La Piedad
Encyclopedia
La Piedad de Cavadas is a city and its surrounding municipality
(La Piedad municipality) located at in the north-west of the Mexican state
of Michoacán
, bordering Jalisco
and Guanajuato
. The original colonial name was San Sebastián. It is bordered by the town of Santa Ana Pacueco, Guanajuato
. Both towns straddle the Lerma river
. La Piedad's population was 99,837 inhabitants in the 2010 census (250 000 habitants including its metropolitan area). The municipality has an area of 284.11 km² (109.7 sq mi).
, Jalisco
and Penjamo
, Guanajuato
; at the east with the municipality of Numarán, Michoacán; at the south with the municipalities of Zináparo, Churintzio, and Ecuandureo, Michoacán; and at the west with the municipality of Yurécuaro
.
The municipality is connected through roads and highways with cities in the Mexican states of Jalisco, Guanajuato, and of course, the rest of Michoacán.
Distances and average driving times:
moved away from Aztlan looking for a new land to settle. In this travel they founded several towns. Zula (meaning quails territory) was one of this towns stablished on the shore of the Lerma river.
On 1380, Tariácuri purepecha's king, conquered the town of Zula and named it Aramutaro, which means place with caves.
Almost two centuries later, Antonio de Villarroel serving Nuño de Guzmán took control of the town on the San Sebastian's day of 1530 (January 20), so renaming the town as "San Sebastián de Aramutarillo".
From 1530 to 1687, San Sebastian was in total oblivion, victim of slavery and ignorance; nevertheless there were two historic facts, which changed course for the town, one political affair and another religious matter.
The religious matter refers to a finding of a branch from a tree resembling a Christ on the cross. This happened the midnight of Christmas Eve on a place called Buena Huerta. The towns in its surrounding asked for the Christ image to be taken to theirs churches. San Sebastián de Aramutarillo was selected to keep the Christ image. After that, the Christ image was called "Señor de La Piedad" (Lord of piety).
The political affair was the movement of political offices from Tlazazalca to San Sebastian de Aramutarillo. This causes that many people came to offer merchandise, crafts, etc. In this way the town was officially founded on 1692, when Juan López de Aguirre named it as La Piedad.
There are also urban parks such as Morelos Park and La Placa park. The city is famous because of its colorful Rebozos, and the singer José Alfredo Jiménez
made it more famous with the song "El Perro Negro" ("The Black Dog").
There are hotels from 3 to 5 stars in the city.
manufacturer Turbomaquinas and Famaq. Also there is an important candy factory named Cabadas and sausage factories like Nu-tres, Delta and Bafar (former Parma).
There are 569 companies registered in the municipality, which puts La Piedad in the top four cities in the state with the greatest number of companies, after Morelia
, Uruapan
, and Zamora
.
Ferromex
Railway and Kansas City Southern de México crosses La Piedad allowing other companies to settle around in the future.
Additionally there is a House of Culture, the cultural center piedadense and the Higher School of Music.
, midfielder for Estudiantes Tecos football team as well as his brother Carlos Morales, midfielder for Santos. The frontman for Regional Mexican group "Los Razos de Sacramento y Reynaldo" Sacramento Ramirez is also from La Piedad.
Arts / Shows
Politics
Sports
Religion
, and the Juan N. Lopez stadium.
Outside the city are the Alianza, Mercantil and Azteca clubs, where there are football fields and swimming pools.
La Piedad had a football team in Mexico's First Division
in 1952-53
season, and again in 2001 Winter and 2002 Summer seasons.
Currently C.F. La Piedad plays in the Liga de Ascenso
the second level in the Mexican football league system.
Highway 110 goes west and takes you to towns like Yurécuaro
, Tanhuato, Vista Hermosa, Briseñas y La Barca, and the free-toll route to Guadalajara. Highway 39 runs south of La Piedad to Zamora, this highway goes to the toll highway 15, which goes north-south, from Nogales to Mexico City
. Highway 90 runs north of La Piedad to the state of Guanajuato.
, as designated by Sister Cities International
: Woodland, California
, USA
Municipalities of Mexico
Municipalities are the second-level administrative division in Mexico . There are 2,438 municipalities in Mexico, making the average municipality population 45,616...
(La Piedad municipality) located at in the north-west of the Mexican state
States of Mexico
The United Mexican States is a federal republic formed by 32 federal entities .According to the Constitution of 1917, the states of the federation are free and sovereign. Each state has their own congress and constitution, while the Federal District has only limited autonomy with a local Congress...
of Michoacán
Michoacán
Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...
