Jantetelco, officially Jantetelco de Matamoros, is a city 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 en ...

Morelos Morelos (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Morelos ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Morelos), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 36 municipalities and its capital city is Cue ...

. . The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name. The municipality reported 17,238 inhabitants in the year 2015 census. The name Jantetelco comes from Nahuatl words meaning "hill of adobe buildings" and should be spelled ''Xamtetelko''." Remains of adobe foundations have been found at the entrance to the town. A 59 cm high goddess of corn, ''Xochiketzal'', and a circular 15 cm by 25 cm garland and the sign for Xóchitl ("flower") have been found behind the church. ''Matamoros'' refers to Padre

Mariano Matamoros Mariano Matamoros y Guridi (August 14, 1770 – February 3, 1814) was a Mexican Roman Catholic priest and revolutionary rebel soldier of the Mexican War of Independence, who fought for independence against Spain in the early 19th century. B ...

, hero of 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 ...

History

During the prehispanic era, the area was part of Huaxtepec (

Oaxtepec Oaxtepec is a town within the municipality of Yautepec and the Cuautla metropolitan area in the eastern part of the Mexican state of Morelos. Its main industry is tourism, mostly aimed at the inhabitants of nearby Mexico City, and the town pos ...

), and during the colonial era, it belonged to Cuautla de Amilpas. The village priest in 1811 was

, who joined

José María Morelos José María Teclo Morelos Pérez y Pavón () (30 September 1765 – 22 December 1815) was a Mexican Catholic priest, statesman and military leader who led the Mexican War of Independence movement, assuming its leadership after the execution of ...

in Izucar and during the Siege of Cuautla. On October 12, 1874, the town was renamed ''Jantetelco de Matamoros'' by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Francisco Leyva. In 1885 Matamoros's room was made a museum, called ''El Dormitorio''. While the September 7, 2017 earthquake caused little significant damage in Morelos, the Axochiapan earthquake twelve days later killed 74 people in Morelos and damaged nearly all the colonialera buildings. In Jantetelco, 281 homes were destroyed and 191 others were damaged. Juan Felipe Dominguez Robles of ''Partido Humanista de Morelos'' (Humanistic Party of Morelos) was elected Presidente Municipal (mayor) in the election of July 1, 2018. On February 23, 2019, opponents of the construction of a thermoelectric plant in Huexca,

Yecapixtla Yecapixtla ( nah, Yecapixtlān ) is a town and municipality located in the northeast of the state of Morelos in central Mexico. Yecapixtla means, ''Land of men and women with sharp noses''. The town is home to one of the monastery complexes associa ...

burned ballots that were slated to be used in a referendum on the proposed plant. While the state of Morelos reported 209 cases and 28 deaths due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico The COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The virus was confirmed to have reached Mexico in February 2020. Ho ...

, as of April 27, 2020, no cases were reported in Jantetelco. Schools and many businesses were closed from mid March until June 1. Forty-one cases were reported in the municipality on December 27, 2020. Vaccinations for senior citizens (60+) are scheduled to begin on March 12, 2021. Fifteen people died in

Axochiapan Axochiapan is a city in the Mexican state of Morelos. It stands at , at a mean height of above sea level. It is surrounded by the State of Puebla to the east and south, Jonacatepec to the north, and Tepalcingo to the west. The city serves as th ...

, Jantetelco, and

Tepalcingo Tepalcingo is a town in the Mexican state of Morelos. It at . The name Nahuatl root ''tekpa-tl'' (flint), ''tzintli'' (saves honor), ''tzinco'' (back of an individual), so in sum it means ''tekpatzinko'' "down or behind the flints". Tepalcingo li ...

due to adulterated alcohol on

Mother's Day Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in th ...

. The state office of DIF sent food and water to vulnerable groups of people in eight municipalities including Jantetelco on May 26.

Communities

''Jantetelco'' is the municipal seat and has a population of 4,645. It is located at 1,430 meters above sea level, 75.3 km from Cuernavaca, and 130.2 km from Mexico City. Its main economic activities are agriculture (sorghum, corn, beans) and ranching (cattle, goats, poultry, and pigs). Principal festivals are June 29, in honor of ''San Pedro Apóstol'' and December 13, the uprising of Father Mariano Matamoros. ''Amayuca'' has a population of 5,287. Its main economic activities are agriculture (sorghum, corn, beans) and ranching (cattle, goats, poultry, and pigs). Clay pottery is produced. Santiago Apostle is honored on July 25. It is 2.1 km from Jantetelco. ''Chalcatzingo'' has a population of 2,449. The community is

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 ...

in origin. It is mostly an agricultural community (sorghum, corn, beans) and livestock are raised. Tourism to the

Chalcatzingo Chalcatzingo is a Mesoamerican archaeological site in the Valley of Morelos (municipality of Jantetelco) dating from the Formative Period of Mesoamerican chronology. The site is well known for its extensive array of Olmec-style monumental art an ...

archaeological site and the sale of miniature ''cuescomates'' (traditional silos) are also important economic activities. San Mateo Evangelista is honored on September 21. It is 3.7 km from Jantetelco. ''Tenango'' and ''Santa Ana'' have a population of 1,856. Their main economic activities are agriculture (sugarcane, sorghum, corn) and livestock. The former hacienda of Tenango is a cultural attraction. Santa Ana is honored on July 26. ''San Antonio Esperanza'' is an agricultural (rice, sorghum, corn) and livestock raising (cattle, goats, poultry, and pigs) community. The feast of St.

