Ixtlán del Río
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Ixtlán del Río is both a municipality and a municipal seat located in the south of the Mexicanstate of Nayarit. In 2000 the total municipal population was 25,382 (INEGI) in a total area of 581.4 km². The population of the muncipal seat was 21,157. Ixtlán is known for its archeological ruins and is an important stop on the highway between Tepic and Guadalajara.
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[edit] Toponymy
The name Ixtlán is of Nahuatl origen, made up of the words “Itz-ittztell” , which means obsidian, and “Tlán”, which means place where there is abundance, that is to say, the word Ixtlán means "place where there is an abundance of obsidian", or, also, "place of the obsidian knife".
[edit] Cronology of Historical Events
- 900 The period of maximum splendor of the prehispanic culture located in the area of Los Toriles.
- 1528 Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán conquers the territory.
- 1823 It is mentioned as Ayuntamiento, belonging to Ahuacatlán, of the state of Jalisco, with the name of Ixtlán.
- 1825 It is named municipality of the department of Ahuacatlán, of the Seventh Canton of the state of Jalisco.
- 1858 The town of Ixtlán is burnt and occupied by forces of Manuel Lozada, who is executed in 1873.
- 1885 It is a prefecture of the territory of Tepic.
- 1891 It is a subprefecture of the territory of Tepic.
- 1900 Its seat is elevated to the category of city.
- 1911 Martín Espinosa begins the Francisco Madero insurrection against federal forces.
- 1918 It is integrated as a free and sovereign municipality of the state of Nayarit. Map of Naarit by sectons]
- 1926 a 1927 It is the scene of combats in the war of the Cristeros.
- 1940 a 1950 The Tepic-Guadalajara highway is built, which consolidates commercial activity.
- 1989 a 1994 The Plan de Barrancas- Tepic tollroad is built, which crosses the municipality.
[edit] Geography
Ixtlán is located roughly halfway between the major capitals of Tepic and Guadalajara in the southern region of the state of Nayarit. It is bounded on the north by the municipalities of Jala and La Yesca, on the east and southeast by the state of Jalisco, on the west by the municipality of Ahuacatlán, and on the southwest by the municipality of Amatlán de Cañas. Railroad distances are:
- Tepic: 115.6 km.
- Guadalajara: 162.1 km.
- Nogales: 1,600.4 km. See Ferromex
See maps at [1]
Settlements of the municipality
The main settlements are: Ixtlán del Río which had 21,474 inhabitants in 1995, Mexpan with 1,499, Ranchos de Arriba with 445, El Terreno with 406, Cacalután with 397, and San José de Gracia with 390 inhabitants; they contain 94 % of the municipal population, while the other 6% is distributed in 51 small settlements.
Area
The territorial extension is 581.4 Km², which makes up 2.10% of the state total. In size it occupies fifteenth place out of twenty municipalities.
Orography
The municipality of Ixtlán del Río presents three reliefs, one of rugged zones with 60 percent of the municipal surface, the second of semi-flat zones with 30% of the municipal surface, and the third with flat zones with 10 percent of the surface. The rugged zones are located in the north, southeast and northwest, formed by the volcano El Molcajete, and the hills of “Las Panochas”, “El Borrego” and “Mezquites”. The semi-flat zones are located in the center, south, east, north, and southeast, and are formed by Ixtlán, San José de Gracia, Palos Elevados, El Terrero, San Miguel and las Cuevas. The flat zones are found around the municipal seat, central area, and are formed by the basin of the Rio Grande de Santiago.
Hydrography
The municipality has two rivers: Río Grande de Santiago, main river in the region, whose source is in the Sierra de Pajaritos, and Río Chico, which comes from the Sierra de Juanacatán, as well as diverse seasonal streams: El Cofradía, Los Limones, Los Sauces, Arroyo Verde, San Miguel, and El Pilareño, and 17 springs, the most important being Agua Caliente.
Climate
The climate is hot and sub-humid, with a system of rains from July to September, and hot months from March to July. The winds usually come from the west and are moderate; the average annual temperature oscilates between 21ºC and 25ºC, with extreme temperatures that vary from 0ºC to 48ºC. The average annual rainfall is 859.8 mm.
Use of Soil
In 1995 soil cattle raising occupied 17,419 hectares (66%) and agriculture 9,061 (34%). 47% of the agricultural surface was small property, 42% was in the ejido system and the rest communal.
[edit] Socio-Demographic Profile
Ethnic Groups
Indigenous groups make up 0.90% of the municipal population; the Huichol have 170 inhabitants and the Purépecha have 9.
Demographic Evolution
In 1990, the population was 24,347 inhabitants, while, in 1995, it increased to 26,137, which represents an average annual growth rate of 1.26%. We should mention that from 1970 to 1980 the rate was 3.27%; and from 1980 to 1990, it was 1.66%, which shows a decrease in the tendency. In 1995 the population density was 45 inhabitants per square kilometer and 51.17% of the population was female.
