| Jalpan (de Serra) | |||
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| — Town & Municipality — | |||
| Main plaza with kiosk and mission church in background | |||
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Jalpan (de Serra)
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Mexico | ||
| State | Querétaro | ||
| Founded | 1744 | ||
| Municipal Status | |||
| Government | |||
| • Municipal President | |||
| Area | |||
| • Municipality | 1,185 km2 (457.5 sq mi) | ||
| Elevationof seat | 760 m (2,493 ft) | ||
| Population (2005)Municipality | |||
| • Municipality | 22,025 | ||
| • Seat | 8,947 | ||
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) | ||
| Postal code (of seat) | 68522 | ||
| Demonym | |||
| Website | www.municipiodejalpan.gob.mx (Spanish) | ||
Jalpan de Serra is a town and municipality located in the north of the state of Querétaro, Mexico. It is located in the heart of an important ecological zone called the Sierra Gorda. It is also the site two of five Franciscan missions, including the first one, to have been built in the mid 18th century, and declared a World Heritage Site in 2003. The municipality is also home to a small but important indigenous group called the Pame. However, the municipality has been losing population since the mid 20th century even though recent events such as the town being named a Pueblo Mágico have worked to create a tourism industry.
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The town of Jalpan is the municipal seat, located 180 km from San Juan del Río on Federal Highway 120. This road then connects it to Xilitla in San Luis Potosí. It is also connected to Río Verde in SLP via interstate highway 69.[1] Although officially classified as a city since 1904,[2] the current population is only just under 9,000 people (2005).[3] The main economic activities within the town proper are commerce, livestock production and agriculture.[2]
The town is centered on its main square and one of the five Franciscan missions to be named a World Heritage Site in 2003. The main square or garden of the town is located in front of the mission church. It is filled with trees, which are often filled with noisy birds. It is an important gathering place, especially on Sundays when vendors sell snacks and toys for children.[2] In the early morning, taxis to share with other riders gather at the main square, with their drivers shouting various locations.[4] On weekends, there are artistic presentations.[1] Across Independencia Street is the Museum of the Sierra Gorda. The building was originally known as the Jalpan Fort, constructed in the 16th century by Juan Ramos de Lora and is one of the oldest in Jalpan. The site served as a military fort for centuries and then as a regional jail for about fifty years. In 1991, it became the museum. It contains seven halls that relate the evolution of the Sierra Gorda region from the pre historic period to the early 20th century. The collection includes old maps of the area, pre Hispanic artifacts, fossils, displays about the Spanish conquest and evangelization, with emphasis on the five Franciscan missions and Junípero Serra, artifacts from the Mexican Revolution and a room dedicated to the indigenous peoples of the Sierra Gorda.[5]
Another building that faces the main square is the former Melchor Ocampo School, which was the first in the municipality. Today, it is the home of the municipal cultural center, which hosts exhibitions, and a number of government offices. The municipal post office is located on a side of the mission church, on a building that was part of the mission complex. During the Reform War, this building held General Mariano Escobedo prisoner.[5]
There is a crafts center called the Casa de las artesanías. It exhibits and sells various crafts from Jalpan and surrounding municipalities such as those made of palm fronds, ceramics, pine needles and wood. It also includes food items such as fruit preserves, guava candies, fruit liquors, honey and regionally produced coffee.[6]
Near the town are the ruins of the former Hacienda del Rayo.[4]
One dish of the area is cecina serrana, which is dried beef marinated in sour orange and salt. Another is a “zacahuilt,” which is an extremely large tamale made with corn, various chili peppers and pork or chicken. It is wrapped in a banana leaf and cooked all night in an oven. River shrimp called acamayas are another specialty and are prepared in various forms. Revoltillo are eggs cooked on a comal with a sauce made from “coyol” which is similar to tomatoes. Atole is flavored with sunflower seeds, small guavas or piloncillo.[7]
