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 of

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. It serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name. Sahuayo is an important center for industry and is the center of commerce for the Chapala lake region, specializing in crafts, sandals ( huaraches), and hats ( sombreros), 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 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,

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 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 (also known as San Pedro), to the east Villamar, to the south Jiquilpan, and Cojumatlán de Régules to the northwest. Its distance to the State Capital, Morelia.

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. 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, and tacos al pastor. The traditional breads of Sahuayo, like tranca and the cemita, 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 – Ex-Major League Baseball player * Lilia Prado – 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