The history of Aguascalientes begins with the settlement of tribes of Chichimec origin. Aguascalientes was founded in October 1575 as part of Zacatecas, and in 1835 it became a free and sovereign state of Mexico.
They spent 21 years so that this separation was officially accepted and endorsed in the Mexican Constitution of 1857, thanks to the diligences of Lopez de Santa Anna.
Today it is an independent state that is located in the center of Mexico and that limits by the north and the west with Zacatecas, and by the south and the east with Jalisco.
Aguascalientes has an area of 5589 square kilometers, which represents 0.3% of the Mexican surface. That makes it one of the smallest states in Mexico.
It has a population that surpasses a million inhabitants, according to the 2010 census.
Background
Before the colonial period, Aguascalientes was a region occupied by several nomadic tribes of Chichimec origin.
When the Spanish conquerors arrived, in the 1520s, this territory belonged to the tribe of the Chichimeca and represented a border between the caxcanes (southwest), the zacatecos (to the north) and the guachichiles (to the east).
Around 1529, Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán led an expedition that crossed this territory and there discovered hot springs and mineral deposits.
Guzmán settled there several years during which enslaved many Indians and exploited many resources of the area.
During the 1530s, more Spaniards arrived in this territory and soon they gave it the name of Nueva Galicia.
Nueva Galicia included the perimeter of Aguascalientes and what is now known as Jalisco, Nayarit and Zacatecas.
Between 1540 and 1600 Nueva Galicia was a zone of war, given the indigenous resistance to the colonizing intentions of the Spaniards. Everyone who crossed the region was in danger.
This fact produced the devastation of many settlements in the area and the establishment of a military command between 1568 and 1580, to protect travelers.
Little by little, merchants and farmers were installed. All that traveled through the Ruta de la Plata passed through there.
Thus was born the Villa de Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion de Aguascalientes in 1575, with don Gerónimo de Orozco as governor, under the rule of King Felipe II. It was named after the abundance of hot springs in their lands.
However, the clashes continued until leaving a population of only 16 people by 1582.
Years later the Spaniards began peace negotiations with the Indians, until in 1593 the last confrontation took place and a time of peace began.
Little by little, Spaniards, Indians and blacks inhabited Aguascalientes and mixed, as reflected in the records of the parish of La Asunción.
It generated a mestizo population that began to work in agriculture and livestock.
Jurisdiction
Aguascalientes has changed political-administrative status throughout its history due to disputes between its neighboring states.
In 1617 Aguascalientes became mayor and continued its population growth for the following centuries, with some casualties due to the appearance of deadly epidemics that diminished the indigenous population.
However, in 1760 it had an estimated population of 34 thousand people. And in 1804 it became a part of Zacatecas.
In 1821, after the Mexican Revolution, Aguascalientes became an independent state. This autonomy lasted only 3 years, because in 1824 it became part of the state of Zacatecas.
Later, after his victory at the Battle of Guadalupe, General Antonio López de Santa Anna fought for Congress to recognize Aguascalientes as an autonomous territory, which he achieved in 1835.
Around this fact there is a legend according to which Santa Anna did this in honor of the kiss that a beautiful woman named Dona Maria Luisa Villa gave him.
The truth is that her husband, Pedro García Rojas, was the first governor of the state of Aguascalientes and held that position until 1836.
It was the cradle of the first workerist movements in Mexico and the headquarters of the Revolutionary Convention of 1914.
With this convention, peace was sought between the different forces that faced each other in the revolutionary struggles.
After the capture in Houston of General Santa Anna, the National Congress of Mexico returned to integrate the territory aguascalientense to the state of Zacatecas.
Six years later it was separated again and finally, in 1857, the Federal Constitution of the Mexican Republic formally recognized it as a free and sovereign state.
Current political division
Aguascalientes consists of eleven municipalities: Aguascalientes, San Jose de Gracia, Asientos, Tepezalá, Calvillo, Jesús María, Cosío, Pabellón de Arteaga, Rincón de Romos, El Llano and San Francisco de los Romo.
Its capital city, homonymous, is also known by the name of"the perforated city", by the system of underground tunnels that crosses it as a consequence of its mining history.
Economic activities in the history of Aguascalientes
In colonial times the main economic activities were agriculture, livestock and the construction of temples, convents and missions.
Also, the unraveling began in this period due to the presence of the Spanish and French ladies who exhibited their designs in the Central American land.
The opening of the Great Central Mexican Foundry and the installation of factories of different nature at the beginning of the 20th century, opened the doors to other activities.
The immigration that began in 1926 gave Aguascalientes a cultural wealth that affected the diversity of economic activities performed there: textile industry, livestock, wine production, auto parts manufacturing, fruit growing, electronics, among others.
At the same time, a system of roads was developed that connects the state with the main cities of the country and that facilitates trade between them.
It is the first producer of guava in Mexico. The export of frozen vegetables and peaches are very important activities in their economy.
Nissan, Xerox and Texas Instruments are some of the companies that have established subsidiaries there.
In fact, Aguascalientes is currently one of the states with the highest economic growth in Mexico.
Aguascalientes also plays an important role in the culture of Mexico by being the birthplace of the San Marcos Fair, one of the most important in Mexico.
References
- Aguascalientes (s / f). Historical review of Aguascalientes. Retrieved from: aguascalientes.gob.mx
- Exploring Mexico (s / f). Aguascalientes history. Recovered from: explorandomexico.com.mx
- Scchmal, John (2004). Aguascalientes: The geographic center of Mexico. Retrieved from: houstonculture.org
- Viva Aguascalientes (s / f). Historical review. Recovered from: vivaaguascalientes.com
- Wikipedia (s / f). Aguascalientes Retrieved from: en.wikipedia.org