Jalpan is the municipal seat and local governing authority for 72 other communities, which together cover a territory of 1185km2.[2] The total population of the municipality is 22,025 (2005), with 8,947 living in the town of Jalpan proper.[3] In addition to the municipal seat, other important communities include Saldiveña, Tancoyol, El Lindero, Valle Verde, Rincon de Pitzquintla and Laguna de Pinzquintla. These communities’ primary economic activities are agriculture and livestock.[2] The best known of these communities is Tancoyol, located 58 km from the town of Jalpan, because it contains the other of the municipality’s two Franciscan missions. Between the two, there are holm oak forests along the highway, then low deciduous rainforest and on some of the hillsides, tall cactus.[8] Many of the Tancoyol’s cactus are found on an elevation called Cerro Verde, where the climate is hot and dry.[2] The mission church, located in the center, in front of the main plaza. Outside the community, there is an old aqueduct built for the mission. Near Tancoyol is the community of Las Nuevas Flores, which is dominated by the Pame people. One of their main crafts is the making of hats and other objects from palm fronds.[8]
Valle Verde is located in the north of the municipality, very close to the San Luis Potosí border. Its vegetation is forest with houses made of wood or concrete but always in the form of a cabin.[9] San Juan de los Durán is a small village located among dense vegetation. It contains an ecological park by the same name with various cabins.[2] Just outside of the municipal seat proper there are a number of points of interest. The Mundo Acuático (Aquatic World) recreational park has a pool, water slide, camping area, sports field and restaurant. It is located just outside the town proper on the road to the Jalpan Dam.[2] The Jalpan Dam is about 1.5 km outside of the center of Jalpan. It is surrounded by forest and has clear water. The area has been adapted for mountain biking and ATVs. There are also a number of wildlife species to be seen such as cardinals, pelicans, ibis, eagles, turtles and more. Sports fishing is allowed ,with mostly largemouth bass and mojarra to be caught. La Playita (Little Beach) is an area along the banks of the Jalpan River which is often used for walks, picnicking and events. It is located about a kilometer outside the town off the main highway.[2]
The municipality is known for ecotourism with many types of climates and environments. The Puente de Dios is a very long cavern through which the river that feeds the Jalpan Dam runs. The cavern is the scene of a local legend called “El Meco Lucas.” El Meco Lucas is said to have lived in the cave in the 1940s and 1950s. He was said to know the cave intimately and would come into town with gold to spend. One day he disappeared and was never seen again; however, it is said that he can still be heard in the cave. The Cueva del Diablo (Devil’s Cave) is named so because it has a history of being associated with the deity appearing in the form of a hen with chicks that attacked passers-by. It is located near the community of Carrizal de los Sánchez. The Cave of the Goddess Cachum is part of the Pame cemetery, located near Tancama. This goddess symbolized the mother of the sun, rain and good harvest. However, her reverence is limited to the retelling of her myths through oral tradition. The interior of the cave contains peculiar shapes and its lighted naturally from the entrance, which reaches the back of the cave.[2]
The municipal government consists of a municipal president, and nine officials called “regidores.” The municipal palace or main government building is located in the town of Jalpan.[2]
The municipality is located in the north of the state of Querétaro. The municipality borders the municipality of Pinal de Amoles, San Joaquín, Landa de Matamoros and Arroyo Seco, with the state of San Luis Potosí to the north and east and the state of Hidalgo on the south. It is the second largest municipality with an extension of 1185km2.[2]
The mountains of the municipality are the southern part of the Sierra Madre Oriental, as part of a sub province called the Huasteco Karst. These mountains began as sea bed 140 million years ago with coral reefs then layers of sand. This sea bed eventually became limestone and other types of rock as the mountains rose from the sea, starting 65 million years ago. This rising of the sea bed has also created the mountains which range in heights from 700 masl to 1500 masl. Between these, there are semi flat area called “intermountain valleys,” many of which contain the municipality’s principle roadways. Its altitudes vary between 200 meters above sea level in the canyon of the Santa María River to 2,440 masl at the peak of the Sierra Grande, located in the south of the territory.[2]
