Ruíz, Nayarit
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Ruíz (often written as Ruiz) is a municipality and municipal seat located in the state of Nayarit, Mexico. In 2000 the population of the muncipality was 21,722 in a total area of 900 square kilometers, which is 3.29% of the area of the state.
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[edit] Location
Ruíz is located northwest of the state capital, Tepic and south of Mazatlán. See [1] for a small map and [2] for a more detailed map. It is on the main railroad line operated by Ferromex. The distance to Guadalajara, Jalisco by train is 375.7 km. The distance to Nogales, Sonora by train is 1,386.8 km. The main Pacific highway linking Guadalajara to Nogales lies a few kilometers to the west from the city center. Neighboring municipalities are:
- North: Rosamorada
- North and East: El Nayar
- West: Tuxpan
- South: Santiago Ixcuintla and El Nayar
[edit] History of the name
The municipality received its name in honor of General Mariano Ruiz Montañés (1846-1932), soldier of the Mexican Revolution and the last head of Nayarit during the Porfirio Díaz regime. He lived in the town and supplied the population until 1910.
[edit] History
During the Prehispanic period the region was inhabited by the Cora indians whose most important settlement was Ixcatán. Belonging to the jurisdiction of the kingdom of Sentispac, the region had relations with the peoples of Coamiles and Ayothoxpan.
In 1530 Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán left the city of Mexico with a large army and he conquered these peoples in 1531.
From 1531 to 1620 there was a great catastrophe; eight out of every ten people died because of war, hunger, excessive work, and epidemics caused by diseases originating in Europe.
In 1910 the revolutionary movement began in the San Lorenzo ranch, which was part of the larger Pozo de Ibarra hacienda.
In 1913, the people of the region, commanded by Martín Espinoza, rose up in arms against the dictatorship of Victoriano Huerta. Development came with the arrival of the railroad in 1909, but it was not until 1921 that it flourished completely.
On 5 February 1917 the municipal division took place, with the Estación Ruíz connected to and dependent on the municipal seat of Santiago Ixcuintla.
Previously Ruíz had formed part of the old latifundio of "San Lorenzo y anexos" called "Achota" which was a ranch for milking cows. Later it was called "Paso de los Limones" and it grew quickly due to commerce and the building of the railroad.
On 16 March 1924 Ruíz was given the category of pueblo and on 11 March 1940 it became municipality number 19 of the state of Nayarit
Cronology of Important Dates
- 1531 Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán conquers the native population.
- 1821 Mexico becomes independent.
- 1909 The railroad arrives.
- 1913 Rebellion against Huerta.
- 1917 Ruíz is annexed to the municipality of Santiago Ixcuintla.
- 1924 Ruíz becomes a pueblo.
- 1940 Ruíz becomes Municipality 19 of the Estado libre y Soberano de Nayarit.
[edit] Geography
Orography
The municipality is set in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental, which makes 70% of its surface mountainous. It has a coastal plain with fertile soil dedicated to agriculture, where the municipal seat lies at an elevation of 30 meters above sea level. The most important elevations are the hills of “Los Coquitos”, “Cugüixtle”, “San Ricardo”, and “El Paseo”, with elevations of 1,640, 1,180, 900 and 880 meters, respectively.
Hydrography
The municipality is part of the most important hydrological basins of the state. It is crossed by the San Pedro with an annual flow of 3,036 cubic meters per second. The San Pedro rises in the state of Durango with the name of El Mezquital. It is a dividing line for the municipalities of Ruíz, Rosamorada, and Tuxpan, and drains an area of 384.4 square kilometres. It has two dams. The most important tributaries are: El Tenamache, El Zopilote and El Naranjo.
Climate
The climate in the municipality is rainy and subhumid, with rainfall occurring from June to September. This fluctuates between 979 mm and 2,170 mm. It is free of frost and the moderate winds, which usually blow from northwest to southwest, are of low intensity.
