San Mateo Mexicaltzingo
Encyclopedia
San Mateo Mexicaltzingo is a town and the seat of the municipality of Mexicaltzingo located in the State of Mexico, in Mexico
. It is located near Toluca
. Mexicaltzingo means from the Náhuatl
“Place in where habits the honorable people”.
ordered a number of families be moved to the area south of what is now Toluca
. This town was founded more specifically by families from a village near Ixtapalapa. The village was almost completely destroyed by the Spanish, who destroyed their place of worship and made the people abandon their lands. They then renamed the village San Mateo Mexicaltzingo ('Xan Mateuhtzin' is the Náhuatl rendition of San Mateo, and the village was known by that name as well.) around 1527. Some natives people did return to form a semi-independent village governed by a tlatoani
or chief by 1560. The first temple dedicated to Saint Matthew the Apostle was constructed in 1603, with later church constructed in 1776. The area had varying autonomous control and by 1743 the town was becoming recognized as the governing authority for the area although the municipality would not be official until the following century. In 1843 a permanent vicar would be installed here by the archbishop of Mexico. The municipality was established in 1869 but the municipal palace would not be built here until 1921.
As of the INEGI 2005 census, the town of San Mateo Mexicaltzingo had a population of 8,611 people.
The economic base of the town is fairly dependent on the agricultural production of the outlying municipality. The town is well-known as a producer of chicharron and serves as a distributor of food products to nearby municipalities, Toluca and even to Mexico City
. There is also a small motel here as well as a metal parts factory and two factories that produce construction supplies. The retail stores here cater mostly to the needs of locals.
Nearby are unexplored arqueological zones called de la Loma, Las Palmas, Tecacaxtitla and Bohuantilta. The town itself has a Casa de Cultura (House of Culture) that houses a small museum of the Ferrocarril Toluca a Tenango del Valle (Railway from Toluca to Tenango del Valle
.
, Calimaya
and Chapultepec
. The total municipal population as of 2005 was 10,161 people.
The beginnings of the municipality go back to 1603, when the Viceroy Marqués de Montes Claros administratively grouped San Mateo Mexicaltzingo with the villages of Santa María Concepción, San Bartolomé, San Miguel Chapultepec and San Andrés Ocotlán into a zone called San Antonio Otompa. This district was a dependent of Calimaya
but in 1700 it separated from this entity. The official petition to become a municipality was made by San Mateo Mexicaltzingo and its current subject communities in 1849, but such was not approved until 1869.
Agriculture is the main economic activity here growing corn, animal fodder, barley, carrots, peas and other beans, plums, peaches, and apples. Livestock raising includes dairy cows and, to a lesser degree, pigs, sheep and horses. Most milk is produced for autoconsumption. Domestic fowl include chicken for meat and eggs, and there is some production of honey.
According to the INEGI census of 2000 the current population of Mexicaltzingo is of 9225 inhabitants.
The municipality covers an area of 12.2 km² and it is located between the parallels 11' 43 and 19º 13' 15 of north latitude, and the meridians 99º 33' 05 and 99º 37' 02 of west longitude.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It is located near Toluca
Toluca
Toluca, formally known as Toluca de Lerdo, is the state capital of Mexico State as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. It is the center of a rapidly growing urban area, now the fifth largest in Mexico. It is located west-southwest of Mexico City and only about 40 minutes by car to the...
. Mexicaltzingo means from the Náhuatl
Nahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
“Place in where habits the honorable people”.
The town
The town of San Mateo Mexicaltzingo was founded in 1475 when AxayácatlAxayacatl
Axayacatl was the sixth Aztec Emperor, a ruler of the Postclassic Mesoamerican Aztec Empire and city of Tenochtitlan, who reigned from 1469 to 1481.He is chiefly remembered for subjugating Tlatelolco, Tenochtitlan's sister city, in 1473....
ordered a number of families be moved to the area south of what is now Toluca
Toluca
Toluca, formally known as Toluca de Lerdo, is the state capital of Mexico State as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. It is the center of a rapidly growing urban area, now the fifth largest in Mexico. It is located west-southwest of Mexico City and only about 40 minutes by car to the...