Because of the sedimentary nature of the area’s rock, a phenomenon called karstification is prominent, where limestone dissolves slowly and forms pit caves and deep canyons such as in the Tancoyol valley, San Juan de los Durán, Valle Verde and Zoyapilca. Much of the erosion occurs during the rainy season in arroyos, creating canyons that can be as deep as 600 meters.[2]
There are three main river basins in the municipality, Santa María, Extoraz, Moctezuma, which are all part of the Pánuco River basin, with over 96% of the rainfall directed to the Santa María River. The Jalpan River passes through the municipal seat, and contains the Jalpan Dam, which stores water for the various communities of the municipality. This river unites with the Del Real arroyo then empties into the Santa María. The Santa María and Extoraz rivers form the borders of the municipality with the states of San Luis Potosí and Hidalgo respectively. The Extoraz River separates it from San Joaquín.[2]
The topography is the main determinant of climate within the municipality. The east of the territory has the highest altitudes, with an average rainfall of about 1500 mm per year, with some areas getting as much as 2000. It is one of the wetter zones of the Sierra Gorda because the area inclines toward the Gulf of Mexico, allowing moist air to reach it. Average temperatures range from 11 to 15C. Lower altitudes are present in the north in Valle Verde and the upper part of Santa María River Canyon. From here on south the area is drier with rainfall totals ranging from 800 to 500 mm per year. This makes up the majority of the municipality and the largest expanse of semi moist hot lands in the Sierra Gorda. However in the canyons of the Santa María, Moctezuma and Extoraz rivers, the climate is classified as hot and semi dry.[2]
Flora is extremely varied due to the wide range of altitudes and climate conditions in the municipality. Over much of the territory, there are lowland deciduous rainforest with species such as : palo de arco (Lysiloma microphylla), tepehuaje (Lysiloma acapulcensis), guayabillo (Psidium sartorianum), jopoy (Esenbeckia berlandieri), chacas (Bursera lancifolia), aquiches (Guazuma ulmifolia), laurel (Phoebe tampicensis), órganos (Neobauxbamia polylopha), as well as various species of orchids and Bromeliaceae. Most of the vegetation loses its leaves during the dry season and regains them during the rainy season. In some canyon areas, leaf loss in the dry season is less.[2]
The east side of the municipality is dominated by temperate ecosystems, especially in the higher altitudes. These areas are dominated by oaks, junipers, pines, white cedars and other conifers, with some other species such as palm trees and strawberry trees. At the foot of the mountains on the west, there is scrub brush. The northeast of the municipality around the communities of San Juan de los Durán, Valle Verde and La Cercada are dominated by mesophile forests, with has a very high level of biodiversity including a number in danger of extinction.[2]
Wildlife is as diverse as the flora, with species types ranging from those adapted to near arctic to tropical conditions. Six feline species including the jaguar and ocelot are found here, as well as two species of deer and the peccary. Black bear have been sighted as well as porcupines and anteaters. In addition, there are about 300 species of birds, both year-round and migratory species and a wide variety of reptiles and amphibians.[2]
There is a small community of Huastecos in Valle Verde, which has ties to a similar community of Mapatz, just over the border in San Luis Potosí.[2] Most of the Querétaro Sierra Gorda’s population is Pame, concentrated in the municipality, especially in the community of Las Nuevas Flores, near Tancoyol, but also in San Juan de los Durán, El Pocito, Las Flores, San Antonio Tancolyol and El Rincón.[1][2] The total number of Pame in Querétaro is small, at about 200 people, but it has been growing along with Pame communities in nearby San Luis Potosí. However, the Pames of Querétaro are more integrated with the general culture than their counterparts in San Luis Potosí. Only one Querétaro community maintains most of the old traditions, which is Las Nuevas Flores, with primary economic activities including agriculture, the raising of rabbits, goats and sheep and the production of crafts made from palm fronds. Many Pames have migrated out of the area into various parts of Mexico and some to the United States. Despite their small numbers, the group is considered to be important to the cultural identity of the municipality.[2]