Flora and Fauna
The flora is abundant and diverse. In the forests there are species like encino prieto (black oak), encino (oak), tepehuaje (a type of acacia), papelillo, guapinol, nanche, guamaras, huisache and capomo. The fauna is made up of wild animals like deer, wild pig, badger, armadillo, rabbit, different types of dove, and reptiles.
Natural resources
The municipality has diverse natural resources, among which we can mention forest and mineral resources. The former are not adequately exploited due to the difficult access to the mountains, while the latter, mining gold and silver, are exploited in two mines that are found in the mountains.
[edit] Socio-demographic profile
Ethnic Groups
The indigenous population was 1,866 persons in 2000, which represents 9.8% of the population. The most numerous ethnic group is the Cora and the Huichol with 741 and 331 inhabitants respectively.
Main areas of population
Ruíz, the municipal seat, had 12,266 inhabitants in 1995; El Venado had 1,623; Vado de San Pedro had 959; H. Batallón de San Blas, had 705; Presidio de los Reyes 617 and San Pedro Ixcatán had 58; these together made up 78% of the population of the municipality, the remaining 22% dispersed in 71 places in the mountains.
Demographic evolution
The population during the years of 1970, 1980, 1990, and 1995 was the following: 15,272, 20,285, 21,674 and 21,591 inhabitants, respectively. The figures show a relative stagnation in growth due to the low economic development of the city, in the last five years. The population density is 24 inhabitants por square kilometer. The female population is 48.5% of the total population.
According to estimates made by INEGI, Ruíz had a population of 20,996 in 2005. See [3]
Religion
The religious preferences of the population are structured as follows: Catholic 93.2%, Evangelical 1.9 % and no religion 5.0%
[edit] Social and communications infrastructure
Education
There are 79 schools divided accordingly: preschool 25 schools, primary 35 schools, secondary 13 schools, private centers of middle and higher level 4, and one extension of the Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit. There is also a public library. The illiteracy rate is 15.05% for those over 5 years of age.
Health
Medical services are handled by 3 clinics of external care, belonging to the government organs of IMSS, ISSSTE and DIF; and 5 meciacal units of first health care, of which 3 belong to the Servicios de Salud de Nayait (SSN) and 2 to IMSS-SOLIDARIDAD. It is estimated that health coverage reaches 96.52% of the population. There are also private health services.
Supply
Ruíz has 401 commercial establishments and a distribution center for the urban and rural areas.
Sport
There are a great variety of sports areas, among which are 2 sports centers and 17 courts and sports fields.
Housing
There are 4,710 dwellings, of which 4,707 are classified as private and three collective. The average number of persons per dwelling is 4.6. The main type of dwelling in the rural areas is of rustic construction with light materials such as wood, adobe, brick, and sheet metal, while in the urban area there are modern constructions made of high resistance materials. Of the dwellings, 84.5% have potable water, 64.4% sewage pipes and 88.4% have electricity.
Public services
Ruíz has services of lighting, water, gutters, sewer system, parks, garens, centers and sports units, markets, slaughterhouse, cemetery and public safety. In the mountain communities there is usually electricity, gardens, potable water, public safety, and sports spaces.
Means of communication
There is a telephone network integrated into the Lada system, a main post office, 11 agencies in the same number of cummunities, and a telegraph office. There is trasmission of all the state and national television channels and radio stations. There are also state and national newspapers; a small local newspaper is published infrequently.
Communication routes
The municipal road network is 129.50 kilometers, of which 8.8 kilometers correspond to the federal highway network; 25.9 kilometers to the state feeder network, 22.1 paved and 3.8 gravel; and 94.8 kilometers of gravelled rural roads. The municipal seat has a railroad station by which a lot of passengers and merchandise such as coffee, beans, tomatoes, chile and other products are transported. There are also 30 passenger buses that cover the routes to Tepic, Santiago and Tuxpan. Freight is carried by 249 trucks and 867 pickup trucks (2000 census).