Anthony of Padua Anthony of Padua ( it, Antonio di Padova) or Anthony of Lisbon ( pt, António/Antônio de Lisboa; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese Catholic priest and friar of the Franciscan Order. He was bo ...

is June 13.

Culture

The Dominican convent of ''San Pedro Apóstol'' was built in the 16th century. There are churches dedicated to St. Matthew, St. Francis, St. James the Greater (Apostol), and St. Clara. The ex-hacienda of Tenango is outside the town. The arqueológical zone of

is nearby. This site belongs to the Preclassic Medium period, 1500-350 B.C. It is one of the most important settlements influenced by the

Olmecs The Olmecs () were the earliest known major Mesoamerican civilization. Following a progressive development in Soconusco, they occupied the tropical lowlands of the modern-day Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco. It has been speculated that ...

, along with Teopantecuanitlán. Chalcatzingo development paralleled that of

La Venta La Venta is a pre-Columbian archaeological site of the Olmec civilization located in the present-day Mexican state of Tabasco. Some of the artifacts have been moved to the museum "Parque - Museo de La Venta", which is in nearby Villahermosa, t ...

, evidenced by its petrographs (stone carvings). There is a fair in honor of

St. Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupation ...

the Apostol on June 29, celebrated with bands and

Chinelos Chinelos are a kind of traditional costumed dancer which is popular in the Mexican state of Morelos, parts of the State of Mexico and the Federal District of Mexico City, especially the boroughs of Milpa Alta and Xochimilco. The tradition arose fr ...

(dancers). Traditional foods include beef cecina with fresh cream and pork cecina. A candy made of crystallized milk and peanuts is also made.

Geography

Location, altitude, and area

Jantetelco is located 18°42'30" North and 98°46'12" West at a height of 1,160 meters (3,806 ft.) above sea level. The municipality of Temoac is north,

is south, Jonacatepec is west, and the State of Puebla is east. It is 68.2 km (42.4 miles) east of Cuernavaca, 130.2 (80.9 miles) south of Mexico City, and 80.1 km (49.8 miles) southwest 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 ...

. Jantetelco has an area of 102.1 km² (39.1 sq. mi.), which represents 2.10% of the total state. It is divided politically in 10 locations.

Relief and waterways

Jantetelco is located between hills and ravines of sedimentary trawls. In the center of the municipality, the hills of Jantetelco reach an altitude of 1,878 meters (6,161 ft.) and that of Chalcatzingo reaches 1,570 meters (5,151 ft.). The rest of the territory consists of sedimentary plains. This municipality is crossed by ''Amatzinac, Tenango, Los Santos'', and ''Tepalcingo'' Rivers. Streams are plentiful.

Climate

The climate in Jantetelco is tropical. In winter, there is much less rainfall in Jantetelco than in summer. This location is classified as Aw by Köppen and Geiger. The temperature averages 22.5 °C (72.5 °F). Precipitation averages 865 mm (33.7").

Flora and Fauana

Vegetation in Jantetelco is mostly low deciduous forest of warm climate: Jacaranda, tabachín, casahuate, ceiba and

bougainvillea ''Bougainvillea'' ( , ) is a genus of thorny ornamental vines, bushes, and trees belonging to the four o' clock family, Nyctaginaceae. It is native to eastern South America, found from Brazil, west to Peru, and south to southern Argentina. ...

. Animals include raccoon, badger, skunk, armadillo, hare, common rabbit, coyote, mountain lion, weasel, cacomixtle, opossum, bat,

chachalaca Chachalacas are galliform birds from the genus ''Ortalis''. These birds are found in wooded habitats in the far southern United States (Texas), Mexico, and Central and South America. They are social, can be very noisy and often remain fairly c ...

, magpie, buzzard, crow, and owl.

Land use

There are 3,445 hectares (8,513 acres) for agricultural use, 5,383 hectares (13,302 acres) for livestock use, and 1,986 hectares (4,908 acres) for forestry use. 6,493 hectares (16,045 acres) are

ejido An ''ejido'' (, from Latin ''exitum'') is an area of communal land used for agriculture in which community members have usufruct rights rather than ownership rights to land, which in Mexico is held by the Mexican state. People awarded ejidos in ...

property, 160 hectares (395 acres) communal property and 5,319 hectares (13,144 acres) private property.

References

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20041210235530/http://www.e-morelos.gob.mx/e-gobierno/DirMunicipios/jantetelco.htm *https://web.archive.org/web/20040607053020/http://e-municipios.e-morelos.gob.mx/jantetelco.htm {{Authority control Municipalities of Morelos Populated places in Morelos Nahua settlements