Tuxtla Gutiérrez
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Tuxtla Gutiérrez is the capital city of the Mexican state of Chiapas. It is the seat of the local public administration, of the local authorities, and of the delegations of the federal government in the state. It covers more than 40% of the municipal territory, and continues to grow.
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[edit] History
The Zoques founded a village in present day Tuxtla Gutiérrez in approximately 1240, calling it Coyatocmó, ("place of the rabbits' house" in Zoque). In the late 14th century, the Aztecs gave it the name of Tochtlán. In the colonial area, the Spanish called it Tusta and it was a mere rest village before continuing to Chiapa de los Indios (nowadays called the Chiapa de Corzo).
In the late 18th century, the Zoques provoked a rebellion in Tusta in which they killed the mayor, the Spanish governor, and their Zoque governor, and also looted and burned various residences, because their mayor, Don Manuel Maesterra y Atocha, had abused his power against them and the Real Audiencia de Guatemala had done very little about it in spite of the complaints.
On 20 February 1762, the town was officially named San Marcos Tuxtla.
On 19 June 1768, Chiapas was divided into two major municipalities: Tuxtla, which had jurisdiction in the Zoque and Chiapa areas, and Ciudad Real — now San Cristóbal de las Casas — which had jurisdiction in the rest of the province. In 1790, the municipalities of Ciudad Real and Tusta along with the province of Soconusco made up the Intendencia de Chiapas, the capital of which was located in Ciudad Real, with subdelegates in Tuxtla, Comitán, and Soconusco.
On 29 October 1813, Tuxtla was given town status. On 27 July 1829 it became a city by decree of the Chiapas state Congress.
In 1833, Governor Joaquín Miguel Gutiérrez moved the seat of state power to Tuxtla. It was returned to San Cristóbal on 31 May 1848 by Governor Nicolás Ruiz Maldonado, who, on the same day, changed the name of the city to Tuxtla Gutiérrez in honor of Joaquín Gutiérrez. In 1858, there was an armed uprising in favor of the Plan de Ayutla which returned powers to Tuxtla for a year, after which they returned to San Cristóbal. In 1892, Governor Emilio Rabasa, moved these powers for the third and final time to Tuxtla.
In 1911, inhabitants of San Cristóbal, in alliance with the Chamulas, staged an armed uprising against Tuxtla to reclaim its former status as state capital, but the attempt failed.
In the 1940s, the construction of the Pan-American Highway facilitated communication with Mexico City as well as internal relations and commerce. Consequently, Tuxtla prospered politically and economically. In the 1950s a drainage system was installed, concrete roads were paved, various schools were constructed, and the Chiapas penitentiary was situated in Cerro Hueco (since relocated).
In the 1960s, there were approximately 45,000 people living in Tuxtla. The main roads were expanded, and growth began beyond the city proper. The first private residential housing estates and the first government-funded residential neighbourhoods for urban workers began to appear. The majority of the working class was dedicated to agriculture, teaching, and commerce, with the majority of foreign investment in the latter. Since the 1970s, the city of Tuxtla has grown much more. Because of the creation of the Chicoasén hydroelectric power plant, many workers established themselves in the city and after some years the majority of them remained as permanent residents.
The population of this city has grown at a dizzying pace starting from the increase of the administrative decentralization of Mexico and the increase of development aid to Chiapas, basically exploding following the armed uprising of the Zapatista guerrillas in the northeast part of the state—particularly, the EZLN.
[edit] Economy and politics
Because of its geographical location, Tuxtla Gutiérrez has been the permanent seat of Plan Puebla Panama (PPP) since the establishment of the Mecanismo de Diálogo y Concertación de Tuxtla, agreed by the Heads of States of the government of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama prior to the initial round of meetings in the Mesoamerican Poliforum in 2001.
Its economic activity depends on the governmental spending and on the consumption of the local bureaucracy. Tuxtla Gutiérrez has few industries, though it does have a growing commerce of goods. It has the second largest economic revenue in the state, after Tapachula.
Its most dynamic industry is construction.
[edit] Education and culture
The city contains various universities, the main of which are in the far west and are:
- ITESM (Chiapas Campus).
- University Valle de México (Chiapas Campus).
- Autonomous University of Chiapas (seated in Tuxtla).
The main public library is the Centro Cultural Jaime Sabines. The city contains two large theaters, the Emilio Rabasa and the Poliforum, in front of the convention center.