, bordering Jalisco
Jalisco
Jalisco officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in Western Mexico and divided in 125 municipalities and its capital city is Guadalajara.It is one of the more important states...
and Guanajuato
Guanajuato
Guanajuato officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 46 municipalities and its capital city is Guanajuato....
. The original colonial name was San Sebastián. It is bordered by the town of Santa Ana Pacueco, Guanajuato
Guanajuato
Guanajuato officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 46 municipalities and its capital city is Guanajuato....
. Both towns straddle the Lerma river
Lerma River
The Lerma Santiago River is Mexico's second longest river. It is a river in west-central Mexico that begins in Mexican Plateau at an altitude over above sea level, and ends where it empties into Lake Chapala, Mexico's largest lake, near Guadalajara, Jalisco...
. La Piedad's population was 99,837 inhabitants in the 2010 census (250 000 habitants including its metropolitan area). The municipality has an area of 284.11 km² (109.7 sq mi).
Limits
La Piedad, "north door" of the state of Michoacán, surrounding the Lerma river, has limits at the north with the municipalities of DegolladoDegollado
Degollado is a small city and Municipality in the eastern highlands of the Mexican State of Jalisco.- Facts about Degollado, Jalisco :* Most played sport: Futbol...
, Jalisco
Jalisco
Jalisco officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in Western Mexico and divided in 125 municipalities and its capital city is Guadalajara.It is one of the more important states...
and Penjamo
Pénjamo
Penjamo Hidalgo Cradle, is the City head-board of the homonymous Municipality, one of 46 municipalities of Guanajuato's Mexican state. It is one of the cities with major commercial movement of the State, and is considered to be the major City of the Southwest of the entity and the city number 17...
, Guanajuato
Guanajuato
Guanajuato officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 46 municipalities and its capital city is Guanajuato....
; at the east with the municipality of Numarán, Michoacán; at the south with the municipalities of Zináparo, Churintzio, and Ecuandureo, Michoacán; and at the west with the municipality of Yurécuaro
Yurécuaro
Yurécuaro is a town and a municipality in the region of the Chapala cienega at the north-west in the Mexican state of Michoacán.Yurécuaro comes from the purepecha iorekuarhu means "River side" or "Place of growing" "lugar junto al rio" o "Lugar de crecientes".It is located at northwest of the...
.
The municipality is connected through roads and highways with cities in the Mexican states of Jalisco, Guanajuato, and of course, the rest of Michoacán.
Distances and average driving times:
- 89 km from Irapuato, Guanajuato. (1 h)
- 120 km from LeónLeón, GuanajuatoThe city of León, formally León de los Aldama is the sixth most populous city in Mexico and the first in the state of Guanajuato. It is also the seat of the municipality of León...
, Guanajuato. (1 h 15 min) - 166 km from MoreliaMoreliaMorelia is a city and municipality in the north central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. The city is in the Guayangareo Valley and is the capital of the state. The main pre-Hispanic cultures here were the P'urhépecha and the Matlatzinca, but no major cities were founded in the...
, Michoacán. (1 h 40 min) - 55 km from ZamoraZamora, MichoacánZamora de Hidalgo, is a city in the Mexican state of Michoacán. The 2010 census population was 141,627. making it the third largest city in the state. The city is the municipal seat of Zamora Municipality, which has an area of 330.97 km² and includes many other smaller communities, the largest of...
, Michoacán. (40 min) - 177.5 km from GuadalajaraGuadalajara, JaliscoGuadalajara is the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality of Guadalajara. The city is located in the central region of Jalisco in the western-pacific area of Mexico. With a population of 1,564,514 it is Mexico's second most populous municipality...
, Jalisco. (1 h 50 min) - 201.0 km from Querétaro. (2 h 00 min)
History
In the 12th century AztecasAztecas
Aztecas de la UDLAP is the name which receive the representative teams of the Mexican University, the Universidad de las Américas Puebla of which the most important and famous is a collegiate American football squad...
moved away from Aztlan looking for a new land to settle. In this travel they founded several towns. Zula (meaning quails territory) was one of this towns stablished on the shore of the Lerma river.
On 1380, Tariácuri purepecha's king, conquered the town of Zula and named it Aramutaro, which means place with caves.
Almost two centuries later, Antonio de Villarroel serving Nuño de Guzmán took control of the town on the San Sebastian's day of 1530 (January 20), so renaming the town as "San Sebastián de Aramutarillo".
From 1530 to 1687, San Sebastian was in total oblivion, victim of slavery and ignorance; nevertheless there were two historic facts, which changed course for the town, one political affair and another religious matter.
