Tlalnepantla de Baz

This article is about the large suburb of Mexico City. For the town in Morelos state, see Tlalnepantla, Morelos. For the town in Puebla state, see Tlanepantla.
Tlalnepantla de Baz
Nickname(s): Tlalne or Tlane
Motto: Culture, Work and Progress

Location of Tlalnepantla in the State of Mexico
Coordinates: 19°32′12″N 99°11′41″W / 19.53667°N 99.19472°WCoordinates: 19°32′12″N 99°11′41″W / 19.53667°N 99.19472°W
Country Mexico
State State of Mexico
Government
 • Municipal President Pablo Basañez García (2013-2015)
Area
 • City 83.48 km2 (32.23 sq mi)
 • Land 75.0 km2 (29 sq mi)
 • Water 8.5 km2 (3.28 sq mi)
Elevation 2,254 m (7,395 ft)
Population (2010)
 • City 664,225
 • Urban 664,127
Time zone Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) Horario de Verano (UTC-5)
Website http://www.tlalnepantla.gob.mx/

Tlalnepantla de Baz (better known as Tlalnepantla, and incorrectly called "Tlanepantla") is a city and a municipality of the state of Mexico, north of Mexico City (Ciudad de Mexico). Tlalnepantla comes from the Náhuatl words tlalli (land) and nepantla (middle) to mean the middle land. The city was known in prior times as Tlalnepantla de Galeana and Tlalnepantla de Comonfort, to honor Hermenegildo Galeana and Ignacio Comonfort, respectively. The current addition of Baz comes from the last name of Gustavo Baz Prada, an important politician and soldier of Emiliano Zapata's army during the Mexican Revolution. After the Revolution, Baz Prada became Governor of the State of Mexico and President of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). It is located in the northeastern part of the state of Mexico, in the Valley of Mexico north of Mexico City proper.[1] Together with Atizapan, it comprises the dense Region XII (Mexico State) of Mexico State.

The city

History

Around the 11th century, a people called the Amaquemecan (after whom the municipality of Amecameca is named), migrated to this area following their leader Xolotl to look for a better climate and more food to sustain themselves. This same Xolotl founded the Tenayuca Oztopolco chiefdom and made the first census ever in the Americas. The Acolhuas, Tepanecas and Otomis were already established in this land so alliances were made. Despite this, the region eventually was conquered and made a tributary of the Aztec empire. After the Spanish Conquest, the area was evangelized by the Franciscans. The founding of modern Tlalnepantla was the result of a dispute between the towns of Tenayuca and Teocalhueyacan as to which should be the site of Franciscan monastery and religious center for the area. The result was to place the monastery at the midpoint between these two towns, and hence the name (middle land). This monastery, named Corpus Christi was built in 1550. After independence, Tlalnepantla was originally part of Mexico City, but in 1825, it was recognized as a district of the State of Mexico. During the Presidency of Porfirio Díaz Mori, Tlalnepantla began industrial development, and in the 1950s underwent a demographic explosion after being declared a city in 1948.[1] The population as of the 2010 INEGI census was 653,410 people, representing 98.37% of municipal population.[2]

Infrastructure

Plaza Wichita with Keeper of the Plains statue donated by Tlalnepantla sister city of Wichita Kansas.

Tlalnepantla is a big modern city with an important mall (Mundo E) and hotels: Crowne Plaza Lancaster, Camino Real, Fiesta Inn, NH hotel, Holiday Inn, and Four Points by Sheraton. Tlalnepantla offers different options for entertainment and food: Punta Recoleta Restaurante (Argentine food), Boca del Rio (Mexican food restaurant), Real de Catorce (Show and Mexican food restaurant), La Antigua (Mexican food restaurant).

The most important avenues and boulevards in Tlalnepantla City are:

As well as the Periférico and the Mexico-Querétaro Freeway with 15 lanes in Tlalnepantla. (This is a section of Mexican Federal Highway 57, the Pan-American Highway.)

Tlanepantla is well served by the local pesero, intercity bus network and the suburban train.

Education

Schools located in the city include:

Economy

There are more than 2,700 industries located here, making Tlalnepantla one of the most industrialized areas in the country, along with Naucalpan and Monterrey, ranking first in the state of Mexico. The most common industries include: food processing, bottling, tobacco products, textiles, paper products, non-metallic mineral products and metals, chemicals and petroleum products, machinery and wood products. Its industrial zone is one of the largest in the country. The area also includes more than 15,000 retail businesses, including the Mundo E Mall and several large tianguis.