There is no real artistic development in Tuxtla; the only theatrical works are of local significance. These works include the comedies Bienvenido Conde Drácula, Don Camilo, and El Tenorio Chiapaneco, which are staged annually. These plays preserve the traditional idiosyncrasy of Tuxtla that has, as a result of urbanization, almost disappeared. Additionally, they include in their dialogues recent trivialities regarding the media.
[edit] Sports
The city of Tuxtla Gutiérrez is the seat of the Primera División de México soccer club, Jaguares de Chiapas, whose stadium is the Victor Manuel Reyna.
[edit] Tourism in Tuxtla Gutiérrez
[edit] Places of interest
- 1. ZOOMAT (Miguel Álvarez del Toro Zoo)
- 2. The Marimba Square
- 3. Cathedral of San Marcos
[edit] Museums and galleries
- 5. Anthropology and History Museum
- 6. Paleontology Museum
- 7. Botanical Museum
[edit] Parks and gardens
- 7. The Botanical Garden
- 8. National Park of Canyon Sumidero (outside the city)
[edit] Commercial zones
The city includes two large malls: The first, Plaza Soriana (located to the far east), the second, both Plaza Cristal and 'Galerias Boulevard, (which are adjacent and form only one mall; they are situated to the far west).
The city also contains three multiplex cinemas, one each in the two large shopping centers, and the third, Extreme Cinema, is to the far north.
[edit] Media
The city has three local television channels: XHDY Canal 5, XHTTG Canal 10 and Canal 7 de Cable de Tuxtla.
It has nine AM radio stations: 580 (XEUE, Radio 5-80), 710 (XEON, La radio mexicana), 840 (XEIO, La ranchera), 920 (XEVV, La poderosa), 950 (XETUG, Sonovida), 990 (XETG, La grande del sureste), 1070 (XERPR, Retro), 1240 (XELM, Radio sensación) and 1360 (XEUD, La máquina musical).
It has five FM radio stations: 93.1 (Bella música), 93.9 (Stereo grande), 96.1 (Extremo FM), 96.9 (Máxima FM) and 98.5 (EXA FM).
The most important local publications are: the newspapers Cuarto Poder and Diario de Chiapas, and the political magazine Aerópago.
[edit] Transportation
The most numerous means of public transportation are short buses and minibuses (commonly referred to as 'combis'), which are most often modified VW Transporter and Ford Transit vehicles. In the municipality there are no railroad lines of any kind and this increases the cost of shipping to or from the area. Tuxtla is connected to the country by a network of federal roads as well as an expressway that connects it to Mexico City, some ten hours away. Another expressway which connects Tuxtla to San Cristóbal de las Casas was completed earlier this year (2006), shortening the distance between Tuxtla and San Cristóbal de las Casas from 2 hours to 45 minutes. The road passes over a short yet very tall bridge that crosses a deep canyon.
The only interstate buslines that arrive in Tuxtla are: Ómnibus Cristóbal Colón (OCC), Autobuses Maya de oro (both of which originate in Tuxtla), ADO GL, UNO, Rápidos del Sur (RS) and TRF. Tuxtla is well connected to the rest of Mexico, and has daily national departures, and frequent departures to San Cristóbal de las Casas. A new dedicated bus terminus is under construction in the west part of town.
A new national airport, which opened in 2006 was built 45 minutes east of town in the Chiapa de Corzo municipality. There is currently no public transportation between the airport and the town, but this is subject to change. Previously, the national airport Llano San Juan, located in the town of Berriozábal was in operation, but due to recurring adverse weather conditions, the new airport was built to ensure more timely arrivals and departures.
[edit] Famous people
- Captain Joaquín Miguel Gutiérrez.
- Writer Jaime Sabines.
[edit] Traditions
[edit] Local celebrations
Main article: Celebrations of Tuxtla Gutiérrez.
Carnaval Tuxtla, Carnaval Zoque, Fiesta de San Roque, Fiesta del Niño de Atocha, Celebración a San Felipe de Jesús, Fiesta de San José, Feria de San Marcos, Fiesta de La Santa Cruz, Fiesta de San Isidro, Fiesta de Dolores, Fiesta a las Vírgenes de Copoya, Fiesta a San Antonio de Padua, Fiesta a San Francisco, Fiesta del Señor del Calvario, Fiesta a San Martín de Porres, Celebración del Barrio del Cerrito, Feria Chiapas.
