Sahuayo (

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 Nahuas, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller popul ...

: ''Tzacuātlayotl'') is a city in the

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 ...

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 ...

, in western

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, near the southern shore of

Lake Chapala Lake Chapala (, ) has been Mexico's largest freshwater lake since the desiccation of Lake Texcoco in the early 17th century. It borders both the states of Jalisco and Michoacán, being located within the municipalities of Ocotlán, Jalisco, ...

. It serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name. Sahuayo is an important center for

industry Industry may refer to: Economics * Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity * Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery * The wider industrial sector ...

and is the center of commerce for the Chapala lake region, specializing in crafts, sandals ( huaraches), and hats (

sombrero In English, a , ; ) is a type of wide-brimmed Mexican men's hat used to shield the face and eyes from the sun. It usually has a high, pointed crown; an extra-wide brim (broad enough to cast a shadow over the head, neck, and shoulders of the w ...

s), which are made by Sahuayenses. It is home to th
largest huarache in the world
measuring 7.45 meters long and 3.09 meters wide. The name means "turtle shaped pot". It has been called the Athens of Michoacán because of the number of important poets, writers, and painters residing there. It is currently the seat of the Arts Propositions Association. In 2005, the census population was 59,316, with the municipality being 61,965. The size of the municipality is 128.05 km² (49.44 sq mi). The celebration for ''El Patrón Santiago'' or

Saint James the Great James the Great ( Koinē Greek: Ἰάκωβος, romanized: ''Iákōbos''; Aramaic: ܝܥܩܘܒ, romanized: ''Yaʿqōḇ''; died AD 44) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was the second of the apostles t ...

is held every 25 July. During these celebrations, individuals craft beautiful masks, throw a festival with music and dancing, and depict the battles between the Spanish and the indigenous peoples. The dancers' '' Tlahualiles (wearers of the masks and traditional garments)'' are internationally recognized. The sister city of Sahuayo is

Lancaster Lancaster may refer to: Lands and titles *The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire *Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies *Duke of Lancaster *Earl of Lancaster *House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It is one of the 3 Californian cities where residents from Sahuayo moved to in the 2000s. The city of

Santa Ana, California Santa Ana (Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, California, United States. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census. As ...

is known as ''Little Sahuayo'' because of the high number of residents who hail from Sahuayo. Another community is

Indio, California Indio (Spanish language, Spanish for "Indian") is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's Colorado Desert region. Indio is approximately east of Los Angeles, east of Palm Springs, ...

where a large number of residents from Sahuayo moved to.

Geography

Location

Sahuayo is located to the northwest of the State, at the coordinates 20º03' north latitude and 102º44' west longitude, 1,530 meters above sea level. To the north of the Sahuayo border one finds

Venustiano Carranza Michoacán San Pedro Cahro or San Pedro is a town located in North-western part of the state of Michoacan, Mexico in the region of the Chapala Lake. It is formally known as Venustiano Carranza. The town is 170 kilometers from the state capital, Morelia. Sa ...

(also known as San Pedro), to the east

Villamar Villamar, Mara (Marsh) de Arbarei in the Sardinian language, is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of South Sardinia in the Italian region Sardinia, located about northwest of Cagliari and about northeast of Sanluri. Villamar borders ...

, to the south Jiquilpan, and

Cojumatlán de Régules Cojumatlán de Régules is a municipality in the Mexican state of Michoacán. It is located west of the state capital of Morelia. Geography The municipality of Cojumatlán de Régules is located in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt in northwest Mi ...

to the northwest. Its distance to the State Capital,

Morelia Morelia (; from 1545 to 1828 known as Valladolid; Otomi language, Otomi: ) is a city and municipal seat of the municipalities of Mexico, municipality of Morelia in the north-central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. It is both th ...

