Soteapan is a

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' ...

and city located in the south-central zone of the Mexican

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 ...

Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...

, about 260 km from state capital

Xalapa Xalapa or Jalapa (, ), officially Xalapa-Enríquez (), is the capital city of the Mexico, Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Veracruz and the name of the surrounding municipality. In 2020 census the city reported a population of 443,063 ...

. As of 2000, the municipality counted 27,487 inhabitants within 528.07 km², including about 10,000 in the main city area of Soteapan.

History

Historically the city of Soteapan was mentioned as a part of the municipality of Coatzacoalcos by colonial Spanish references, yet was only recognised as a separate Mexican municipality in 1831. The area in the

pre-columbian era In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era, also known as the pre-contact era, or as the pre-Cabraline era specifically in Brazil, spans from the initial peopling of the Americas in the Upper Paleolithic to the onset of European col ...

was an area of contention between the

Aztec empire The Aztec Empire, also known as the Triple Alliance (, Help:IPA/Nahuatl, �jéːʃkaːn̥ t͡ɬaʔtoːˈlóːjaːn̥ or the Tenochca Empire, was an alliance of three Nahuas, Nahua altepetl, city-states: , , and . These three city-states rul ...

and its southern neighbours. The area only recently obtained paved road access and is considered to be one of the most impoverished communities in Mexico. Its population is composed of mainly of Popoluca, with a small number of Nahula people. Though many speak their native language,

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

is the predominant language.

Geography

The municipality of Soteapan is delimited to the north by

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

, to the east by

Mecayapan Mecayapan is a municipality and city in the Mexican state of Veracruz. It is located in the south-east zone of the State, about 428 km from the state capital Xalapa. It has a surface of 523.96 km2. It is located at . Geography The municipal ...

, to the south by Chinameca and Acayucan, and to the west by Hueyapan de Ocampo and Catemaco.

Economy

Economically, Soteapan depends on

small-scale agriculture A smallholding or smallholder is a small farm operating under a small-scale agriculture model. Definitions vary widely for what constitutes a smallholder or small-scale farm, including factors such as size, food production technique or technolo ...

and

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

. The area invites many tourists due to several waterfalls and views of pristine mountains. The area is located near the volcanoes of the

Sierra de los Tuxtlas The Sierra de Los Tuxtlas (Tuxtlas Mountains) are a volcanic belt and mountain range along the southeastern Veracruz Gulf of Mexico, Gulf coast in Eastern Mexico. The Biósfera Los Tuxtlas, Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve (Biósfera Los Tuxtlas) in ...

and is located within a large part of the

Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve The Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve or Biósfera Los Tuxtlas, is a biosphere reserve located in the coastal and higher elevations of the Sierra de los Tuxtlas, in Los Tuxtlas of Veracruz state, in south eastern Mexico. Ecoregion The area is notabl ...

Celebrations

During March there is a celebration to honour to San José, the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

of the town, and in December there is a celebration to honour to Virgen de Guadalupe.

History

Geography

Economy

Celebrations

References

External links