The religious matter refers to a finding of a branch from a tree resembling a Christ on the cross. This happened the midnight of Christmas Eve on a place called Buena Huerta. The towns in its surrounding asked for the Christ image to be taken to theirs churches. San Sebastián de Aramutarillo was selected to keep the Christ image. After that, the Christ image was called "Señor de La Piedad" (Lord of piety).
The political affair was the movement of political offices from Tlazazalca to San Sebastian de Aramutarillo. This causes that many people came to offer merchandise, crafts, etc. In this way the town was officially founded on 1692, when Juan López de Aguirre named it as La Piedad.
Attractions
Places of interest include the town center with its beautiful kiosco (bandstand) built with quarried stone, the gateways, and the Señor de La Piedad church, which boasts perhaps the biggest dome in the country. Also of note are the Cavadas Bridge and the 30-metre-high El Salto waterfall. The local zoo and "La torre de la gaviota" located at the Sun City neighborhood, are also places of interest in La Piedad.There are also urban parks such as Morelos Park and La Placa park. The city is famous because of its colorful Rebozos, and the singer José Alfredo Jiménez
José Alfredo Jiménez
José Alfredo Jiménez was a Mexican singer-songwriter in the ranchera style whose songs are considered an integral part of Mexico's musical heritage....
made it more famous with the song "El Perro Negro" ("The Black Dog").
There are hotels from 3 to 5 stars in the city.
Industry
La Piedad is a hub for agricultural products. The town was once known as the center of the Mexican pork industry, and still plays an important part in that industry. However, La Piedad has recently moved its economy towards textiles. Major textil manufacturers include Olmeca, Marval and Manriquez. Surrounding towns are Santa Ana, Yurecuaro, Degollado, Numaran, and Ecuandureo. La Piedad is also the headquarters for veterinary pharmaceuticals company LaPisa and industrial turbineTurbine
A turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they move and...
manufacturer Turbomaquinas and Famaq. Also there is an important candy factory named Cabadas and sausage factories like Nu-tres, Delta and Bafar (former Parma).
There are 569 companies registered in the municipality, which puts La Piedad in the top four cities in the state with the greatest number of companies, after Morelia
Morelia
Morelia is a city and municipality in the north central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. The city is in the Guayangareo Valley and is the capital of the state. The main pre-Hispanic cultures here were the P'urhépecha and the Matlatzinca, but no major cities were founded in the...
, Uruapan
Uruapan
Uruapan is a city and municipality in the west-central part of the Mexican state of Michoacán. The city is the municipal seat of the municipality...
, and Zamora
Zamora, Michoacán
Zamora de Hidalgo, is a city in the Mexican state of Michoacán. The 2010 census population was 141,627. making it the third largest city in the state. The city is the municipal seat of Zamora Municipality, which has an area of 330.97 km² and includes many other smaller communities, the largest of...
.
Ferromex
Ferromex
Ferromex is a private rail consortium that operates the largest railroad in Mexico.-Description:...
Railway and Kansas City Southern de México crosses La Piedad allowing other companies to settle around in the future.
Education
Currently the municipality has pre-school institutions, elementary, middle and high school, and the following 6 colleges:- Colegio de Michoacán
- Instituto Tecnológico de La PiedadInstituto Tecnológico de La PiedadThe La Piedad Institute of Technology is a public university located in La Piedad, Michoacán, Mexico. It was founded in 1990. It is part of the Mexican public education system and offers training for several careers...
- Universidad de León campus La Piedad
- Centro de estudios universitarios Veracruz (Univer) campus La Piedad
- Universidad del Valle de AtemajacUniversidad del Valle de AtemajacThe Universidad del Valle de Atemajac is a private Catholic university in Zapopan, Mexico. While international students are welcome, the language of instruction at UNIVA is Spanish....
campus La Piedad - Instituto Michoacano de Ciencias de la Educación (IMCED)
Additionally there is a House of Culture, the cultural center piedadense and the Higher School of Music.
Media
- TV channels - There are 2 local channels, Videa TV and TV La Piedad (there is also a cable service)
- Radio stations in FM and AM
- Newspapers - there are local and state newspapers.