The municipality has been experiencing population loss since the middle of the 20th century, with many migrating out to the United States in search of better paying work. From 2000 to 2005, the population has gone from 22,839 to 22,025. Those who still remain in the municipal seat have moved from agriculture to industry or commerce. The only community which has had significant population growth, doubling over the last thirty years, mostly due to the main highway and work related to the Jalpan Dam.[2]
The municipality has two of the five Franciscan missions accredited to Junípero Serra during his evangelization of the Sierra Gorda. These missions were declared a World Heritage Site in 2003.[2] One is located in the town of Jalpan proper and the other is located in the community of Tancoyol. The mission in Jalpan was constructed between 1751 and 1758 and dedicated to the Apostle James, as defender of the faith. It was the first of five missions built to evangelize the area. The main portal is dominated by various forms of plants most local to the region. European elements include images of saints and the Franciscan coat of arms. Native elements include a double headed eagle with a snake as well as an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe .[2][10]
The facade is elaborately done in stucco and stone work, with ochre of the pilasters contrasting with the yellow of many of the decorative details. Much of the detail is vegetative, along with small angels and eagles.[4] On the lowest level of the facade, there are figures of Saint Dominic and Francis of Assisi. There is also a small coat of arms with five wounds and the coat of arms of the Franciscan order. Inside the door, there are the images of Saints Peter and Paul. There is also a double-headed Mexican eagle devouring a serpent. On the upper left, there is an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe on the upper left, the Our Lady of the Pillar. These are the virgin images of Mexico and Spain respectively. This statue is said to have been taken by a general at the end of the 19th century. It was replaced by a more modern clock.[4][10] Inside, the cupola of the Jalpan mission contains scenes of the appearance of the Virgin of Guadalupe.[4]
The Tancoyol mission is dedicated to Our Lady of Light. It is thought to have been built by Friar Juan Ramos de Lora, who resided in the community between 1760 and 1767. The facade is marked by a rhomboid window surrounded by a representation of the cord Franciscans use to tie their habits. The basic theme of the facade is mercy, represented by interventions by the Virgin Mary and various saints. The iconography of this portal is the most elaborate of the five missions. European elements include images of saints such as Peter and Paul and the Franciscan coat of arms. The image of Our Lady of Light has disappeared from the facade, leaving only curtain-like decoration supported by angels and images of Joachem and Saint Anne, along with Saints Peter and Paul. Saint Roch appears to counter plagues. There is also a representation of the stigmata of Francis of Assisi. The main cross at the top represents redemption with the crosses of Calatrava and Jerusalem on either side. Indigenous elements are found in the church’s interior, with an image of a jaguar and a person with Olmec features.[2][10]
The feast of the Santo Niño de la Mezclita is the most important in the municipality. This is an image of a child Jesus named after the Mezclita community. The image was brought to the community in 1890 by Antonio Velazques from Guanajuato and to it many miracles have been attributed. When it was donated, it was received by Father Roman Herrera, who began the annual festival in the Ayutla community. However, disputes over custody of the image forced the local bishop to take the image and give it to Jalpan later on. The festival attracts between 20,000 and 25,000 people from the various communities of the Sierra Gorda. Other religious events include an annual Passion Play during Holy Week, Day of the Holy Cross on May 3, Feast of the Apostle James on 25 July and Day of the Dead. For the last event, there is a monumental altar to the dead erected on a small plaza in the town of Jalpan.[2]
There are several important secular events as well. The Feria Regional Serrana takes place each year in April and includes various artistic, cultural and sports events, including a fishing tournament. The Convivio de la Amistad takes place on May 1 on the banks of the Jalpan River in an area known as the Playita (Little Beach). The event is a very large potluck where families share food they brought. This usually begins after May 1 Labor Day events. Earth Day (Fiesta de la Tierra) takes place in June, sponsored by the Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda. This event is principally for children to promote the importance of conservation efforts.[2]