. This town was founded more specifically by families from a village near Ixtapalapa. The village was almost completely destroyed by the Spanish, who destroyed their place of worship and made the people abandon their lands. They then renamed the village San Mateo Mexicaltzingo ('Xan Mateuhtzin' is the Náhuatl rendition of San Mateo, and the village was known by that name as well.) around 1527. Some natives people did return to form a semi-independent village governed by a tlatoani
Tlatoani
Tlatoani is the Nahuatl term for the ruler of an altepetl, a pre-Hispanic state. The word literally means "speaker", but may be translated into English as "king". A is a female ruler, or queen regnant....
or chief by 1560. The first temple dedicated to Saint Matthew the Apostle was constructed in 1603, with later church constructed in 1776. The area had varying autonomous control and by 1743 the town was becoming recognized as the governing authority for the area although the municipality would not be official until the following century. In 1843 a permanent vicar would be installed here by the archbishop of Mexico. The municipality was established in 1869 but the municipal palace would not be built here until 1921.
As of the INEGI 2005 census, the town of San Mateo Mexicaltzingo had a population of 8,611 people.
The economic base of the town is fairly dependent on the agricultural production of the outlying municipality. The town is well-known as a producer of chicharron and serves as a distributor of food products to nearby municipalities, Toluca and even 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...
. There is also a small motel here as well as a metal parts factory and two factories that produce construction supplies. The retail stores here cater mostly to the needs of locals.
Nearby are unexplored arqueological zones called de la Loma, Las Palmas, Tecacaxtitla and Bohuantilta. The town itself has a Casa de Cultura (House of Culture) that houses a small museum of the Ferrocarril Toluca a Tenango del Valle (Railway from Toluca to Tenango del Valle
Tenango del Valle
The municipality of Tenango del Valle and its seat, Tenango de Arista, are located in the southern portion of the Valley of Toluca in Mexico State, about 72 km southwest of Mexico City and 25 km south of Toluca. While the seat is officially named Tenango de Arista, it is more commonly...
.
The municipality
As municipal seat, San Mateo Mexicaltzingo has governing jurisdiction over the following communities: Colonia Mazachulco, Colonia San Isidro, El Calvario, and Las Palmas. The municipality is 12.20 square km and borders the municipalities of MetepecMetepec
Metepec is a city and municipality in the State of Mexico in Mexico and is located directly to the east of the state capital, Toluca, at an altitude of 2,635 metres above sea level. The centre of Mexico City lies some 50 km further to the east. The name Metepec comes from Náhuatl meaning hill of...
, Calimaya
Calimaya
Calimaya is a town and municipality located just south of Toluca, the capital of the State of Mexico in central Mexico. The settlement was probably established around 800 BCE, when the city of Teotenango was in existence. It remained an important town through the colonial period, part of the vast...
and Chapultepec
Chapultepec, Mexico
Chapultepec is a small town and municipality, in Mexico State in Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 10.45 km².As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 12,120....
. The total municipal population as of 2005 was 10,161 people.
The beginnings of the municipality go back to 1603, when the Viceroy Marqués de Montes Claros administratively grouped San Mateo Mexicaltzingo with the villages of Santa María Concepción, San Bartolomé, San Miguel Chapultepec and San Andrés Ocotlán into a zone called San Antonio Otompa. This district was a dependent of Calimaya
Calimaya
Calimaya is a town and municipality located just south of Toluca, the capital of the State of Mexico in central Mexico. The settlement was probably established around 800 BCE, when the city of Teotenango was in existence. It remained an important town through the colonial period, part of the vast...
but in 1700 it separated from this entity. The official petition to become a municipality was made by San Mateo Mexicaltzingo and its current subject communities in 1849, but such was not approved until 1869.
Agriculture is the main economic activity here growing corn, animal fodder, barley, carrots, peas and other beans, plums, peaches, and apples. Livestock raising includes dairy cows and, to a lesser degree, pigs, sheep and horses. Most milk is produced for autoconsumption. Domestic fowl include chicken for meat and eggs, and there is some production of honey.
According to the INEGI census of 2000 the current population of Mexicaltzingo is of 9225 inhabitants.
The municipality covers an area of 12.2 km² and it is located between the parallels 11' 43 and 19º 13' 15 of north latitude, and the meridians 99º 33' 05 and 99º 37' 02 of west longitude.