Notable sites

Tenayuca pyramid

The church and monastery of Corpus Christi was built by both Mexicas and Otomis of pink and gray stone. The side gate, called the Porciúncula, shows clearly the influence of both these peoples. In 1963, the church gain cathedral status. The aqueduct that extends from Tlalnepantla to Villa de Guadalupe as well as the Caja del Agua are works that date from the colonial period. The Hacienda of Santa Mónica and the Hacienda de Emmedio are well-preserved. The Centro Cultural Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz has a collection of 130 fotografías del Tlalnepantla from the end of the 19th century to 1960 as well as other historical objects.[1]

Pyramid at Santa Cecilia Acatitlán

Two notable pyramids lie in the municipality's limits: Tenayuca and Santa Cecilia Acatitlan. The pyramid at Tenayuca is a smaller version of the Templo Mayor the Aztecs built in Tenochtitlan. It has dual staircases on the west side, each leading to two temples, at the top of the pyramid. One was dedicated to Tlaloc and the other to Huizilopochtli. Serpent sculptures surround the pyramid on three sides and are possibly of pre Aztec origin.[3] A small museum on the grounds holds artifacts diagrams and models of the site and the history that surrounds it. Another, smaller pyramid is at Santa Cecilia Acatitlan, just north of Tenayuca. This one was rebuilt as the original was destroyed and some of it blocks were used to build the Santa Cecelia Parish church that is next to it. This pyramid has one staircase one temple atop. On the plaza is the Hurtado Museum, which houses a small collection of pre Hispanic sculpture.[3]

The municipality

Tlalnepantla de Baz city in State of Mexico on northern tips of Mexico City

The city contains 98.37% of the municipality's population, although there are extensive areas in localities outside the city with relatively low population density, particularly in its eastern zone. The city of Tlalnepantla has governing jurisdiction over only four other communities: Puerto Escondido (Tepeolulco Pto. Escondido), Colonia la Agüita Sección las Maravillas, Ejido de Tenayuca (Cola de Caballo), and Ejido San Pedro Xalostoc (El Cuervo). Less than 2% of the municipality's population is located outside of the city proper.

The municipality was created in 1978 with the name of Tlalnepantla de Baz to honor Dr. Gustavo Baz Prada (1894–1987) who was a Zapatista, governor of the State of Mexico and dean of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. The municipality is made of two areas which are not continuous (the Zona Poniente, with a population of 653,453, and the Zona Oriente 19°33′07″N 99°05′53″W / 19.55194°N 99.09806°W, with a population of 10,772, which are divided by the Gustavo A. Madero borough of the Distrito Federal). The total municipal area is 83.48 km².[1] The eastern side borders Ecatepec de Morelos city and the Gustavo A. Madero borough of Mexico City, and the western borders Naucalpan de Juarez Municipality on the southwest, Atizapán de Zaragoza Municipality on the west, Cuautitlán Izcalli Municipality and Tultitlán Municipality on the north, the Gustavo A. Madero borough on the east, and the Azcapotzalco borough on the south.

The three most important rivers in the municipality are:

The Sierra de Monte Alto is in the city itself but other significant elevations in the municipality include: Cerro del Tenayo, Cerro Grande and Cerro de la Cruz.

Significant locations within the municipality include the communities of San Jerónimo Tepetlacalco, Xocoyahualco, San Pablo Xalpa, San Bartolo Tenayuca, San Andrés Atenco, San Pablo Barrientos and San Juan Ixhuatepec.

The archaeological zones of Tenayuca and Santa Cecilia Acatitlán are located here as well, each of which has a museum. The pyramid at Tenayuca served as the model of the Templo Mayor in Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City).[1]

Towns and villages

Localities (cities, towns, and villages) are:[2]

Name 2010 Census Population
Tlalnepantla de Baz 653,410
Puerto Escondido (Tepeolulco Puerto Escondido) 10,717
Colonia la Agüita Sección las Maravillas 50
Ejido de Tenayuca (Cola de Caballo) 43
Ejido San Pedro Xalostoc (El Cuervo) 5
Total Municipality 664,225

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Enciclopedia de los Municipios de Mexico Estado de Mexico Tlalnepantla". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2010 census tables: INEGI
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Noble, John (2000). Lonely Planet Mexico City. Oakland, California: Lonely Planet Publications. p. 131. ISBN 1-86450-087-5.
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