Salvatierra () is a Mexican city (and

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' ...

) located in the valley of Huatzindeo in the

lowlands Upland and lowland are conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level. In studies of the ecology of freshwater rivers, habitats are classified as upland or lowland. Definitions Upland and lowland are portions of a ...

of the state of

Guanajuato Guanajuato, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato, is one of the 32 states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guanajuato, 46 municipalities and its cap ...

. It is rich in civil and religious architecture; haciendas, bridges, convents and large houses surrounded in tradition and history. With an area of 507.70 square kilometres, Salvatierra accounts for 1.66% the total area of the state. It is bordered to the north by Tarimoro and Cortazar, to the south by Acámbaro and the state of

Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo, is one of the 31 states which, together with Mexico City, compose the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The stat ...

, to the west by

Yuriria Yuriria, Guanajuato, Mexico,(), is one of 46 municipalities in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. History The name Yuriria is a shortened version of "Yuririapúndaro" (you-ri-ri-ah-PUHN-da-Ro), which means Place of the Bloody Lake in the Purépe ...

and Santiago Maravatío, and to the northeast by Jaral del Progreso. The municipality had a total of 94,558 inhabitants of which 34,066 lived in the city of Salvatierra, according to the 2005 census. As of 2020 the municipality had a total of 94,126 inhabitants, compared to 2010, the population in Salvatierra decreased by −3.02% In

pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era, also known as the pre-contact era, or as the pre-Cabraline era specifically in Brazil, spans from the initial peopling of the Americas in the Upper Paleolithic to the onset of European col ...

times the area was known as Huatzindeo (or Guatzindeo) which means "Place of beautiful vegetation" by the mostly

Purépecha The Purépecha ( ) 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 derogatory term " Tarascan", an exonym, app ...

inhabitants. In 1646 Salvatierra became the first city of

, thus making it the oldest city in the state. Salvatierra was declared a Pueblo Magico in 2012 by the Mexican government.

History

The first inhabitants of valley of Huatzindeo belonged to the

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 ...

culture, who by the 12th century were found in many communities across the valley. The Chichimeca were eventually conquered by the

Purépecha people The Purépecha ( ) are a group of Indigenous peoples of Mexico, 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 derogatory term ...

, along with most of the lower region of the present-day state of Guanajuato. The first Europeans to arrive to the valley of Huatzindeo were

Franciscan friars The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest contem ...

who came to the region with the intent of converting the native populations to Christianity. The Franciscan friars built and ran the first Spanish "''hospitalillo''," hospital, in the indigenous village of Huatziendeo (located to the left of the Lerma river) between 1535 and 1550. The Franciscan friars were soon joined by

cacique A cacique, sometimes spelled as cazique (; ; feminine form: ), was a tribal chieftain of the Taíno people, who were the Indigenous inhabitants of the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles at the time of European cont ...

s and other Spanish pioneers who settled in the valley of Huatzindeo and built haciendas. Much of the hard labor at the haciendas was provided via

encomienda The ''encomienda'' () was a Spanish Labour (human activity), labour system that rewarded Conquistador, conquerors with the labour of conquered non-Christian peoples. In theory, the conquerors provided the labourers with benefits, including mil ...

s by the indigenous population. By 1600 typhoid fever, smallpox and other diseases had almost wiped out the native population who lacked the needed antibodies since these diseases were alien to the native population at the time, and the village of Huatzindeo ceased to exist. Many of the Spaniards already in the area relocated to

pundaro, while others remained and founded San Andrés Chochones. San Andrés Chochones was built on the right side of the Lerman river – directly across from where the village of Huatzindeo had once stood. San Andrés de Salvatierra was founded under the order of Spanish viceroy Don Garcia Sarmiento de Sotomayor, 2nd Count of Salvatierra and Marquis of Sobroso, on February 9, 1644. In 1646 the town was granted the title of city, becoming the first city in the state of Guanajuato. During the

Mexican War of Independence The Mexican War of Independence (, 16 September 1810 – 27 September 1821) was an armed conflict and political process resulting in Mexico's independence from the Spanish Empire. It was not a single, coherent event, but local and regional ...

on April 18 of the year 1813 a battle called Batalla del Puente de Batanes took place on the Bridge of Batanes in Salvatierra, between insurgent forces led by Ramón López Rayón, younger brother of the supreme insurgent commander,

Ignacio López Rayón Ignacio López Rayón (July 31, 1773 – February 2, 1832) was a general who led the insurgent forces of his country after Miguel Hidalgo's death, during the first years of the Mexican War of Independence. He subsequently established the firs ...

, against the royalist forces commanded by

Agustín de Iturbide Agustín Cosme Damián de Iturbide y Arámburu (; 27 September 178319 July 1824), commonly known as Agustín de Iturbide and later by his regnal name Agustín I, was the first Emperor of Mexico from 1822 until his abdication in 1823. An offi ...

