Xoxocotla (;

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 Nahua peoples, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have small ...

: "place of green pines" or "place of old ocotes") 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 of

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

, located south of the state capital

Xalapa Xalapa or Jalapa (, ), officially Xalapa-Enríquez (), is the capital city of the Mexico, Mexican States of Mexico, state of Veracruz and the name of the surrounding municipality. In the 2005 census the city reported a population of 387,879 and t ...

Geography

The municipality of Xoxocotla is located in the Sierra de Zongolica, which are foothills of the

Sierra Madre Oriental The Sierra Madre Oriental () is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico. The Sierra Madre Oriental is part of the American Cordillera, a chain of mountain ranges (cordillera) that consists of an almost continuous sequence of mountain ranges that ...

in central Veracruz. It lies at an altitude between . It borders the Veracruzian municipalities of

Soledad Atzompa Soledad Atzompa () is a village in the mountainous central zone in the State of Veracruz, about 90 km south-east of the state capital Xalapa. It has an area of 65.80 km2 and stands at an elevation of 2260 metres above sea level Its name, Atzom ...

to the northwest,

Atlahuilco Atlahuilco is a municipality in Veracruz, Mexico. It is located about 131 km from state capital Xalapa. It has a surface of 64.98 km2. It is located at . The municipality of Atlahuilco is delimited to the north by Tlilapan, to the north-east by Sa ...

to the northeast, and

Tlaquilpa Tlaquilpa is a municipality located in the south zone in the State of Veracruz, about 105 km from the state capital of Xalapa. It has a surface of 58.40 km2. It is located at . The name comes from Náhuatl, and means “Bricklayers' place". Tl ...

to the east, as well as the municipality of

Vicente Guerrero Vicente Ramón Guerrero (; baptized August 10, 1782 – February 14, 1831) was one of the leading revolutionary generals of the Mexican War of Independence. He fought against Spain for independence in the early 19th century, and later served as ...

in the state of

Puebla Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...

to the south. The municipality covers an area of and comprises 0.05% of the state's area. The land in Xoxocotla is divided between farmland (50%), forest (44%) and urban areas (6%). Soils in the municipality consist of

luvisol Luvisols are a group of soils, comprising one of the 32 Reference Soil Groups in the international system of soil classification, the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB). They are widespread, especially in temperate climates, and are ge ...

s (73%) and

regosol A Regosol in the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) is very weakly developed mineral soil in unconsolidated materials. Regosols are extensive in eroding lands, in particular in arid and semi-arid areas and in mountain regions. Internat ...

s (21%). The municipality is drained by tributaries of the Blanco River, which itself drains into

Alvarado Lagoon The Alvarado Lagoon System is a large estuary and wetland complex in Veracruz state of eastern Mexico. It is located on the southern Gulf Coastal Plain, where the Papaloapan and Blanco rivers meet the Gulf of Mexico. Geography The lagoon system ...

at the mouth of the

Papaloapan River The Papaloapan River () is one of the main rivers of the Mexican state of Veracruz. Its name comes from the Nahuatl ''papaloapan'' meaning "river of the butterflies". In 1517, Juan de Grijalva's expedition spotted the river, naming it Río de Alv ...

. Xoxocotla has a temperate climate with rain in the summer. Average temperatures in the municipality range between , and average annual precipitation ranges between .

History

The municipality of was incorporated on 30 November 1870, forming part of the canton of Zongolica in the state of Veracruz. It became a free municipality on 15 January 1918.

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 Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...

: ''síndico''), and a trustee (''regidor''). The current president of the municipality is Magdaleno Juárez Pérez.

Demographics

In the 2010 Mexican Census, the municipality of Xoxocotla recorded a population of 5163 inhabitants living in 1137 households. The 2015 Intercensal Survey estimated a population of 5446 inhabitants in Xoxocotla, 92.29% of whom reported being of Indigenous ancestry and 37.33% of whom reported being of

African African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Et ...

ancestry. In the 2010 Census, 1163 people or 23% of the population in Xoxocotla reported speaking an Indigenous language, 1118 of which spoke Nahuatl. There are 17 localities in the municipality, of which only the municipal seat, also called Xoxocotla, is classified as urban. It recorded a population of 2362 inhabitants in the 2010 Census.

Economy

Important economic activities in Xoxocotla include pig farming and the growing of corn and beans.

References

{{Veracruz Municipalities of Veracruz 1870 establishments in Mexico States and territories established in 1870