Huapango is the dominant traditional musical form, with two variations: huapango arribeño and huapango huasteco (son huasteco). The first is in process of disappearing because of migration of many rural residents and the urbanization of others. Huapango huasteco remains popular, especially in recent years with the emergence of youth trios dedicated to the music. It is most often played during traditional events such as religious feasts, Independence Day and the Christmas holidays.[2]
Many have become dependent on remittances sent from the United States from relatives. Many who work in the US return at the end of the year for the Christmas holidays. These people are called “norteños” (northerners) and are celebrated on 28 December called “El Día del Paisano” (Day of the Countryman).[2][11] The festival has a number of events including the coronation of the Paisano queen, a mass, a pickup truck parade decorated with symbols of the US and the Sierra Gorda area and a charreada event called El Jalpense. At night there is a dance with live music. The event attracts about 5,000 people per year and covered by television. Originally, the event was purely for Jalpan, but it has grown to include participants from surrounding municipalities.[2] In 2010, over one hundred pick up trucks participated in the annual parade for Día del Paisano. Their owners raffled off 1,850 US dollars in cash.[11] During the parade, the visiting “paisanos” show off their pickup trucks bought in the U.S. competing for the best and most luxurious.[12]
The most important natural resource of the area is the forests, with commercial species such as pines and oaks. About 15,441 hectares of the total municipal territory of 329,020 is used for agriculture and 9,872 are used for forestry. Just under 29% of the working population is dedicated to agriculture, livestock and forestry. Only 650 hectares of agricultural fields are irrigated, with the rest worked only during the rainy season. The Tancoyol area has the most important agricultural production with beans, corn, chickpeas, cardamom, tomatoes, chili peppers and watermelon. Livestock production is most important near the municipal seat, with cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and horses, along with domestic fowl.[2] Another product form Rincon de Tancoyol is honey which considered some of the best produced in Mexico. It is commercialized under the name of “Miel Xi’Oi Teneek” and much is exported to Europe. Coffee is grown on certain mountainsides in the municipality and has a distinctive aroma.[6]
About 17 % to industry, mining and construction. Industry is mostly limited to handcrafts and food products in small family owned workshops.[2] Ceramics are primarily produced in Soledad de Guadalupe by a cooperative of women. Their products include cups, plates, vases, glasses for tequila, jars for salsa, sugar and more. The pieces are molded by hand, fired than painted by hand as well. ( In Las Nuevas Flores, various Pame families make various crafts with palm frongs such as fruit baskets, flower vases, fans and more. These products are sold in outlets in Tancoyol and Jalpan as well as in the Museum of the Sierra Gorda. Leather items are mostly produced by the El Gavilán workshop in el Rincón de Tancoyol decorated with silver thread, stamped by other means. Articles include knife sheaths, carriers for cell phones, key chains, wallets, belts and more. The El Exilio Ranch is in the Acatitlan del Río community and makes a liquor and a sweet pate called ate from guava fruit. The fruit is grown locally and the products are made by the family that owns the ranch. A number of families in Tilaco produce coffee liquor and traditional pastries and cakes.[6] A large percentage of women are officially classified as homemakers.[2]
Commerce is the growing sector of the economy, with 193 registered businesses, five tianguis and two public markets. About 43% are employed in commerce and services, including tourism. Tourism has become the most important economic alternative for the municipality.[2] The municipality received around 70,000 visitors in 2009, making it an important tourist attraction for the state. The number of visitors is expected to have increased for 2010 and continue to increase for 2011 for the Sierra Gorda given the interest in ecotourism. While the municipality attracts visitors from all age groups, the focus is on younger visitors, as these are more likely to be interested in ecotourism. The main ecotourist attractions include waterfalls, rivers and the Jalpan Dam. Most visitors come from Mexico City and the state of Querétaro.[13] Jalpan de Serra became a Pueblo Mágico in 2010 for its “traditions, warmth, humility, historical valued and human quality.” The Secretary of Tourism for Mexico, Gloria Guevara Manzo, indicated that the municipality has great potential not only for its natural attractions, but for its cultural ones as well. The naming means that the community is eligible for federal assistance to improve the town’s infrastructure, especially the burying of electric and other cables.[14]
