El Zape is a small town in the hills of the municipality of Guanaceví, in the state of

Durango Durango, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Durango, is one of the 31 states which make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in the northwest portion of the country. With a population of 1,832,650 ...

, in northern México. El Zape is the 3rd largest town in Guanaceví. El Zape postal code is 35425. It is located on the eastern side of the

Sierra Madre Occidental The Sierra Madre Occidental is a major mountain range system of the North American Cordillera, that runs northwest–southeast through northwestern and western Mexico, and along the Gulf of California. The Sierra Madre is part of the American C ...

, at an altitude of 1960 m (6430 ft).

History

Tepehuán arrival and founding of El Zape

The region of El Zape was first settled by Thepehuan people. In the late 1500s the Spanish discovered silver in Guanaceví, prompting a rush to settle the region. In 1596, father Jeronimo Ramirez visited the settlement of El Zape. In 1597, he built the mission of San Ignacio de El Zape. Later, in 1604 Father Juan Fonte founded the town of El Zape.

Tepehuán Revolt

The conditions in which native people lived under colonial rule led them to revolt in 1616, attacking Spanish settlements in what is known as the Thepehuan Revolt. The neighboring residents of Guanaceví donated seeds, tools, and animals to El Zape. During this time the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

increased their efforts to evangelize the children of El Zape. The children were considered clever if they read the Bible and went to church. The Tepehuan people grew corn and sold it to the nearest mines. During that rebellion, El Zape was the site of a massacre that left 19 Spaniards and 60 African slaves dead.

Climate

Demographics

In 2010, there were 139 homes inhabited by 433 residents. As of 2020, there were 139 homes inhabited by 412 residents.

Religion

The town of El Zape is mostly

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, the town's local church is called Iglesia de la Inmaculada Concepción.

References

Populated places in Durango {{Durango-geo-stub