Jaral del Progreso is a Mexican city and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality ...

located in the

Bajío El Bajío (the ''lowland'') is a cultural and geographical region within the central Mexican plateau which roughly spans from north-west of the Mexico City metropolitan area to the main silver mines in the northern-central part of the country. T ...

(''lowlands'') of the state of

Guanajuato Guanajuato (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato), is one of the 32 states that make up the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 46 municipalities and its capital city i ...

. With an area of , Jaral del Progreso accounts for 0.57% of the surface of the state. It is bordered to the north by

Salamanca Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Her ...

, to the northeast by Cortazar to the southeast by

Salvatierra Salvatierra may refer to: Places ;Mexico * Salvatierra, Guanajuato, a municipality in the state of Guanajuato ;Spain * Salvatierra (comarca), a subcomarca of Guijuelo in the province of Salamanca, Castile and León * Berrocal de Salvatierra, a mun ...

, to the south by

Yuriria Yuriria, Guanajuato, Mexico,(), is one of 46 municipalities in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. Geography Yuriria is located in the "Bajío", or lowlands, of Guanajuato. It is bordered to the east by Salvatierra and Santiago Maravatío, to t ...

, and to the west by

Valle de Santiago Valle de Santiago is a ''municipio'' (municipality) in the Mexican state of Guanajuato, and also the name of its largest township and '' cabecera municipal'' (municipal seat). The municipality is located in the southern portion of the state in the ...

. The municipality had a total of 14,906 inhabitants according to the 2005 census. The municipal president of Jaral del Progreso and its many smaller outlying communities is Alfonso Borja Pimentel.PAN, triunfa voto conservador
''AYUNTAMIENTOS PARA EL PAN''. Retrieved on August 30, 2007 Like most of the neighboring municipalities, Jaral del Progreso's economy is based mostly on agriculture and

ranching A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of landscape, land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are ...

History

Jaral del Progreso was created as a congregation named "Jaral de la Cruz". Later the name was changed to "Jaral del Valle". The main reason for this was that it belonged to a place called Camembaro, now known as Valle de Santiago. These lands were consignated to the Indian Diego Turicantí in 1590 by the viceroy Luis de Velasco. On June 9, 1831 the limits of the land were marked by Don Anzelmo Ramirez, but until September 1863 this land was considered a municipality of the state of Guanajuato. The governor was the General Manuel Doblado. The name Jaral del Valle stayed until 1910 when it was considered a town, so they changed the name to Jaral del Progreso. By 1912 the State declared Jaral del Progreso a free town. There was also an expansion of their limits up to Zempoala.

Culture and tourism

In Jaral del Progreso monuments can be found throughout the town. Most of them are busts located in the municipal seat. One of them is of Benito Juarez, a Mexican president. His bust is located in the municipal garden. Other busts are of historic heroes like Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, father of the country. There is also a monument that represents the Mexican War of Independence. On special dates the people in Jaral del Progreso celebrate with festivities, festivals and other events. The most important are May 3, day of the holy cross; May 15, a religious party in honor of Saint Isidro who helps the peasants; and September 10, day of the saint of the town, Saint Nicolas. Food includes desserts such as a roll made with fruit such as guayaba and pirulis and baked fruit. One can also find obleas de queso.

Economy

In Jaral del Progreso there are many different activities that contribute to the town's economy. The principal economic activity is agriculture. The principal crop production is wheat. Farming includes raising goats. The manufacture of clothes and fabrics is also important. Commerce and transportation of products are also main activities in the town. Another activity which Jarl del Progreso is known by is the production of traditional desserts and artisanry, including hats, bags and baskets made of reeds and decorative figures.

References

External links

Jaral del Progreso
- official site {{DEFAULTSORT:Jaral Del Progreso Populated places in Guanajuato Municipalities of Guanajuato Populated places established in 1863