Etymology

The name Sahuayo comes from the

language and is interpreted in many ways. According to Dr. "Don" Antonio Peñafiel, the word is made up of two elements: tzacuātl and ayotl, where tzacuātl (pot) is a vase formed by one half of a coconut and "ayotl," which translates into "turtle"; hence ''vessel turtle'' or vessel that has the aspect of a turtle.

Seal

On the seal of Sahuayo, there is a turtle on the stone in the first field, which represents the foundation of Sahuayo in 1530. In the background are three hills, which symbolize the three towns that gave origin to Sahuayo, in the second half of the 16th century. These hills can also be considered to represent the three governments: federal, state, and municipal. In the third field, a plumed serpent or Quetzalcoatl god fights with the cross, symbolizing the conquest of Sahuayo by

Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán ( Spanish) or ( Catalan) is a masculine given name of Latin origin (, , , and so on). Its Portuguese form is . Its patronymic is (). Already in the Middle Ages the name was being confused with the similar but distinct name Munio. The meaning ...

. In the fourth field of the municipal shield is a tree and a star. “Patria, Justicia y Progreso” (Nation, Justice, and Progress) are written in the contour of the shield.

Cuisine

Sahuayo is famous for its typical food such as

carnitas Carnitas, literally meaning "little meats", in Mexican cuisine, is a dish made by braising, simmering and frying pork in its own fat, lard or cooking oil. The name "''Carnitas''" is, historically, the colloquial name given in Mexico for the Fren ...

, dry

birria Birria () is a regional variation of barbacoa from western Mexico, mainly made with goat, beef or lamb. The meat is marinated in an adobo made of vinegar, dried chiles, garlic, and herbs and spices (including cumin, bay leaves, and thyme) bef ...

, and tacos al pastor. The traditional breads of Sahuayo, like tranca and the

cemita The ''cemita'' is a sandwich originally from Puebla, Mexico. Also known as ''cemita poblana'', it derives from the city (and region) of Puebla. The word refers to the sandwich as well as to the roll it is typically served on, a bread roll covere ...

, usually are usually accompanied by milk,

atole ''Atole'' (, believed to come from Nahuatl ''Aztec cuisine, ātōlli'' or from Mayan), also known as ''atolli'', ''atol'' and ''atol de elote'', is a traditional hot masa-based beverage of Mexicans, Mexican origin. Atole can have different flav ...

, or any other hot drink.

Notable people

Hector Fajardo In Greek mythology, Hector (; , ) was a Trojan prince, a hero and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. He is a major character in Homer's ''Iliad'', where he leads the Trojans and their allies in the defense of Troy, killing c ...

– Ex-Major League Baseball player *

Lilia Prado Leticia Lilia Amezcua Prado (30 March 1928 – 22 May 2006), known as Lilia Prado, was a Mexican actress and dancer. Noted for her beauty and on-screen sensuality, she was a famous star and sex symbol of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. Prado b ...

– actress * Saint José "Joselito" Sánchez del Río – martyr of the Cristero War, canonized by Pope Francis in October 16, 2016 Alfredo Cisneros. Escultor José Sánchez Villaseñor. Sacerdote Jesuita. Introdujo a este país las carreras de Administración de Empresas y Ciencias de la Comunicación. Luis Sahagún Cortés. Pintor. Maestro en la Academia San Carlos por más de 30 años. Donó para Sahuayo La Casa de la Cultura y la Pinacoteca. Alberto Barragán Degollado. Poeta. Luis Arceo Preciado. Poeta. Luis Girarte Martínez. Poeta, escritor y dramaturgo. Ganador de más de 200 premios nacionales e internacionales de poesía y cuento.

References

Link to tables of population data from Census of 2005
INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática
Michoacán
Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México

External links

Sahuayo de Morelos CitySahuayo City Hall

Government pages

Negotiating Extra-Territorial Citizenship: Mexican Migrants and the Transborder Politics of Community

Government Page
*https://www.economia.gob.mx/datamexico/en/profile/geo/sahuayo

City information

Semanario Tribuna
Sahuayo's Newspaper {{Michoacán Municipalities of Michoacán