The municipality of Tepechitlán is located in the southwestern portion of the
Mexican
Mexican may refer to:
Mexico and its culture
*Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America
** People
*** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants
*** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...
state of
Zacatecas. It is located between 21º33'49" and 21º44'00" latitude north and 103º09'07" and 103º32'01" longitude west with an average altitude of approximately 1700 meters above sea level. The municipality covers an area of 584 square kilometers.
To the north, it is bordered by the municipality of
Tlaltenango de Sánchez Román Tlaltenango, Mexican toponym, may mean:
* Tlaltenango de Sánchez Román, Zacatecas
, image_map = Zacatecas in Mexico (location map scheme).svg
, map_caption = State of Zacatecas within Mexico
, coordinates ...
, to the south by the municipality of
Teúl de González Ortega, to the east by the municipalities of
Jalpa and
Apozol
Apozol is a city in the state of Zacatecas
, image_map = Zacatecas in Mexico (location map scheme).svg
, map_caption = State of Zacatecas within Mexico
, coordinates =
, coor_pinpoint =
, c ...
, to the west by the municipalities of
Atolinga and
Florencia de Benito Juárez as well as the state of
Jalisco
Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal En ...
.
History
The name of the municipality of Tepechitlán'' derives from the
Caxcan word "tepezil" which refers to fertility, thus the name means fertile land. Prior to the arrival of the Spanish to the area, the town and its surrounding areas were inhabited by
Amerindians of the
Caxcan ethnic group. The town's first mention in Spanish documents appears in 1537. The town and its inhabitants were originally put under the trusteeship or "
encomienda
The ''encomienda'' () was a Spanish labour system that rewarded conquerors with the labour of conquered non-Christian peoples. The labourers, in theory, were provided with benefits by the conquerors for whom they laboured, including military ...
" of Pedro de Bobadilla. The trusteeship was then transferred to his
mestizo
(; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed Ethnic groups in Europe, European and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also r ...
son Francisco de Bobadilla and eventually was extinguished, as were many other similar trusteeships in the area due to ongoing uprisings of the local indigenous groups and the
Chichimeca War.
In the early 17th century, the town was under the jurisdiccion of neighboring
Tlaltenango and was primarily inhabited by indigenous people, though a few Spanish families had begun to settle in the area with the end of the Chichimeca War.
Tepechitlán was officially recognized as a municipality in 1857.
Mateo Correa Magallanes
Mateo Correa Magallanes (also known as Mateo Correa, Fr. Correa; July 23, 1866 – February 6, 1927) was a Knight of Columbus, of Council 2140.
Correa was born at Tepechitlán, Zacatecas, Mexico. He attended the seminary at Zacatecas on a sch ...
who was canonized by
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
was born in Tepechitlán in 1866.
References
Sources
*Enciclopedia de los Municipios de Zacatecas, State of Zacateca
*Insituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informátic
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tepechitlan
Populated places in Zacatecas
eo:Tepechitlán (komunumo)
pt:Tepechitlán