The Tancama archeological zone is located in the community of the same name, thirteen km from Jalpan. It is a site belonging to the Huasteca culture and dates from between 200 and 900 CE.[5]
The community of Acatitlán del Río is six km from Jalpan de Serra and contains the “La Casita Ecológica” (The Little Ecological House). This is a cabin next to an arroyo among gardens and mango orchards. The area is best for observing butterflies, hiking and mountain biking. The cabin accommodates up to four people.[15]
Valle Verde’s environment is one of the best conserved parts of the municipality. The main crafts producer in the community is the Soledad de Guadalupe ceramics cooperative. There is also the ecological water park called the Ojo de Agua de San Juan de los Durán and the Cueva del Agua. These areas have cabins, camping, ecological education, bicycles and horses for rent and a pool filled with water from a local spring.[9][16]
The large numbers of people who send money to the area and bring money with them during the Christmas holidays has “dollarized” the local economy. This currency is accepted in a number of businesses. It is estimated that about 18.2 million dollars each year comes into the area from the U.S.[17]
The name comes from Nahuatl and means “place over sand.” In 1976, the appendix “de Serra” was added to honor missionary Junípero Serra. The coat of arms for the city contains symbols of its history from its founding as a Franciscan mission in 1744 by Captain José de Escandón. There are four elements: “idolatry” represented by the goddess Cachúm in stone, the conquest and evangelism represented by a sword and crossed arms, the mixing of the two races represented by a double headed eagle eating a snake and the fourth represents the Jalpan and Tancoyol missions.[18]
The first settlements in the area were founded between 1700 and 1000 C in the small valleys of the Sierra Gorda by people linked to Olmec areas. Afterwards, groups from the Teotihuacan, Toltec, Huasteca and Totonac cultures would settle in various parts as well. Jalpan is in the center of the Sierra Gorda, a region situated between the sedentary agricultural and mining cultures and the hunter-gatherer cultures to the north.[2] The strongest cultural influences in the area during the Pre Classic period were Olmec, Teotihuacan and Huasteca, with major settlements to the south of the Jalpan area. Huasteca influence since that time has been strongest in the very north of Querétaro, where Jalpan is, although relatively few of the ethnicity have lived in the area. This is because of trade routes, especially along the Pánuco and Moctezuma Rivers. In the first millennium, Nahua tribes invaded the area, with artifacts such as “El adolecente Jalpanse” dated to between 600 and 1000 CE. However, many of these artifacts still show significant Huasteca influence.[2]
By the late Post classic, the climate had dried to the point that much agriculture was no longer possible and many migrated out of the region. At the beginning of the 13th century, groups from the north, mostly Chichimecas: Pames, Jonaz and Ximpeces moved in en masse into the Sierra Gorda area, practicing hunting and gathering to sustain themselves.[2] The Pames and Ximpeces also adapted gradually to village life and lived peacefully with neighboring cultures. Others, such as the Jonaz, never modified their warrior and hunter culture. They used the canyons and rough terrain of the area to launch attacks against more sedentary peoples nearby.[2][18]
Around 1400, the P’urhépecha made incursions into the Sierra Gorda area after dominating the south of Querétaro somewhat, but never took control of the north. Tribes from the Sierra Gorda and north pushed the P’urhépecha south and west into the south of Guanajuato and to the Lerma River area. The Aztecs had better luck, nominally turning the Jalpan area into a tributary state under Moctezuma Ilhuicamina .[2]
In 1527, Nuño de Guzmán conquered the Oxtipa dominion, to which Jalpan belonged. However, the Spanish did not take possession, due to the fierce opposition encountered, especially from the Chichimeca Jonaz.[1][18] From then to the mid 18th century, there were various attempts to evangelize the Sierra Gorda area, including Jalpan by the Augustinians and Franciscans, but with little to no success.[1] At the same time, there were military excursions, including the establishments of forts at Jalpan and in other places.[2]