[edit] Social Infrastructure
Education In 1995 there were 20 schools in pre-school education, 27 primary schools, 9 secondary schools, 4 middle level professional schools, 2 middle-superior technical schools, one teaching college and one extension of the Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit. The illiteracy rate was 9.99% in 1995.
Health The services of public health consist of: IMSS with a medical unit of external consultation and three clinics of IMSS-Solidaridad; ISSSTE with a clinic, the Health Services of Nayarit with a general hospital and a unit of external consultation. The Mexican Red Cross has a clinic in its office. There are also private clinics and private doctors' offices. With these services all the population is covered by health care.
Communications
The municipality is crossed from south to north by the Ferrocarril del Pacífico y the Carretera Internacional No. 15, which goes from Mexico City to Nogales, Sonora. There is also the Tepic-Guadalajara tollroad. In 1995 municipality had a network of 82.6 km, of which 37.9 were paved, 21 were toll road, and 44.7 Km of rural roads.
[edit] Quality of Life (2000)
- Percentage of houses using gas for cooking: 92.1
- Percentage of houses with drainage: 93.0
- Percentage of houses with electricity: 98.2
- Percentage of houses with dirt floors: 6.6
- Percentage of houses made with walls made of solid materials:
- Percentage of houses with piped in water: 94.7
- Percentage of houses with a toilet: 94.4
- Houses with a computer: 385 (6,145 total)
- Houses with a television: 5,714 (6,145 total)
- Houses with a telephone: 1,998
- House with an automobile or truck: 1,865
[edit] Economic Activity
Agriculture The most important cropos are maize, potatoes, garbanzo beans, sorghum, beans, and green chile. In 1995 the cultivated area was 5,437.25 hectáreas, of which 11% were irrigated and 89% seasonal.
Cattle
In 1995 the total animal herd was 36,231 head, of which 21,549 were cows, 11,955 pigs y 1,583 horses, donkeys, and mules. There were small numbers of goats and sheep.
Forestry
There are forest resources with species like pine, oak, oyamel, oyamel, guásima and cedar. In 1995 the production of pine and oak was 1,430 m3 a year.
Manufacturing
There are small sugarcane mills (trapiches), for the making of molasses blocks (piloncillo), workshops for saddlemaking, maize leaves for tamales, bricks, furniture, and ironmongers.
Commerce
This is the most important activity of the municipality, since it concentrates more than 50% of the employed population, mainly in the sale of articles like: clothing, furniture, shoes, food and drink, autoparts, pharmacies etc.
Tourism
In hotel infrastructure the municipality had 9 establishments (1995), varying from pensions to 4 stars, 293 establishments in the category of restaurants, and 46 units of professional services. There was an annual influx of approximately 20 thousand tourists.
Economically Active Population
The EAP of the municipality is divided thusly: servies with 51% of the total; agriculture with 21%; manufacturing with 24%; and non specified activities with 4%. The economically active population made up 28% of the municipal population.
[edit] Cultural and Touristic Attractions
Historical Monuments
The most important historical site in the region is the archaeological zone of los Toriles, where we can find the temple of Quetzalcoaltal, from the Toltec culture. The jewels of gold and ceramic found in the site can be seen in the Museo Regional de Ixtlán located in the Palacio Municipal.
This archaeological zone is considered the most important of the west of Mexico and has a group of palaces and other constructions with portals, columns, altars with staircases and great ceremonial squares. Among these constructions should be mentioned the mysterious Circular Temple of Ehecatl -the equivalent of Kukulkán in the Mayan World- in which can seen windows in the form of a latin cross, which give the temple a uniqueness in Prehispanic construction. Besides the Circular Temple of Ehecatl there are about a dozen constructions in a reasonable state of preservation. At the entrance to the site is a Parador Turístico where one can visit an Area of Archeological Investigation with the reproduction of the Tumba de Tiro and a museum. See Papeles de Viaje
In the municipal seat there is the colonial church of Santiago Apostol, of simple Franciscan style, dating from 1851, with a cross made in 1626. In Zoatlán, two kilometers west of the town, there is the oldest church in the state, built in the sixteenth century in honor of Señor de la Ascensión.
Other Tourist Sites
Four kilometers south of the town is the warm-water bathing pool of “La Sidra”. It’s a popular place to take a swim in natural surroundings. There is a motel and a restaurant at the entrance and inside, there are walkways, grassy areas and picnic tables and grills. The water is natural warm spring water brought by pipes from the mountain to a canal which forms a waterfall to the pool among volcanic rock. There is a large pool with a diving board and a high dive and a wading area with water slides.
Overlooking the town on the southside is a viewpoint called "Cerro de Cristo Rey", which can be reached by a series of stairs or by vehicle from the back. There is a statue of Christ at the highest point.
