| San Jerónimo (Los Barbosa) Los Barbosa |
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| — Municipal Agency — | |||
| Panoramic view of the San Jerónimo central-area. | |||
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| Nickname(s): El Rancho | |||
| Motto: Tierra de Dios (English: Land of God) | |||
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San Jerónimo (Los Barbosa)
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Mexico | ||
| State | Jalisco | ||
| Municipality | San Martín de Hidalgo | ||
| Territorial Sub-committee | Santa Cruz de las Flores | ||
| Settled | c. mid-1700s | ||
| Incorporated | September 12, 1883 | ||
| Established | 1922 | ||
| Founder | Barbosa family | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Municipal Agency | ||
| • Municipal Agent | Armando Díaz | ||
| • Sub-agent | José Luis Tapia Navarro | ||
| Elevation | 1,476 m (4,844 ft) | ||
| Population (2010) | |||
| • Total | 355 | ||
| Demonym | Barboseño, Barbosense, Sanjerónimense | ||
| Time zone | Central Standard Time (UTC-6) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | Central Daylight Time (UTC-5) | ||
| Postal Code | 46770 | ||
| Website | sanjeronimolb.yolasite.com | ||
San Jerónimo, also known as Los Barbosa,[1] is a town in the municipality of San Martín de Hidalgo in the Mexican state of Jalisco, it is 45 miles southwest of Guadalajara, and 80 miles east of Puerto Vallarta. In terms of population, it is the 11th-largest town in the municipality, counting with 355 inhabitants as of the 2010 census.[2]
Located in the municipality's southwestern mountainous-area, San Jerónimo is 4 miles southwest of the municipal seat San Martín de Hidalgo. It is also located on the municipality's western border, with the municipality of Ameca to the west.
San Jerónimo economically depends on the agricultural production of maize, beans, and agave. It is also devoted to livestock. The farming lands are located to the west on the mountain slope, and crops are cultivated on cuamiles (slope farmlands).
In 2008, construction commenced on the San Jerónimo Dam, which retains water from the Arroyo Las Minas. It was completed in 2009, with the help of the municipal government in hopes of amplifying local tourism and aguaculture.
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Of what is known, the town was and is still known by the name of Los Barbosa, which means "the Barbosa family". This name derives from the local ancestral Barbosa family who inhabited the town and is thought to have founded it during the mid 1700s. The town is still regarded as "Los Barbosa" in rural areas nearby such as Lagunillas. The name has been officially added with the name of San Jerónimo.
The name of San Jerónimo reaches as far back as the 1700s too, but it is still not clear why this name was chosen. It is Spanish for "Saint Jerome". The name is often misspelled as "San Gerónimo", it is actually written with a "J" in all governmental issues.
The earliest baptismal record for San Jerónimo is that of a mulata female infant named "Juana Cleta García Mariscal" who was baptized on July 28, 1776, she was the daughter of Juan Antonio García and María Thomasa Mariscal. The baptism ensures that the area was once inhabited by mulatos, or people of mixed African and Spanish ancestry born in Mexico. Mulatos were mostly free, and not slaves, such is the case with Juana Cleta.
There is also another record for a female infant. She was Antonia Trinidad, daughter of Juan Barbosa and María Lucía Medina. She was a pure Spanish, and was baptized on July 25, 1778.
As the result of investigations, the Barbosas also appear during this time. They were of pure Spanish descent. Juan Atanasio Barbosa was baptized on September 12, 1778. His parents were Nicolás Barbosa and María Josefa del Valle. Antonia Francisca Barbosa and Antonia Gertrudís Barbosa were also other Barbosas who were baptized. The Barbosas estimated to be a large percent of the population of San Jerónimo during the New Spain period.
With the testimonies of the eldest residents of the town as basis, the town was indeed founded by the abundant Barbosa family in the 1700s. Most elders talk about the Hacienda San José de Miravalle, another settlement based on the production of mezcal nearby. This hacienda was known for its festive Sundays that had typical food stands after the church service. Such cuisine served were pozole, enchiladas, mole, tamales and more. The hacienda was also subject to many first-hand experiences told among the people. Elías Gómez Barbosa (1894 – 1975), a temporary worker of this hacienda, would tell that he was paid 25 cents a day for his labor at this estate. He also said that another fellow worker was shot dead for stealing a small portion of the hacienda's cheese for his hungry family. The hacienda was denounced to the authorities around the 1930s by the town's residents for depriving San Jerónimo of the water that came from the springs uphill. The hacienda's owners were taken chained, to nearby Ameca to be ruled against the authorities. The hacienda later fell into the ownership of the Navarro family of Santa Cruz de las Flores.
The Barbosa were the owners of a large plot of land known today as El Potrero. It was fenced with a rock-hewn lienzo. The western part of the plot included the family house made of brick and adobe, and a chapel called La Capilla, and various trojes (or barns). This area was later divided into smaller plots each given by the plot's new owner Domingo Díaz to his many daughters. Many residents discard this fact, although it was true.
In a Mexican census of the year 1900, San Jerónimo was recorded to have 360 inhabitants.[3]
In 1922, the municipality surveyed and gave farming lands to the residents, and San Jerónimo was accepted as the official name of the community.
| Altavista de Ramos | Ipazoltic | San Martín de Hidalgo | ||
| Mesa de Ramos | Santa Cruz de las Flores | |||
| San Jerónimo (Los Barbosa) | ||||
| Quila | Lagunillas | Río Grande |
Many native trees live numerously in the town and the slopes, most of them are leguminous. These trees are:
The economy in the town was mostly farming maize in cuamiles, which are crops on mountain slopes, and cattle ranching. Today, people cultivate agave for the production of Tequila.
San Jerónimo is most commonly known in the area for the following tourist attractions, historical sites, and geographical features.
During the rain season (from May through September), green grasses cover the town's hills and slopes, and the nearby creek La Cañada flows with crystalline water.
Before water pipes were installed in San Jerónimo, many housewives would wash their clothes in the adjacent creeks of El Ceboruco, where the beautfiul 19th-century aqueduct still stands, and El Arroyito Blanco.
Since the Valley of Ameca is a subject to tornado weather, during 1970, a tornado strucked through the town, picking up small rocks and debris and blowing several roofs.
Severiano Gómez Monay and Inocencia Ramos López were married on April 20, 1867 in San Martín de Hidalgo; they are considered as the patriarch and matriarch of the Gómez family of San Jerónimo.
Gregorio Quintero López and Agapita Velásquez Rico were married on March 31, 1845 in Cocula; they are considered as the patriarch and matriarch of the Quintero family of San Jerónimo.
Ignacio Castro Rodríguez and Sabina Villalvaso Corona married sometime prior to 1863 in Zacoalco de Torres and later moved to Barranca de Oblatos, they are considered as the patriarch and matriarch of the Castro family of San Jerónimo.
Marcos Tapia Villegas and María Sotera López Núñes were married on May 3, 1842 in Cocula; they are considered as the patriarch and matriarch of the Tapia family of San Jerónimo.
Ysidoro Meza Solórzano and Juana Frías Herrera were married on January 11, 1873 in Zacoalco de Torres; they are considered as the patriarch and matriarch of the Meza family of San Jerónimo.
The municipal agents are citizens who are chosen by popular election to represent their town and to serve as its judicial authority. They are also known in the town as comisarios or presidentes.
The American town of Knights Ferry, California shares a similar geographical setting with San Jerónimo in which the sloped land makes both towns "retain" their yards with river rock.
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