- Internet
Politics
Mayors- 1940–1941 PRI Ezequiel Martínez Aguilar
- 1942 PRI Dr. Rafael Aceves Alvarado
- 1943 PRI Roberto Chavolla Bernúdez
- 1944 PRI Miguel Camarena Pérez
- 1944–1945 PRI Antonio Licea Luna
- 1946 PRI Manuel Rodríguez Guillen
- 1946 PRI Angel Pichardo
- 1947 PRI José Arroyo Domínguez
- 1948 PRI J. Reyes Rojas
- 1949–1950 PRI José Villegas Hernández
- 1951 PRI Luis Trillo Meza
- 1952 PRI Carlos Avila Escoto
- 1953 PRI Luis Trillo Meza
- 1954 PRI Carlos López Gallegos
- 1955 PRI Ing. José García Castillo
- 1956 PRI Agustín Belmonte Belmonte
- 1957–1958 PRI Lic. Pedro Elorza Aguilar
- 1959 PRI Ricardo Guerrero Celedón
- 1960–1961 PRI Benjamín Torres Rojas
- 1962 PRI José Villegas Hernández
- 1963–1964 PRI Dr. Javier García Castillo
- 1965 PRI Agustín Belmonte Munguía
- 1966–1968 PRI José Luis Fernández Alba
- 1969–1971 PRI Lic. Rodolfo Ramírez Trillo
- 1972–1974 PRI Dr. Marco Antonio Aviña
- 1975–1976 PRI Arq. Pablo Aguilera Navarro
- 1977 PRI C.P. Julián Morales
- 1978–1980 PRI Lic. José Vicente Aguilar Rizo
- 1981–1983 PRI Guillermo Alvarado Magdaleno
- 1984–1986 PRI Guillermo Rizo Hernández
- 1986 PRI Profr. Rogelio Baltierra Flores
- 1987–1989 PRI José Luis Fernández Alba
- 1990–1991 PRI Eduardo Villaseñor Peña
- 1991–1992 PRI C.P. Alipio Bribiesca Tafolla
- 1993–1995 PRI Ing. José Adolfo Mena Rojas
- 1996–1998 PAN Ing. Raúl García Castillo
- 1999–2001 PRI Ramón Maya Morales
- 2002–2004 PRI Lic. Jaime Mares Camarena
- 2005–2007 PAN Arturo Torres Santos
- 2008–2011 PAN Ricardo Guzman Romero
- 2008–2011 PAN Jose Padilla Alfaro
Notable citizens
Many famous athletes and celebrities were born or lived in La Piedad, among these Ramon MoralesRamón Morales
Ramón Morales Higuera is a retired Mexican international footballer who last played for Estudiantes Tecos as a midfielder.Biography=...
, midfielder for Estudiantes Tecos football team as well as his brother Carlos Morales, midfielder for Santos. The frontman for Regional Mexican group "Los Razos de Sacramento y Reynaldo" Sacramento Ramirez is also from La Piedad.
Arts / Shows
- Salvador Meza Mendez-Painter, famous for his oil and pencil paintings about city's historical monuments
- Francisco Núñez Montes - músico
- Marco Islas - Cantante de musica vernacula
- Ignacio Ortiz - Painter
- Vicente de P. Cano - Poet
- Josefina BaezJosefina BaezJosefina Baez , actor, writer, director and educator, is the founder and present director of . Dominicanish and Comrade, Bliss Ain't Playing are two of her published works, and are both performance texts. Dominicanish has been performed several times internationally over the last ten years...
- Poet - José Gómez Rogil - Poet
- Carlos Alvarado LangCarlos Alvarado LangCarlos Alvarado Lang was a Mexican printmaker.Alvarado Lang studied printmaking under Emiliano Valadéz at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. In 1929 he followed Emiliano Valadéz on his chair. After the course offer of the ENBA was expanded in 1930, he got the chair of engraving...
- Engraver - Juan Rodríguez Vega - Musician
- Sergio Arturo Bravo Zarate - Writer / "Los Buenos Tiempos" New York Times Best Seller 2007
- Leny Ayala - Painter and Local Pioneer Graffiti Artist
- Manuel Ayala Tejeda - Poet, writer, City's historian. (1913–1997)
- Heriberto Guízar Castro - Radio founder in La Piedad. (1918–2000)
- José García del Río - General's cousin Lázaro Cárdenas del Río drilled wells and provided the city with water.
- Lic. Rafael Reyes - Lawyer, he was always worried about education.
- Luis G. Ayala - Playwright, theater director, and teacher.
- Malena Padilla Alfaro - Children theater director, pastorelas, and traditional Christ Nativity wax representation artist, inherited from her mother's creations Mrs. Lupita Alfaro de Padilla.
- Rafael Padilla Alfaro - Teacher, decorator, and The Sagrada Imágen de Nuestro Señor de la Piedad fervous servant.
Politics
- Mariano Silva y Aceves.- Pedagogue, UNAM's first Dean
- Jesús Romero Flores - Part of the group of people that formed the Mexican Constitution.
- Eduardo Villaseñor Peña - Michoacán's Governor (1992).