. The "Rayones" seized with fear, mainly the aide-de-camp Pedro Páez, who fled in the middle of the fight, facilitating the escape of other insurgents, ended up losing all their artillery. In addition to losing almost 170 troops who were either dead, imprisoned, or dispersed. However the biggest loss was losing Salvatierra, a base of operations. This was the beginning of the aggrandizement of Iturbide, as the viceroy granted Iturbide a promotion to the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

. Due to its rich soil and strategic location (midway between the three most populated areas, namely Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey) for most of the next three centuries the city was one of the most prosperous in the state of Guanajuato. However, unlike León,

Irapuato Irapuato is a Mexican city and municipalities of Mexico, municipality located at the foot of the Arandas Hill (in Spanish Language, Spanish: ''Cerro de Arandas''), in the central region of the Mexican state, state of Guanajuato. It lies between the ...

, and

Celaya Celaya (; Otomi: ) is a city and its surrounding municipality in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, located in the southeast quadrant of the state. It is the third most populous city in the state, with a 2005 census population of 310,413. The muni ...

, Salvatierra never developed into a strong industrial town and has seen its working population shrink with many choosing to relocate to nearby cities and others leaving the country entirely to seek jobs in the United States. Some microregions in the municipality have immigration levels of well over 50%, while the rate stands at 30% in the city. Cities and areas in the United States with sizable populations from Salvatierra include the metro areas of Los Angeles, Salem,

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, Detroit,

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Moline, and Chicago. The 2023 Salvatierra massacre left approximately 12 people dead and 25 people injured at a private Christmas party.

Geography

Located in the Huatzindeo Valley, Salvatierra belongs to the Guanajuato geographical area of the Southern Valleys or Valles Abajeños. As for orography, the area belongs to the Mexican transversal neo-volcanic axis. In its hydrography, Salvatierra sits on the banks of the Lerma River, which greens the landscape most of the year. Most of the city is on the east bank of the

Lerma River The Lerma River () is Mexico's second longest river. It is a river in west-central Mexico that begins in Mexican Plateau at an altitude over above sea level, and ends where it empties into Lake Chapala, Mexico's largest lake, near Guadalajara, ...

Climate

Salvatierra has a mostly warm temperate climate (Köppen climate classification Cwa), while the northernmost areas and some parts to the south having a more temperate climate which could be called subtropical highland climate (Köppen climate classification Cwb).

Cityscape

Microregions

Economy

Historically the economy was heavily agrarian, but currently is concentrated in the commercial sector, to the detriment of agricultural activity, which has specialized and focused on production that gets exported out the municipality. The commercial sector compromises 50.4% of the economy, followed by temporary accommodation and food and beverage preparation at 13.3%, "other services except government activities" which lists barbers, mechanics, repairman among other trades, at 12%, and the manufacturing industry, especially the

textile industry The textile industry is primarily concerned with the design, production and distribution of textiles: yarn, cloth and clothing. Industry process Cotton manufacturing Cotton is the world's most important natural fibre. In the year 2007, th ...

follows at 9.19%.

Culture

The city is host to many festivals including the Fiesta de la Candalaria, between January 26 – February 9, which February 9 also coincides with the City's anniversary of foundation. In the month of May the Fiesta de la Virgen de la Luz es held. Fiesta de San Antonio de Padua is held on June 13. July 16 Fiesta de la Virgen del Carmen, and on November 20 the Feast of La Virgen del Rosario. Since 2007, Salvatierra recognized the bullfighting culture of its history, and taking advantage of the tricentennial of the Marquesado of this land, created a festivity with the name of the "Marquesada", which has as its main attraction the running of the bulls in the Pamplona style, remembering the salvaterrense bullfighting tradition, since in the current colony of La Esperanza the first bullfight was held in honor of the independence of Mexico, signed by the sixth Marquis of Salvatierra.

Crime

Three municipal employees, Mario Francisco Solano Muñoz, Hector Méndoza Beltrán, and Isaac Puente, were gunned down in their car on March 25, 2019. No arrests have been made. As of July 2022 the highest percentage of crime is theft with 184 cases reported in the year of 2022 and in between July 2021 and July 2022 the crime with the highest percentage increase is

homicide Homicide is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a Volition (psychology), volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from Accident, accidenta ...

at a 550% increase with 15 reported on December 17, 2023, armed gunned men tried to enter a private Christmas party and were turned down. Moments later the gunned men returned and opened fire killing 12 individuals and injuring 25 which has been called the 2023 Salvatierra massacre. These crimes are consistent with previous crimes in the area where 2 enemy cartels battle for drug turf.

Sister cities

* Huamantla, Mexico *

Irwindale, California } Irwindale is a city in the San Gabriel Valley, in Los Angeles County, California. The population was 1,472 at the 2020 census, 1,422 at the 2010 census. The ZIP Codes serving the area are 91010, which is shared with Duarte, 91702, which i ...

, USA * Medina Sidonia, Spain * Comares, Spain * Zalamea de la Serena, Spain

References

External links

Cupareo, Mpio. de Salvatierra

(in Spanish) {{Authority control Populated places in Guanajuato Populated places established in 1644 Municipalities of Guanajuato Pueblos Mágicos 1644 establishments in the Spanish Empire