[edit] Economic activity
Agriculture
The main crops are: coffee, corn, sorghum, beans, pineapple, watermelon, tobacco, chile, and others. There is a cultivated area of 109.16 square kilometres, which makes up 2.6% of the total of the state.
Cattle and others
Double purpose cattle (meat and milk), goats, sheep for wool and meat, pigs, and poultry, are the most important. There were 17,910 cows, 3,029 swine, 1,578 sheep, 5,140 goats, 3,503 horses, 12,913 poultry and 108 hives for the production of honey.
Fishing, forestry, and mining
Fishing is limited to the river and forestry is hampered by the mountainous terrain. Mining is carried out in El Zopilote where two mines produce gold and silver and employ a good number of workers.
Industry and commerce
The most important industries are the processing of coffee, rice, tobacco, construction materials, saddleries, and bakeries. Commerce is characterized by the sale of products of first necessity like perishable foods, beverages, tobacco, furniture, auto parts, gasoline, agricultural equipment, cattle feed, and articles for the home. There are also several bank branches.
In hotel infrastructure Ruíz had 4 establishments in 1997. Two hotels were of 2 stars (with 58 rooms) and 2 were not classified (with 42 rooms).
Economically active population by sector
The economically active population is 28 % of the total population of 12 years of age or older. It was 6,007 inhabitants in 1999, of which 48.3 % participated in the agricultural sector, 13.5 % in manufacturing activities, 34.6 % in the services sector, 1.4 % unemployed and 2.3 % with no specific activity.
[edit] Cultural and tourist attractions
Historical monuments
In Ruíz itself we can point out the church of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, in which there are several artistic religious works. Differently from most main churches, this one is located outside the center, but on the main avenue. In addition the railroad station, dating from the 1920s is of interest.
Festivals, dances, and traditions
The town festivals of Ruíz are celebrated on 12, 13, 14, 15 y 16 of Semptember. On 20 November the town commemmorates the first granting f lands. Another festival, of religious background, is in honor of the the patroness of the town, “La Inmaculada Concepción”. It is common to find in the streets of the town native peoples with their cloth trousers and brightly colored hand sewn shirts, still keeping their traditional dress.
Music
The typical music is that of the native peoples, using drums, violin, and flutet. Nowadays band music, with strong German influence, is heard on all main festival dates.
Handicrafts
Handicrafts are mainly manufactured by the Huichol ethnic group, who sell them to the shops in the town. Outstanding are the multicolored woven bags, the woven belts, "eyes of God", bracelets, and palm leaf fans. The Cora group makes palm leaf hats and woolen bags.
Gastronomy
Typical dishes are birria (goat stew), and barbecue goat, atole (hominy soup), and gorditas, which are hollowed out rounds of masa filled with beans, chorizo, peppers, onions as well as other savory ingredients. Fresh oysters with lemon and chile are sold in the streets as is tejuino, made of fermented corn, served with ice, lemon, and salt. There is an abundance of tropical fruits like coconut, mango, and papaya.
Tourist sites
The main tourist sites are:: the old mine “El Real del Zopilote”, located a few kilometers in the direction of the mountains; the natural swimming pools “El Salto”, “El Tenamache”, “Malpaso” and “Puerta de Platanares”, where there are cristaline waters coming down from the mountains; “Presidio de los Reyes”, a Cora settlement located in the mountains; the railroad station, churches, and parks.
[edit] Local government
The Ayuntamiento de Ruíz consists of the Presidente Municipal (a mayor-like figure elected for a term of three years), the Síndico (a legal representative) and seven Regidores, or city council members, with their respective replacements. The Regidores are five elected by relative majority and two from proportional representation.
There are eight commissions:
- Government
- Constitutional and Regulatory Issues
- Finances and Public Accounts
- Works and Public Services
- Justice and Public Safety
- Urban and Ecological Development
- Education and Culture
- Planning and Municipal Development
The auxiliary authorities of the municipality are:
- The Municipal Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice
- The Delegates and Municipal Commissaries
- The Auxiliary Judges of each town
- The Chiefs of the urban sector, rural section or block
