Zacazonapan
Zacazonapan | |
---|---|
CDT ) | |
Website | (in Spanish) |
Zacazonapan (pronounced sah-kah-soh-NAH-pahn) is a municipality near Mexico City. It's municipal seat is the village of Zacazonapan. The name comes from Nahuatl and roughly translates to "in the River of the Dry Corn plants"[1]
The village
The area was settled by the
The village of Zacazonapan originally belonged to the municipality of Otzoloapan. After arriving in the late 19th century, and receiving a warm welcome, General Juan N. Mirafuentes started a movement to make the village a municipal seat separate from Otzoloapan. This was accomplished on April 5, 1879 with C. Juan de Dios Villafaña Salinas as the first municipal president.[1]
The area saw fighting during the Mexican Revolution, but many families hid or moved away during the conflict. During the Cristero War, the area saw fighting as well including the capture and execution of three prominent Cristero priests.[1]
As a municipal seat in the State of Mexico, Zacazonapan was remodeled by
The population of the modern town as of 2005 was 2,718.[2] The nearby ex-hacienda of Santa Maria, constructed in the 16th century was declared a historic monument by the
The town has a song written about it, written by Rubén Méndez del Castillo, which won second place in a song contest in the state capital of Toluca in 1972.[1]
The municipality
As municipal seat, the village of Zacazonapan is the governing authority for the following communities: Alcantarilla, La Cañada, Naranjo, El Potrero, Santa María, Tizapa, Temascal, Arrastradero, El Puente, El Puerto, and Cerro Pelón along with 15 unnamed settlements. The population of the entire municipality is 3,836.[2]
It is bordered by the municipalities of Otzoloapan,
The municipality borders the edge of the Sierra Madre del Sur giving it an uneven landscape with elevations such as the Cerro(hill) de La Pila, Cerro Sombrero, and Cerro Pelón. However, to the north there are also notable cerros such as El Xomil, Peña Colorada, and Peñas del Fraile. The most important river is the Temascaltepec, because of its year-round flow and as it receives the seasonal flow from arroyos such as the Zacazonapan, La Papaya and San José. There is also a series of freshwater springs.[1]
In the mid 20th century, the economy of the municipality was based on fishing, agriculture and the production of