Zacualpan (

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 above the pyramid") 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 state The states of Mexico are first-level administrative territorial entities of the country of Mexico, which is officially named United Mexican States. There are 32 federal entities in Mexico (31 states and the capital, Mexico City, as a separate ent ...

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 northwest of the state capital of

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 ...

and northeast of the city of

Pachuca Pachuca (; ote, Nju̱nthe), formally known as Pachuca de Soto, is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Hidalgo. It is located in the south-central part of the state. Pachuca de Soto is also the name of the municipality of whi ...

, Hidalgo.

Geography

The municipality of Zacualpan is located in northern Veracruz at an altitude between . It borders the Veracruzian municipalities of

Huayacocotla Huayacocotla is a town ''(villa)'' in the Mexican state of Veracruz. Located in the state's Huasteca Baja region, it serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name. In the 2005 INEGI Census, Huayacocotla reported ...

to the west,

Texcatepec Texcatepec is a municipality located in the north zone in the State of Veracruz, about 190 km from state capital Xalapa. It has a surface of 153.61 km2. It is located at . In 1930 the municipal head-board was established in the village of ...

to the north, and

Tlachichilco Tlachichilco is a small town in Veracruz, Mexico. It is located in the northern part of Veracruz, in the region known as Huasteca Baja. . It is one of the 212 municipalities of Veracruz. Tlachichilco is made up of 32 small towns in which more ...

to the northeast, as well as the Hidalgan municipalities of San Bartolo Tutotepec to the southwest and Agua Blanca de Iturbide to the south. The municipality covers an area of and comprises 0.4% of the state's area. Zacualpan is located 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, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro and Guanajuato. It is roughly defined as th ...

Karst 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 ...

. Its land cover is divided between forest (50%), pastureland (25%) and farmland (25%). It is watered by tributaries of the Vinazco River, itself a tributary of the Tuxpan River. Zacualpan's climate is humid with rain throughout the year. Average temperatures in the municipality range between , and average annual precipitation ranges between .

History

The area was originally inhabited by the

Huastec people The Huastec or Téenek (contraction of ''Te' Inik'', "people from here"; also known as Huaxtec, Wastek or Huastecos) are an indigenous people of Mexico, living in the La Huasteca region including the states of Hidalgo, Veracruz, San Luis Potos ...

. Zacualpan was separated from Huayacocotla to form its own municipality on 13 November 1875. 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 Carina Lugo Barrón.

Demographics

In the 2010 Mexican Census, the municipality of Zacualpan recorded a population of 6784 inhabitants living in 1821 households. The 2015 Intercensal Survey estimated a population of 7194 inhabitants in Zacualpan. There are 69 localities in the municipality, of which only the municipal seat, also known as Zacualpan, is classified as urban. It recorded a population of 633 inhabitants in the 2010 Census.

Economy

Major economic activities in Zacualpan include forestry and farming. Zacualpan produced of timber in 2015, second to Huayacocotla among municipalities in Veracruz. Cattle and pigs are the main livestock raised, while corn, peaches and apples are the main agricultural crops.

References

{{Authority control Municipalities of Veracruz 1875 establishments in Mexico States and territories established in 1875