Jala, Nayarit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jala is both a municipality and a town in the Mexican state of Nayarit. The population of the municipality was 16,171 in 2000, in a total area of 364.60 square kilometers. The population of the municipal seat of the same name was 8,972.
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[edit] Origin of the Name
The name Jala--place where there is a lot of sand--is derived from the Nahuatl word “Xali”, which means "sand", and the variant "Tla", which means "place with an abundance of ".
[edit] Geography
[edit] Location
The municipality of Jala is located in the southern part of the state of Nayarit; between parallels 21º 5’ and 21º 20’ latitude north and meridians 104º 18’ and 104º 31’ longitude west. It is bounded in the north by the municipalities of Santa María del Oro and La Yesca; in the south by the municipalities of Ahuacatlán and Ixtlán del Río; in the east with Ixtlán del Río and in the west with Santa María del Oro.
[edit] Population Centers
The main population centers in the municipality of Jala are: La Ciudad de Jala, municipal seat, with 8,972 inhabitants (2000); Rosa Blanca with 2,292 (1995); Los Aguajes with 922 (1995); Cofradía de Juanacatlán with 805 (1995); Francisco I. Madero with 682 (1995) and San Miguel with 442 (1995), all together making up 86% of the population. Furthermore, there are 47 places with the remaining 14% of the population.
[edit] Orography
There are three types of relief, the first of steep zones taking in 60% of the municipal area, the second of semi-flat zones making up 30%, the third of flat zones making up 10 percent.
The steep zones are in the north and west with the peaks of Juanacate, el Ciruelo, Santa Fe and the volcano of Ceboruco (2,164 mts); the semi-flat zones are in the center and south and are Rosa Blanca, Coapan and Jomulco; the flat zones are in the south and are formed by La Meseta and Juanacatlán.
Ceboruco The volcano of Ceboruco is near the town of Jala and 102 km. from Tepic; it is reached via an 11 km. dirt road which goes up the side of the mountain. While on this road you will be able to appreciate the vegetation as well as the areas covered by red lava spewed by the volcano during its last eruption in 1872. For climbers, there is a path just beyond the craters near a microwave station. See [1] for more information on the drive up to the mountain.
Ceboruco last erupted from 1870 until 1872 to produce a large flank flow of andesite. According to researchers, in prehistoric times Ceborucco had at least 2 very large eruptions that produced 2 concentric calderas. Ceborucco rises about 1000 m above its base and has a summit elevation of 2164 m. The original volcano was comprised mostly of thin andesite lava flows and pyroclastic layers. Since the calderas formed, however, the flows have tended to be thick. See photos at [2].
[edit] Hydrography
The Rio Grande Santigago passes in the north of the municipality. There are five streams of permanent flow and ten that flow in the rainy season; there are 16 springs.
[edit] Climate
The climate is hot sub-humid, with rains in summer in the low zones and mild sub-humid with rains in the summer in the mountains. The average annual rainfall is 859.8 mm. The average annual temperature is 23º C with a minimum of 0ºC and a maximum of 48ºC.
[edit] Characteristics of the Population
[edit] Ethnic Groups
The native population makes up only 0.57% of the municipal population. The main group is the Huichol with 85%, followed by the Cora with 15%.
[edit] Demographic Evolution
The population of the municipality, during the years 1970, 1980, 1990 and 1995, had the following numbers: 11,042, 14,582, 15,497 and 17,161 inhabitants respectively. The numbers show an average growth rate of 1.8% in the last five years, due to the economic growth of the region and migration of indigenous peoples from the mountains to Jala. The population density was 47 inhabitants per square kilometer (1995).
[edit] Religion
According to the 1995 census, 97.3% of the population declared themselves Catholic, 1.1% Evangelical Protestant, and the rest no religion.
[edit] Social Infrastructure and Communications
[edit] Education
In 1995 the educational infrastructure of the municipality was distributed like this: 22 preschools, 30 primary schools, 5 lower secondary, and 2 upper secondary, making a total of 59 schools and 225 teachers. There were 4 public libraries, and the illiterate population made up 13.06% of the population 15 years and older.
