Mazamitla is a town and municipality of the Mexican state of Jalisco. It is located 124 km south of Guadalajara in the Southeast Region and is a popular resort destination for travelers from Guadalajara and near urban centers. Its name comes from the Nahuatl and means "place where arrows are made to hunt deers"; its area is 177.18 km2. According to Count II Population and Housing, the municipality has 11671 inhabitants who are devoted mainly to the tertiary sector. For its natural environment it is considered by the federal Secretariat of Tourism as a Pueblo Mágico.
Etymology
The name comes from the Nahuatl language and is the union of the words "Mazatl", "Mitl" and "tlan". Its meaning has been interpreted in different ways:
Mazamitla was founded by the Aztecs in 1165. It belonged to the manor of Tzapotlán and paid tribute to the chieftain of Tamazollan. In 1481 the area was invaded by the Purépecha so that he could take the Laguna de Sayula. Purépecha held the area for only a few years until they were defeated at the end of the Salitre War in 1510. The place was conquered by Cristóbal de Olid together with Juan Rodríguez Villafuerte early in 1522. Their party had been sent by Cortés to explore the region of western Mexico. Upon the conquest the people of Tzapotlán were awarded to Hernán Cortés who appointed Anton Salcedo as encomendero. Being named president of the Audiencia of Mexico, Nuño de Guzmán moved these parcels to Cortés. It said that when he was priest of this area, Miguel Hidalgo, held mass in Palo Gordo. He used the trunk of an oak that is saved as a relic to serve as the altar for mass. Insurgent clashed in 1812 in the slope of Zapatero. Francisco Echeverria was their captain, who despite having emerged victorious was seriously injured, dying in Mazamitla. During the French intervention, the invaders burned files. After the French intervention the Mexican locals of Mazamitla captured a French officer named Jonny Fuentes who was hanged in the year 1815 in the town square. Since 1825 the town had belonged to the 4th canton of Sayula until 1878, when it became a 9th canton of Ciudad Guzmán. On April 19, 1894 the place was declared a town by decree of the state congress. After the battle of 1878, the population of Mazamitla has largely increased over the years. The chief operating officer Alexis ceja demanded that the pueblo increase its tourism and created the idea of making cabins for future residents and guests of Mazamitla.
Physical geography
Location
Mazamitla is located in the south-central area of Jalisco, south of Lake Chapala at coordinates 19º47'30" to 19º59'00" north latitude and 102º58'35" to 103º10'45" west longitude, at an altitude of 2200 meters above sea level. On the north the town abuts the town of La Manzanilla de La Paz, the state of Michoacán and the town of Valle de Juárez, on the east by the town of Valle de Juárez, on the south by the municipalities of Valle de Juárez and of Tamazula de Gordiano; on the west by the municipalities of Concepción de Buenos Aires and La Manzanilla de La Paz.
Orography
Its surface is composed of hilly areas, with hills occupied by forests, with heights ranging from 2200 to 2800 meters. Land semiplane are hills and slopes, with heights ranging from 2000 to 2200 meters above sea level and flat areas, with elevations ranging from 200 to 1800 meters above sea level. The maximum heights are Cerro El Jackal and Cerro del Tigre.
Floor
The territory is made up of land belonging to the Tertiary period. The land is hilly and broken, its composition is prevalent types luvisol, feozem háplico and litosol. The municipality has a land area of 17718 hectares, of which 3495 are used for agriculture, livestock in 3095, 10516 were from forest use, urban land are 206 hectares and 442 hectares have another use. As far as ownership is concerned, an area of 6432 hectares is private and another ejido 11286 is not exist communally owned.
The climate is subtropical highland, with dry, mild winters. The average annual temperature is 21 °C with maximum of 25.7 °C and minimum of 7.1 °C. The rainfall recorded between June and September, with an average rainfall of 982 millimeters. The average annual number of days with frost is 52.6. The prevailing winds are heading south.
The 26.37% of the population is engaged in the primary sector, the secondary sector at 26.45%, 42.31% to the tertiary sector and the rest were not specific. 30.78% are economically active. The main economic activities are: agriculture, forestry, fisheries, livestock, industry and services.
There are 2674 houses, most of which are privately owned. 96.33% have electric service, 76.93% have sewer and drinking water service. Most construction is usually made of tile, adobe, concrete and brick.
Services
The municipality has potable water, sewerage, street lighting, markets, rastro, cemeteries, roads, public clean, public safety, parks, gardens, and sports centers. The 89.9% of residents have drinking water, sewerage 80.9% and 93.3% of electric power.
According to Count II Population and Housing, the municipality has 11671 inhabitants, of whom 5502 are male and 6169 were female; 0.53% of the population are indigenous peoples
Religion
In the population 96.92% profess Catholicism; there are also believers of Jehovah's Witnesses, Protestants and believers of other religions. 0.30% of the inhabitants profess to practice no religion whatsoever.
