Bufa Hill or El Cerro de la Bufa is a hill found east of historic downtown

Zacatecas City Zacatecas () is the principal city within the municipality in Mexico of the same name, and the capital and the largest city of the state of Zacatecas. Located in north-central Mexico, the city had its start as a Spanish mining camp in the mid ...

Zacatecas , image_map = Zacatecas in Mexico (location map scheme).svg , map_caption = State of Zacatecas within Mexico , coordinates = , coor_pinpoint = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type ...

, Mexico, of historic and cultural significance in the Zacatecas state.

Name

The origin of Bufa Hill's name is disputed. What is, perhaps, the best-known version of the tale says that the hill was christened ''Bufa'' by Juan de Tolosa. ''Bufa'' is a word that originated from Aragonese, meaning ''pig bladder'', which was used to describe the unique shape of the hill.

History

Pre-Hispanic period

Bufa Hill, which lies to the east of historic downtown

, is 2,610 meters above sea level. The mountain served as a home to several Aridoamerican

tribes The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confli ...

, from whence the city

received its name. The Chichimecan tribes that inhabited the Zacatecan area were the Caxcanes, Guachichiles, Guamares Irritilas, Huicholes, Tecuexes, Teules, Tepehuanes, Coras, y Zacatecas. The Zacatecas tribe was considered to be one of the most important. Thus, not only did the city of Zacatecas inherit the tribal name, but so did the Mexican state. The Caxcanes occupied a large portion of what now comprises the states of

Jalisco Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal ...

and

. The Bufa is a tourist attraction that marks the victory of the Battle of Zacatecas, a significant moment in the history of the state.

Colonial period

The four founding fathers of Zacatecas, a mining city, were Juan de Tolosa, Cristóbal de Oñate, Diego de Ibarra, and Baltazar Temiño de Bañuelos. When the Spanish, who were searching for

precious metals Precious metals are rare, naturally occurring metallic chemical elements of high economic value. Chemically, the precious metals tend to be less reactive than most elements (see noble metal). They are usually ductile and have a high lu ...

, arrived at what is now Zacatecas, they entered through a mountainous path that led to a valley. Soon, they came across a large mountain which Juan de Tolosa named ''Bufa Hill.'' In the year 1588, Bufa Hill had gained so much importance that it was included in the city's arms, with the support of Felipe II. Bufa Hill was also important in the arrival of

Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Don Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla y Gallaga Mandarte Villaseñor (8 May 1753 – 30 July 1811), more commonly known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or Miguel Hidalgo (), was a Catholic priest, leader of the Mexican W ...

and in the

Mexican War of Independence The Mexican War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia de México, links=no, 16 September 1810 – 27 September 1821) was an armed conflict and political process resulting in Mexico's independence from Spain. It was not a single, co ...

References

{{coord, 22.7781, -102.5650, format=dms, type:mountain_region:MX, display=title Landforms of Zacatecas