[edit] Customs
Main article: Customs of Tuxtla Gutiérrez.
Birthday and saint's day "coronations," cura de azar, cura de antojo, cura de ojo, cura de espanto, procession of the Lord of Esquipulas, festival of the last roof tile, la boda zoque, buñuelos of Holy Week, Christmas pancakes, tamales con jocote of La Santa Cruz, quebrada de sandía el Sábado de Ramos, tejocotes and pumpkin compote of Day of the Dead.
[edit] Cuisine
Main article: Cuisine of Tuxtla Gutiérrez.
[edit] Stews
These are not as seasoned as the yucatecos (stews from Yucatan province), but they taste pleasant enough: Pepita con tasajo (pumpkin seeds with salted meat), sopa de chipilín (chipilín soup), chipilín con bolita (chipilin with armadillo), cochito horneado (roast pork), frijoles con chipilín y puerco con chirmol (beans, chipilin, and pork with chirmol salsa), estofado (stew), chanfaina (savory fricasee), chicharrones con patashete y huevo en pipián (cracklin's/burnt ends with ...), zispolá (chicken cooked with white chillis, cabbage leaves, and garbanzo beans), pux-xaxé (tripe with tomato and masa mole), sopa de pan (bread soup), and sopa de fideos (soup with vermicelli), with various ingredients added.
[edit] Corn snacks
Tostada tuxtleca, tamal de chipilin, tamal de bola, tamal de mole, tamal de verduras, Tamal de picadillo, tamal de cambray, tamal de toro pinto and picte de elote.
[edit] Drinks
Agua de chía, agua de tamarindo, tepache, taxcalate, pozol de cacao, pozol blanco, atole agrio, atole de elote, atole tashiagual, champurrado, pinole y, horchata con semillas de melón y canela.
[edit] Candies
Puxinú, suspiro, nuégado, chimbo, garbanzo, gaznate, tortadita, empanizado, yumí cocido, coyol candie, jocote candie, cupapé candie, mango jam, mezquite candie, guanabana jam, chilacayote candie, pumpkin jam, dulce de pepita de calabaza y miel de panela, hostia, oblea de mejido, melcocha de cacahuate y caramelo de panela.
[edit] Ancient local legends
Main article: Legends of Tuxtla Gutiérrez.
The Sombreroman, the Tisihua, the little baby, the Chepa's cave, the Firesow, the St. Pascual's small cart.
[edit] Geography
The city lies inside the Depression of Chiapas, between the Tuxtla valley on the Northeast, Meseta de Copoya on the South, Mount Mactumatza on the Southwest and the mountain range on the North which includes Animas, Don Ventura and the Sumidero, which includes the National Park with the same name.
The valley begins on the border at the city of Berriozabal and continues until the Rio Grande. The valley is at an altitude of 540 m. A large part of the city of Tuxtla Gutierrez lies in this valley, while the rest lies over the northern moutain range.
[edit] Borders
To the North, the Cerro de las Ánimas (Hill of the Sprits), a prolongation of the central Chiapas mountain range, which at its eastern border reaches a height of 1400m, creating the Cañón del Sumidero (Sumidero Canyon).
To the East, the county extends towards the Río Grande (not to be confused with the Rio Grande that separates Mexico on its border with the United States), better known as the Grijalva River. The river forms a natural limit with the municipality of Chiapa de Corzo.
To the South, the Meseta de Copoya (Mesa of Copoya), whosse height rises from East to West, where it culminates on Cerro Mactumatzá (Mactumatzá Hill), at a height of 1600m. The center of the mesa has a height of between 800m and 900m, and in which the towns of El Jobo and Copoya are located.
To the West, the Valle de Tuxtla (Valley of Tuxtla) extends until it disappears in the hills and heights of the municipalities of Ocozocuautla y Berriozabal.
All heights are in metres above sea level (m).
[edit] Climate
The climate of the municipality changed during the 1970s, after the filling of dams in the center of Chiapas, especially the Nezahualcóyotl, to power hydroelectric plants. The water held back by these dams cools the surrounding athmosphere and increases wind intensity, which blows from Northwest to Southeast with an average speed of 2.4 km/h, reaching its peak intensity between October and December
Urbanization has caused a rise in temperature, as concrete areas and internal combustion gas emission increase. Currently, the hottest months are March, April and May, with temperatures up to 36 °C, and the coldest months are November, December and January, with temperatures as low as 18 °C.
