Zapotlán el Grande (also known as Guzmán and Ciudad Guzmán) is a municipality in the Mexican

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 ...

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 ...

Name

There are several meanings given to the root name of the "Zapotlán el Grande". "Zapote" is the name given to all the round fruits from the general region; another well-known fact among the locals, it states The full name Zapotlán means "my round fruits" in the ancient language. Round sweet fruits, not exactly zapotes as most people believe; however, it means guavas, tunas, tejocotes, cherries found in this region and still found in the low, wet valleys. A new theory of the name is Tzapot, which ends with Tzapotlan, and it refers to the goddess of medicine named Tzaputlatena.

Image

In 1971 the figure shown below became part of the city of Zapotlán el Grande, shown as a tree with three branches, with round fruits at the end of each branch and at the trunk a pair of teeth simulating a human mouth. This oil painting was embraced by the city officials under the administration of Lic. Genaro Álvarez López, who ordered this work of art to be displayed in the city hall. This work of art eventually became a representation of the city, indicating its strong ties with its ancestors of Zapotlán el Grande, also known as Ciudad Guzmán or plainly just Guzmán.

History

Prior to the arrival of the Spanish

Conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...

s, this area was the pre-Columbian kingdom of Zapotlán and was at different times under the domain of the nearby kingdoms of

Colima Colima, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Colima, is among the 31 states that make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and main city, Colima. Colima is a small state of western Mexico on the cen ...

and

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 ...

. Zapotlán el Grande was conquered in 1526. Many treasures and weapons are said to be buried throughout the town's old colonial homes, buildings, and farms. In the mid-19th century, the name of the town was changed from Zapotlán el Grande to Ciudad Guzman, after the Mexican federalist insurgent Gordiano De Guzmán. The valley of Zapotlán was discovered by Friar Juan de Padilla who arrived to Tuxpan in 1532 in which he found three small towns. The small towns were Tzapotlán, Tlayolan, Tenamaxcatitlan and Mochitla. Friar Padilla settled down in Tenamaxcatitlan, where he taught the natives the Catholic doctrine. On August 15, 1533, the Spanish crown recognized the Pueblo de Santa Maria de la Asunción de Zapotlán in the place called the Portal de Sandoval.

Demographics

The city is located at , 124 km south 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 ...

, at a height of 1,507 metres above sea level. Its population totaled 93,609 in the 2005 census, ranking as the sixth-largest city in the state. Other geographical location explanations are as follows the city is located south-central in the state of Jalisco, west-central of Mexico. It is placed between the Sierra de Tapalpa and the Cerro del Tigre. Between

Puerto Vallarta Puerto Vallarta ( or simply Vallarta) is a Mexican resort city near the Bahía de Banderas on the Pacific coast of the Mexico, Mexican state of Jalisco. Puerto Vallarta is the second largest urban agglomeration in the state after the Guadalajara ...

and Guadalajara.

Tourism

From the beginning of the last century this important agricultural region became known for its unique geography and climate, that is inherently ideal for the abundant production of corn as well as for the commercial rearing of cattle. The general region has a noticeable French influence coalesced within the architecture of this Spanish colonial era settlement. This influence can be seen throughout the city, in the residences, municipal buildings, and public spaces. The Santa Catarina Hacienda, also a remnant from the Spanish colonial era, is one of the most popular and highly visited sites found in the region located just a few miles from the center of downtown Zapotlán. A site that is very popular among the locals is "El Nevado" National Park and wildlife preserve. Located approximately 33 miles southwest from the city. The period between the beginning of January and the later of February are the most popular and eventful times to enjoy "El Nevado" peak. "El Nevado", now dormant and the seventh highest mountain in Mexico is the higher and elder of the two volcanoes that comprise the Neo-Volcanic Cordela. The Volcano to its south is known as "El Volcan de Colima", or "El Volcan de Fuego" It has been active since June 1998 and thus, hiking on "El Volcan de Fuego" is dangerous and prohibited. Zapotlán el Grande has been celebrating the customs and religious beliefs of

thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...

adoring St Joseph for over 258 years. Señor Don José Prieto y Tovar committed himself to propagate the rituals of honoring the St. Joseph known in Spanish as "Señor San José" across America with the blessings of the archbishop Señor Don Geronimo Antonio de Obregón. Señor Obregón gave his superior permission on April 13, 1778 according to Cathedral of Nueva Granada, documentation located in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico. This religious celebration gave birth to the "Fiestas de Octubre" begin on October 5–23. The "Fiestas de Octubre" offer sports activities, such as professional and amateur soccer, bullfighting till death, bicycle races,

mariachi Mariachi (, , ) is a genre of regional Mexican music dating back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. The usual mariachi group today consists of as many as eight violins, two ...

band competitions, the use of fighting cocks in

cockfighting Cockfighting is a blood sport involving domesticated roosters as the combatants. The first documented use of the word gamecock, denoting use of the cock as to a "game", a sport, pastime or entertainment, was recorded in 1634, after the term ...

until one bird dies or both, animal exhibits, horse racing, girl beauty contests, and carnival rides totaling 19 days of celebration.

Elevation

Zapotlán el Grande is located at an elevation of 1530 meters above the sea level. It borders with six municipalities known as Gomes Farias towards the north, Tamazula de Gordiano towards the east, Zapotiltic is located on the southeast, Tuxpan is located south, Zapotiltic de Vadillo towards the east with San Gabriel. The municipality of Zapotlán el Grande has an area of 295.29 square kilometers.

Attractions

*"Fiestas de Octubre" 19 days of Fiesta time every October *Museo Regional *Santa Catarina *"El Nevado" Mount icy Peak *"Volcan de Fuego" Active volcano *Casa de Artesanías Regionales (the official handicrafts shop)

Education ''(section in progress)''

Postsecondary Institutions

Universidad de Guadalajara, Centro Universitario del Sur ''(Southern University center)'', commonly known as CUSUR.

stablished in 1994, after the previously existing veterinary school was integrated with the newly established medical school and law school. It belongs to the University of Guadalajara system; which has 10 campuses (9 regional centers) throughout the state.

The university offers 2 technical careers in healthcare, 18 Bachelor's degrees ''(licenciaturas),'' 6 Master's degrees, and 2 PhD programs.Instituto Technólogico de Ciudad Guzmán (ITCG)
was established in 1972 and offers bachelor's degrees in engineering, including, environmental, electrical, electronical, mechanical, industrial, computer systems, information technology. The institute also offers degrees in architecture, accounting, business administration, as well as graduate studies in computer science and electronic engineering.

References

Link to tables of population data from Census of 2015
INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática
Official website

External links

*

* * (

Mineral del Monte Mineral del Monte, commonly called Real del Monte () or El Real, is a small mining town, and one of the 84 municipalities of Hidalgo, in the Hidalgo (state), State of Hidalgo in east-central Mexico. It is located at an altitude of on a mounta ...

)
The Cornish in Latin America
*
Link to Sierra de Tapalpa

Sister cities

Longmont, Colorado Longmont is a home rule municipality located in Boulder and Weld counties, Colorado, United States. Its population was 98,885 . Longmont is located northeast of the county seat of Boulder. It is named after Longs Peak, a prominent mountain th ...

, USA {{DEFAULTSORT:Zapotlan El Grande Municipalities of Jalisco