Jilotepec (

Nahuatl Nahuatl ( ; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahuas, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller popul ...

: "on the hill of jilotes") is a

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

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...

, located north-northwest of the state capital

Xalapa Xalapa or Jalapa (, ), officially Xalapa-Enríquez (), is the capital city of the Mexico, Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Veracruz and the name of the surrounding municipality. In 2020 census the city reported a population of 443,063 ...

Geography

The municipality of Jilotepec is located in central Veracruz at an altitude between . It borders the municipalities of

Coacoatzintla Coacoatzintla in a municipality in the Mexican state of Veracruz. It is located in the mountainous central zone of the state, about 11.5 km from the state capital Xalapa. It has a surface of 43.9 km2. It is located at . Geography The munic ...

to the north,

Naolinco Naolinco is a small city in the Mexican state of Veracruz. It is named after Guadalupe Victoria, also known as Naolinco de Victoria. It is on Federal Highways 190 and 180. It has borders with Xalapa, Acatlán, Tepetlán Tepetlán is a mun ...

to the northeast, Xalapa to the southeast, Banderilla to the south, Rafael Lucio to the southwest, and Tlacolulan to the northwest. The municipality covers an area of and comprises 0.1% of the state's area. The municipality is drained by upper tributaries of the Actopan River. The perennial Naolinco River forms part of Jilotepec's border with the municipality of Naolinco. Jilotepec's climate is generally humid with rain throughout the year. Average temperatures in the municipality range between , and average annual precipitation ranges between .

History

Jilotepec was founded by the

Totonac people The Totonac are an Indigenous people of Mexico who reside in the states of Veracruz, Puebla, and Hidalgo. They are one of the possible builders of the pre-Columbian city of El Tajín, and further maintained quarters in Teotihuacán (a city w ...

in 980 as part of the confederation of Tlacolulan. The Teochichimecas controlled Jilotepec from 1380 to 1489, when Jilotepec switched its allegiance to the

Aztec Empire The Aztec Empire, also known as the Triple Alliance (, Help:IPA/Nahuatl, �jéːʃkaːn̥ t͡ɬaʔtoːˈlóːjaːn̥ or the Tenochca Empire, was an alliance of three Nahuas, Nahua altepetl, city-states: , , and . These three city-states rul ...

. A

hacienda A ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or '' finca''), similar to a Roman '' latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards ...

was established at La Concepción at the end of the 16th century. The parish of Jilotepec was inaugurated in 1811. On 28 March 1831, Jilotepec became a municipality in the canton of Xalapa in the state of Veracruz. It became a free municipality on 15 January 1918. From 1995 to the beginning of the 21st century a wave of

emigration Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

occurred from central Veracruz to the United States; inhabitants from Jilotepec in particular preferred to emigrate to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Administration

The municipal government comprises a president, a councillor (

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 countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

: ''síndico''), and a trustee (''regidor''). The current president of the municipality is Sergio Fernández Lara.

Demographics

In the 2020 Mexican Census, the municipality of Jilotepec recorded a population of 16,585 inhabitants living in 3474 localities.2020 Jilotepec CENSUS
/ref> The 2015 Intercensal Survey estimated a population of 16,682 inhabitants in Jilotepec, of which 3.97% reported being of

African descent Black is a racial classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid- to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin and often additional phenotypical ...

. There are 34 localities in the municipality, of which two are classified as urban: * The municipal seat, also called Jilotepec, which recorded a population of 4,309 inhabitants in the 2020 Census. * La Concepción, located east of the municipal seat, which recorded 3,707 inhabitants in 2020. Other localities include Vista Hermosa (1,649 hab.), Paso de San Juan (1,214 hab.) and El Pueblito (1,198 hab.).

Economy

The main economic activity in Jilotepec is agriculture, involving mainly the cultivation of coffee, sugarcane, corn and beans. Cattle and pigs are also raised.

References

{{Veracruz Municipalities of Veracruz 1831 establishments in Mexico States and territories established in 1831