Ciudad Guzmán (also known as simply Guzmán) is a city in the

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

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 ...

. It is located 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 above sea level. Its population totaled 97,750 in the 2010 census, ranking as the eighth-largest city in the state. Ciudad Guzmán is the municipal seat of

Zapotlán el Grande Zapotlán el Grande (also known as Guzmán and Ciudad Guzmán) is a municipality in the Mexican States of Mexico, state of Jalisco. Name There are several meanings given to the root name of the "Zapotlán el Grande". "Zapote" is the name given to ...

municipality, which has an area of 295.29 km² (114.0 sq.mi). The municipality's population was 115,141 in the 2020 census.

History

Prior to the arrival of the European 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 part of 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 Guzmán, after the Mexican federalist insurgent Gordiano de Guzmán. The town has been nicknamed the "''Athens of Jalisco''" because it's the birthplace of several well-known intellectuals and artists, including the muralist

José Clemente Orozco José Clemente Orozco (November 23, 1883 – September 7, 1949) was a Mexican caricaturist and painter, who specialized in political murals that established the Mexican Mural Renaissance together with murals by Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siquei ...

, the composer

Consuelo Velázquez Consuelo Velázquez Torres (August 21, 1916, in Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco – January 22, 2005, Mexico City), also popularly known as Consuelito Velázquez, was a Mexican concert pianist and composer. She was the composer of famous Mexican balla ...

, the scientist José María Arreola and the journalist and historian

Juan José Arreola Juan José Arreola Zúñiga (September 21, 1918 – December 3, 2001) was a Mexican writer, academic, and actor. He is considered Mexico's premier experimental short story writer of the 20th century. Arreola is recognized as one of the first Lat ...

. The oldest part of the city, in the downtown area, holds a major stone Cathedral (Catedral de San José) that local folklore says is haunted. Ciudad Guzmán is located in an area of high seismic activity. The cathedral's towers have tumbled down several times due to earthquakes, sometimes killing people, and their souls are said to guard the place. The last time the towers collapsed was on September 19, 1985, during the

1985 Mexico City earthquake The 1985 Mexico City earthquake struck in the early morning of 19 September at 07:17:50 (CST) with a Moment magnitude scale, moment magnitude of 8.0 and a maximal Modified Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of IX (''Violent''). The ev ...

, an earthquake of magnitude 8.1 that has come to be considered one of the most devastating natural disasters of the 20th century. In Guzmán City, it left more than 50 people dead and about 1,000 injured. The cathedral towers were never rebuilt to their majestic height.

Geography

The city is located south of Guadalajara, at a height of above sea level.

Climate

Ciudad Guzman has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Cwa'') with distinct dry and wet seasons. The warmest month is June with an average of and the coldest month is January with an average of . Average annual precipitation is , most of it concentrated from June to September and during these months, thunderstorms and cloudy days are common and humidity is higher. In contrast, the dry season has little precipitation and cooler temperatures but the weather can be foggy, especially from October to January. Frosts can occasionally occur on the coldest nights but extended periods of frosts are rare. The record high was on April and again on May 30, 1998 while the record low was on January 12, 1997.

Notable people

, writer, academic, and actor. *

, caricaturist and painter. *

, concert pianist and composer. *

Esmeralda Pimentel Esmeralda Pimentel (née Maria Esmeralda Pimentel on September 8, 1989) is a Mexican actress and model. She began her media career in 2009, appearing in commercials and television promotions. After participating in Nuestra Belleza México, wh ...

, actress and model. * José Rolón, composer. * Luis Chávez, footballer. * Pedro Weber, actor and comedian

Sister cities

Guzmán is a

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...

of these municipalities: *

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 ...

, United States. Lake Havasu City, Arizona, United States.

References

Ciudad Guzmán, el trágico recuerdo
Noticieros Televisa.

External links

Link to tables of population data from Census of 2005
INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática
Jalisco
Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México
Administración Pública Municipal de Zapotlán el Grande
Official website
Sociales en Ciudad Guzman
*
Alva Technology - Web HostingF R O B U R G - Blogger in Ciudad Guzmán
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ciudad Guzman, Jalisco Populated places in Jalisco Populated places established in 1528 Municipality seats in Jalisco