The normal rainy season begins in early May and can last until early October. The average annual precipitation is 940 mm.
The climate varies within the municipality; in the suburban neighborhoods El Jobo and Copoya (still considered associative), and the El Zapotal and Cerro Hueco mountains the climate is cool and pleasant all year long due to the abundant vegetation, its greater altitude, and its environmental humidity.
[edit] Hydrography
To the East flows the Río Grande (a section of the Grijalva River, not to be confused with the Rio Grande which formes the border berween the US and Mexico). To the South flows the Suchiapa River, natural limit with the homonym municipality. Neither of the rivers are important to municipality's hydrological network.
The most important stream of the municipality is the Río Sabinal, which originates in the municipality of Berriozabal; it flows through the central valley of Tuxtla, passes the city and merges with the Río Grande. The official plan of Tuxtla Gutiérrez, of 1982, showed that the Sabinal was fed by 7 streams but, due to the growth of the city, they are now dry. The treams that fed it included the Chacon and Poti to the city's north, and the San Roque to the south, but all of these have now disappeared. The Sabinal was the natural border of the small city of Tuxtla, but in the 1960s, urban areas proliferated on both sides of the river that since then has received massive drains, and it is now part of that system.
The municipality now supplies itself with drinkable water originating in the Río Santo Domingo in the municipality of Chiapa de Corzo, by means of pumps and storage tanks, but at a very high cost. Other suppliers of water are the aquifers in the municipality of Tuxtla and the artesian wells excavated to hundreds of meters of the Sabinal whose drinkability is questionable, although its water is consumed.
[edit] Flora
Main Article: Flora of Tuxtla Gutiérrez.
Due to the growing populations during the last part of the 20th century, many native species have disappeared and others are already endangered. The mountains Cerro Hueco, El Zapotal, the plateaus, and del Sumidero sobre el cañón, are green areas protected against deforestation. Although the majority of the municipal territory is green areas, the gradual expansion of the city has seized much land. The Montecriso disappeared, deforested, some time ago.
[edit] Some species
Flower, Sospó (Pseudobombax ellipticum) (almost vanished); medicinal herbs, Sosa (Solanum Torum), Hierba del Pollo (Commelina sp) and Matilisguate (Tabebuia rosea); naturalized trees, Flamboyan, blue Jacaranda , Laurel of India (Ficus nítida) and Cuban Royal Palm (Roystonea regia).
[edit] Fauna
Main article: Fauna of Tuxtla Gutiérrez.
Due to the growing population, many green areas have been deforested and many native species of the town have been exterminated. The few endemic species of birds survive in the Parque Nacional del Sumidero.
Tuxtla is crossed by a bird migration route from the northwest to the southeast.
[edit] Common species
Animals that live in the countryside just as much as in the city include Magpies (Calocitta formosa), grackles, chorchas anaranjadas, Inca doves (Scardafella inca), pigeons, spinetails, opossums (Didelphis marsupialis); many species of mice and of bats, two of which are vampires.
[edit] Endangered and less abundant species
The following are either less common or rare in the countryside: Armadillos, gray foxes, cantils, rattlesnakes, coral snakes, boas, tropical rat snakes (Spilotes pullatus), conures (Aratinga canicularis), green conures (Aratinga holochora), eastern cottontails (Sylvilagus floridanus), squirrels and little owls.
[edit] See also
- Chiapas
- Tuxtla Gutiérrez mayors
- Sumidero Canyon
[edit] Bibliography
- This article draws heavily on the corresponding article in the Spanish-language Wikipedia, which was accessed in the version of 5 September 2005. It was translated by the Spanish Translation of the Week collaboration.
- (Spanish) Monografía del Municipio de Tuxtla Gutiérrez. (1988). IDEART Ediciones y publicaciones. México, D.F., México.
[edit] External links
- (Spanish) Official Tuxtla town hall site
- (English) Visit Mexico, Tuxtla Gutiérrez
- (Spanish) Take a tour of Tuxtla Gutiérrez
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- Mapping from Multimap or GlobalGuide or Google Maps
- Aerial image from TerraServer
- Satellite image from WikiMapia