[edit] Health
Medical services had the following infrastructure: one medical unit of the Social Security for Public Workers (ISSSTE), 6 units from the Health Services of the state of Nayarit, one from the National Social Security, and one from the Development of the Family (DIF). There were no hospitals at the time of writing with patients going either to Tepic or Ixtlán del Río.
[edit] Housing
The housing infrastructure was made up of 3,472 dwellings (1995), 88% of which were self-owned and 12% rented or on loan, with an average occupancy of 5 persons per dwelling. 0.31% of the dwellings have piped-in water, 91.5% electricity and 50.8% drainage.
[edit] Possession of Household Goods
- Number of dwellings in 2000: 3,489
- Number of dwellings with a radio: 2,796
- Number of dwellings with a videocassette: 863
- Number of dwellings with a blender: 2,226
- Number of dwellings with a television: 2,696
- Number of dwellings with a refrigerator: 1,689
- Number of dwellings with a washing machine: 1,022
- Number of dwellings with a telephone: 646
- Number of dwellings with an automobile or truck: 507
- Number of dwellings with a computer: 62
All statistics are from the 2000 census provided by INEGI
[edit] Means of Communication
The town of Jala has an ample telephone network connected to the Lada system, a post office main office, a post office, and a telegraph office. There is no local newspaper.
[edit] Routes of Communication
There were 56.8 kilometers (1995) of roads, of which 11.3 were paved, and 45.5 were graveled; These connect the villages of the meseta of Juanacatlán with the city of Ixtlán del Río, as well as Jala and Jomulco with the towns and villages of the mountains. Urban transport had two routes of minibuses as well as six taxis. There were three bus lines to Tepic, Ahuacatlán and Ixtlán de Río.
[edit] Economic Activity
[edit] Agriculture
The municipality had (1995) 5,721 hectares available for planting, of which 3% were irrigated and 97% dependent on the rains. 91% of the surface was planted in corn (maize) and 9% in sorghum, peanuts, and other crops. Of the total, 329.9 hectares were planted in perennial crops like sugarcane and peaches.
[edit] Animal Raising
The municipality had a surface of 17,412 hectares for animal raising or forestry, which made up 73% of the total area. In 1995 there were 8,967 head of cattle, 4,782 of swine, and small numbers of horses, mules, goats and sheep.
[edit] Manufacturing
In this sector the most important manufactured products were food, drinks, and tobacco (53%) and the lumber industry (39%). There are sugarcane mills, sawmills, brickworks, furniture factories, packers of corn leaves, a packing plant for peaches, and several small transformation industries.
[edit] Economically Active Population
The EAP makes up 24% of the total population of the municipality. Itis distributed in the following way: 47% in agriculture and cattle raising, 20% in manufacturing, 29% in services, and 4% in non-specified areas.
[edit] Cultural and Touristic Attractions
[edit] Historical Monuments
Jala is the municipality in the state of Nayarit that has the most diverse number of historical monuments, among which we can mention: the town church, built in the second half of the nineteenth century, and the ruins of the former hospital with its Baroque façade.
The twisting streets are full of old houses with typical architecture. The Basilica of Jala, an architectural jewel mixing Romanesque and Gothic styles, was built with pink, green, and yellow stone, the first stone being laid in 1856. There are two buildings in ruins, the first that was the church of San Francisco de Asís, built in 1674, and the second a Franciscan convent, built in 1810.
[edit] Fiestas, Dances, and Traditions
On 15 August the town celebrates the fiesta honoring the patron saint and the Festival of the Corn Cob (Fiesta del Elote), which reaches a length of half a meter in this rich volcanic soil. In these festivals there is music, dance, expositions, tournaments, and competitions. On 8 September there is a large popular festival and from 20 to 30 September there are the festivals of the neighboring town of Jomulco.
[edit] Tourist Sites
The main site of touristic interest is the volcano of Ceboruco. It is reached by an 18 km. stone-covered road from the main highway. The crater is a 3 km. walk up a path from the end of the road.
[edit] Government
The municipal government (Ayuntamiento) is made up of the Presidente Municipal, the Síndico, and 7 Regidores or councilmembers. Of the latter, 5 are elected by a simple majority and 2 by proportional representation. Each holder of office has a substitute (suplente) in case of abandonment of office.
The first municipal president took office in 1917. The present holder of office is Juan Jose Jacobo Solis 2005-2008