Pressure on the colonial government to take control of the area intensified as the need for secure links to Zacatecas and other mining areas as well as a buffer zone against the new French colony of Louisiana .[2] José de Escandón was sent to pacify the area in 1740, which culminated in the defeat of the Jonaz at the Battle of Media Luna in 1749. This military action allowed for the permanent establishment of mission in the heart of the Sierra Gorda.[2][18] In 1744, friar Pedro Pérez de Mezquía founded the Jalpan mission. It would be the first of five major missions of the area. The mission’s founding was bolstered by the locating of 54 indigenous families to the area from the city of Querétaro.[1][2] In 1750, Junípero Serra arrived to the Jalpan mission and worked with Francisco Palou to convert and teach new economic strategies to the indigenous peoples.[18] Serra would be credited with the successful evangelization of the Sierra Gorda.[2]
The mission is Mexican Baroque with significant indigenous influence. It was constructed over a span of seven years and functioned as a hospital, dining hall and training center as well as a mission. The mission allowed the early development of economic activities such as agriculture, livestock and mining to groups other than the Pames, especially in a location called El Saucillo. The conquest of the Sierra Gorda would be the start of the domination of what is now the north of Mexico and into what is now the southwest United States, as the colonial government saw the importance of the region for economic development as well as a military buffer zone against the French and English.[2]
During the Mexican War of Independence, an insurgent group under Captain Elosúa formed, which was defeated by the royalist army in 1819, burning houses and storage facilities in the town, leaving it in ruins.[1][18]
In 1880, the first highway leading to the area was built connecting Jalpan to the state capital. This spurred economic development.[18] In 1904, the governor of Querétaro, Francisco González de Cosío officially named Jalpan a city as it has telephone, telegraph and some electrical services as well as a sugar cane mill.[1]
In 1910, a group called Club Aquiles Serdán was formed under Policarpo Olvera. Others, such as Coronel De la Peña, Conrado Hernandez and Malo Juvera fought against the Victoriano Huerta regime in 1913. There were also various military actions headed by Lucio Olvera between 1914 and 1924.[2][18]
In the early 1930s, there was a political struggle between Rómulo Vega from Jalpan and General Porfirio Rubio de Agua Zarca for dominance in the region.[2]
Between 1962 and 1970, a paved highway connecting Jalpan and the city of Querétaro was built. In addition a number of secondary roads, bridges, more electrical infrastructure and water services were constructed.[1][2]
Between 1980 and 1985, the Jalpan mission, along with the four others underwent restoration.[1] This work and more would eventually lead to the mission churches being declared a World Heritage Site in 2003, at a ceremony at the mission in Jalpan by local, state and UNESCO officials.[19]
In 2003, the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro inaugurated the Jalpan Campus. The Universidad Tecnológica de San Juan del Río opened a campus the same year.The city gained a second tier profesional soccer team in 2004.[2]
Since the mid 20th century, the municipality has been losing population due to lack of economic opportunities.[2] So many have left the Sierra Gorda to work in the U.S. that schools have closed for the lack of students. This loss of students has been most noticeable at the primary school level.[20]
The municipality has 25 preschool programs, 70 primary schools and nine middle schools. There is also a center for students with learning disabilities. There is one technical high school called COBAQ, which serves an average of 650 students. The Escuela Normal (Teachers’ College) del Estado de Querétaro has a campus in Jalpan with specialites in Social Sciences and Spanish.[2] There are various universities with campuses in the municipality including Centro de Educación Superior Tecnológica del Estado de Querétaro (CESTEQ), Universidad de San Juan del Río and Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, offering degrees in Eco-tourism, computer science, accounting, law and nursing. There is also one public library in the municipal seat, with a collection of about 5,000 books.[2]
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