- María Guadalupe Sánchez Martínez - Federal Delegate, Secretary of Government, Michoacán State.
- Pedro Aceves Parra - Revolutionary
- Octavio Solis Ramirez - Politician - Mexico City
- Arnulfo Ávila Ávila - Politician
- Humberto Romero Pérez - Politician
- Guillermo Rizo Hernández - Politician and administrator
Sports
- Yovani GallardoYovani GallardoYovani Gallardo is a Mexican-American right-handed starting pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers. He was selected in the second round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft out of Trimble Technical High School in Fort Worth, Texas....
- Baseball player - Milwaukee Brewers - Patricia Mariscal - Won medals in Tae kwon do world championships
- Hector PulidoHéctor PulidoHéctor Pulido Rodríguez is a former Mexican football midfielder. He played for the Mexico national team between 1967 and 1973, gaining 43 caps and scoring 6 goals. He was part of the Mexico squad for the 1970 World Cup....
- Soccer player, he was part of the national team and coach of Cruz Azul Club (finalist in season 1986–1987) - Gustavo Vargas - Soccer player
- Ramón MoralesRamón MoralesRamón Morales Higuera is a retired Mexican international footballer who last played for Estudiantes Tecos as a midfielder.Biography=...
- Soccer player, he has been part of the national team and played in the World Cup 2002 in Korea-Japan - Carlos MoralesCarlos MoralesCarlos Adrián Morales Higuera is a Mexican soccer player. He currently plays for Santos Laguna in the Mexican First Division...
- Soccer player, he has been part of the national team - Fernando Lopez - Soccer player
Religion
- Juan Espinoza Jiménez - Works in Vatican with the Pope
- Carlos Suárez Cazares - Bishop
Sports
In the city there are basketball and soccer (male and female) leagues, there are wrestling exhibitions, and the city has been finish of the Ruta Mexico (cycling). There are two public sport centers, clubs with tennis courts, a Lienzo charroLienzo charro
A lienzo charro is an arena where charros hold the events of charreada, torneo de colas and bull riding. A lienzo has two areas: one and a second, circular area in diameter. Charreada is a team competition in which teams go head-to-head to win points in different competitions. The team with the...
, and the Juan N. Lopez stadium.
Outside the city are the Alianza, Mercantil and Azteca clubs, where there are football fields and swimming pools.
La Piedad had a football team in Mexico's First Division
Primera División de México
The Primera División Profesional , known simply as the Primera División, is the top level of the Mexican football league system and is administered by the Mexican Football Federation. It was established in 1943 and as of 2011 has 18 clubs. Up to June 2011, it was divided into three groups competing...
in 1952-53
Primera División de México 1952–53
-Overview:C.F. La Piedad was Promoted to Primera División.The Season was contested by 12 teams, and Tampico Madero won the championship.C.F. La Piedad was Relegated to Segunda División.-League standings:-References:*...
season, and again in 2001 Winter and 2002 Summer seasons.
Currently C.F. La Piedad plays in the Liga de Ascenso
Liga de Ascenso
The Liga de Ascenso is the second professional level of the Mexican football league system. The champion of the competition is promoted to the Primera División de México ....
the second level in the Mexican football league system.
Traffic
La Piedad is located close to the border of three states, Michoacán, Guanajuato and Jalisco. There are three highways entering this city: Mexico highways 110, 39, and 90.Highway 110 goes west and takes you to towns like Yurécuaro
Yurécuaro
Yurécuaro is a town and a municipality in the region of the Chapala cienega at the north-west in the Mexican state of Michoacán.Yurécuaro comes from the purepecha iorekuarhu means "River side" or "Place of growing" "lugar junto al rio" o "Lugar de crecientes".It is located at northwest of the...
, Tanhuato, Vista Hermosa, Briseñas y La Barca, and the free-toll route to Guadalajara. Highway 39 runs south of La Piedad to Zamora, this highway goes to the toll highway 15, which goes north-south, from Nogales to Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. Highway 90 runs north of La Piedad to the state of Guanajuato.
Sister cities
La Piedad has one sister citiesTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
, as designated by Sister Cities International
Sister Cities International
Sister Cities International is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between United States and international communities. More than 2,000 cities, states and counties are partnered in 136 countries around the world...
: Woodland, California
Woodland, California
Woodland is the county seat of Yolo County, California, located approximately northwest of Sacramento, and is a part of the Sacramento - Arden-Arcade - Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 55,468 at the 2010 census.Woodland's origins trace back to 1850 when California...
, USA
External links
- La Piedad
- Ayuntamiento de La Piedad Official website
- Another official web site
- Videa Television