Xilitla

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Town of Xilitla, seen from its western hills.

Xilitla is a municipio (municipality) in the state of San Luis Potosí, in the Huasteca region of Mexico. Xilitla is known for its fertile mountains and springs, which create panoramic landscapes throughout the municipality. The mountains have also partly shielded Xilitla from industrialization, helping preserve its indigenous Nahuatl and Teenek cultures and traditional agrarian lifestyles. Most of Xilitla's 50,000 residents live in over 100 comunidades (communities)---rural villages of several dozen or up to several hundred people known as campesinos. A few thousand people live in the town of Xilitla itself.

[edit] Geography

Xilitla is located in the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range, with narrow valleys dipping to 400m and hilltops as high as 1400m above sea level. Its land area is 415km², which is largely steep but habitable slopes. To the south and west, Xilitla borders the mountains of Querétaro and Hidalgo states. To the northeast, Xilitla borders flat terrain along the Tancuilin river, and Mexican highway 85.

There are a number of caves and caverns in Xilitla, as well as many natural springs which provide potable water. The land is largely sedimentary rock with striations visible on cliffs and roads.

[edit] Transportation

Most of Xilitla's residents do not own vehicles. Instead, the rural communities count on one or two residents who make their living as independent drivers. Drivers own heavy-duty pickup trucks, outfitted to carry 20 or more passengers (compare songthaew). These trucks make frequent unscheduled trips along the network of steep winding gravel roads, connecting remote communities with the town. From most communities, the trip to town takes about an hour and costs about 10 pesos.

The highway to the southwest winds around tight curves through the mountains to Querétaro and Mexico City. Heading northeast from town, the highway winds 10km to La Y Griega, a large T-intersection into highway 85. Ciudad Valles is 100km north along 85, and Tamazunchale is 50km south. Buses run hourly from the town to Ciudad Valles and Tamazunchale and several times daily to Monterrey, Mexico City, San Luis Potosí and Tampico. More frequent buses are available at Y Griega.

The most important agricultural activities are the cultivation of coffee and palmilla, an ornamental plant native to the region.

The natural beauty of the area, particularly Xilitla, has made it a source of inspiration of many people, among those Edward James, who built "Las Pozas" just outside the town.

Xilitla is a bustling center and important meeting point for the people of the surrounding communities. Xilitla has a wide range of businesses including food, clothing, and shoe stores, restaurants (including the Comedor Popular, La Flor de Café) in addition to a bank, a telephone call center, and an internet café. The church is the largest structure in the town and is located on one edge of the main plaza. On Sundays, the market day, the town fills with people and energy and welcomes people from surrounding communities who come to buy and sell their agricultural and commercial products.