made of
adobe
Adobe (from arabic: الطوب Attub ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for mudbrick. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is use ...
and share common walls and most have flat roofs.
The original indigenous natives were the
Caxcan
The Caxcan are an ethnic group who are Indigenous to western and north-central Mexico, particularly the regions corresponding to modern-day Zacatecas, southern Durango, Jalisco, Colima, Aguascalientes, Nayarit. The Caxcan language is most often ...
,
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 Bajío region of Mexico. Chichimeca carried the same meaning as the Roman term "barbarian" tha ...
and
Huichol people
The Huichol () or Wixárika () are an Indigenous people of Mexico living in the Sierra Madre Occidental range in the states of Nayarit, Jalisco, Zacatecas, and Durango, with considerable communities in the United States, in the states of Califor ...
.
History
Origin of the town of Jalpa
It was a Nahuatl chiefdom in the 11th century. Jalpa was founded in 1532 by Spanish explorers in search of gold and silver. Jalpa was spelled "Xalpa" by its native Caxcan, Chichimeca, and Huichol people. The first encomendero was Diego Hernández de Proaño in 1540, at the beginning of the Mixtón Rebellion, he was expelled from Jalpa by the Caxcanes Indians themselves who participated in this fight, under the command of their chief Petacatl, with more than 10,000 natives led by the Heroic Tenamaztle, they defended with their death the freedom denied by the Iberians from 1541 to 1542.
Independence era
In the first decade of the 19th century , the War of Independence began, echoing in this municipality, and the first Zacatecan Insurgents appeared, such as Daniel Camarena from Nochistlán, Father José María Calvillo from Colotlán, the Oropeza brothers and the Viramontes, the latter from the Hacienda la Bernarda in the municipality of Jalpa.
After the failure of Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, in the Battle of Calderón Bridge in the state of Jalisco, on his way north he followed the route of the Juchipila canyon, arriving in Jalpa on January 18, 1811, spending the night there. At this time Jalpa had a mining boom, since the mines of Leonera and Monroy were exploited, calling the municipality Jalpa Mineral.
Background to the second French intervention
At this time Jalpa had an intervention by the French Forces in the so-called French Intervention in 1864, "a command of French infantry forces of about 300 men led by Mexican traitors occupied the square of Jalpa, in the foreign invasion with a view to conquering our national territory and subjecting it to French rule."
Conquered by the Spanish, the Indian population intermixed with Spanish and other European peoples to form today's
mestizo
( , ; fem. , literally 'mixed person') is a term primarily used to denote people of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry in the former Spanish Empire. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to people who are culturall ...
s.
Population
The population is between ten and twelve thousand with most living within the town and surrounding communities. The population continues to grow since Jalpa is a significant transportation hub between the cities of
Guadalajara
Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...
, Aguascalientes, and Zacatecas. A large percentage of the population is older than 50 years; and there are significantly more females than males in the younger age bracket; the overall female to male ratio is about 50.9% to 49.1%. This disproportion is because more males migrate to the United States, where as females usually stay. There are about 12,868 females and 12,428 males since 2020. Over time the ratio on men has changed.
The Leonera Mine operated in Jalpa and was the first site where the mineral
jalpaite, a rare copper-silver-sulfide mineral, was discovered in 1858.
Much of the growth in Jalpa is fed by remittances in US dollars from former residents who have emigrated to the United States. Almost every family has at least one member, usually male, residing in the US. Most family members receive money from those living in the United States. There are no known factories in this town that export goods. Farming activity has also been decreasing due to water table shortage in the region's aquifer. Most of Zacatecas lies within two high sierras, hence its dry climate and poor rain seasons. Many traditional plantations/farms that grow
guayaba and
sugar cane
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...
in the 70s, 80s, and early 90s, have been now replaced with
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 ...
fields- since these plants require minimal water for growth. Other current farmed crops are:
maize
Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...
(corn), bean,
sugar cane
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...
,
alfalfa
Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial plant, perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, ...
,
calabaza
Calabaza is the generic name in the Spanish language for any type of winter squash. Within an English-language context it specifically refers to the West Indian pumpkin, a winter squash typically grown in the West Indies, tropical America, and t ...
(pumpkin), and wild
cactus
A cactus (: cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae (), a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, ...
(
nopales) which gives a fruit called ''tuna'' (
prickly pear in English).
Art and Culture

There are many arts and culture in Jalpa. on July 25th, Jalpa celebrates Tastuans Ritual. Tastuans are induvial who dress up with cow-hair crests bristling from dark wooden masks they also have bright capes on. They spend month preparing for this fest, Santo Santiago. This tradition is known to last three days long. The ritual starts with battle acting out, dancing and other things. This ritual is a religious story, the Spanish won and not just the war, they bought their religion their language. It is custom to go from pueblo to pueblo, in three days to play a theatrical dances, rowdy entertainment and religious services
Food
Jalpa is known for their delicious foods. There are so many different dishes and stories behind each dish. Here is a list of dishes that originate from Zacatecas and carried on to Jalpa. Asado de Bodas, it is made with pork and various chili peppers. Enchiladas Zacatecanas, these can vary depending on the region. Not to forget Birria is also a famous dish in Jalpa. It is made with lamb, ancho chili, and morita. Among the spices they also use flavor for example, cloves, thyme, oregano, pepper and cinnamon.
References
{{Zacatecas
Populated places in Zacatecas