page_title: Tlalmanalco
section_title: The municipality
hierarchical_section_title: Tlalmanalco / The municipality
caption_attribution_description: English: Main road through San Rafael, Tlalmanalco, Mexico State, Mexico
context_page_description: Tlalmanalco is a town and municipality located in the far south-eastern part of the State of Mexico. The name is from the Nahuatl language, meaning “flat area.” The municipality’s seal shows flat land, with a pyramid on it, representing its pre-Hispanic history, surrounded by small mountains, which is how the area was represented in Aztec codices. The municipality is bordered by the municipalities of Chalco, Ixtapaluca, Cocotitlan, Temamatla, Tenango del Aire, Ayapango and Amecameca. It also shares a border with the neighboring state of Puebla. Much of the municipality borders the Iztaccihuatl-Popocatepetl National Park. For this reason, Iztaccihuatl volcano dominates the landscape. The town has been designated as a “Pueblo con Encanto” by the government of the State of Mexico.
context_section_description: As municipal seat, the town of Tlalmanalco has governing jurisdiction for the following communities: San Antonio Tlaltecahuacán, San Lorenzo Tlalmimilolpan, San Rafael, Santo Tomás Atzingo, Ranchería San José Zavaleta, La Ladrillera, Rancho Santa Cruz, Rancho Cuautenampa (La Quebradora), La Escondida, Rancho la Mesa, Santa María, Restaurante el Arenal (Familia Carbajal), El Brasero, Gavillero (Rancho el Gavillero), Lomas del Pedregal, Santiago (Kilómetro Cincuenta y Ocho y Medio), Fraccionamiento Valle Plateado, Villa Rincón de las Montañas, La Presa, Ejido San Lorenzo (La Cañada), Rancho de la Huerta, El Durazno, Rancho Santa Rita, Terreno San Luis (La Nopalera), Rancho la Joya (La Rosa), Vista Hermosa, Fraccionamiento Vergel de la Sierra, El Trapiche (Xacalco), Rancho Alfa y Omega, Colonia Ejidal (San Juan Atzacoaloya), El Faro, El Capulín, Tiro de las Palomas, Colonia el Magueyal Dos, Rancho Carvajal, Rancho San Luis, Rancho Fernando de la Machorra, Rancho la Encumbre, Colonia la Esperanza, Tepopotal and Fraccionamiento las Palomas. Together, the municipality has a total area of 158.76 km2  and a population of 43,930.
  Uncultivated areas are mostly pine forest, which cover about 65% of the municipality. Only 17.9% of the land is used for agriculture, mostly growing corn during the rainy season. The area also has some livestock raising. About 40% of the municipality’s population is employed in industries such as paper and textile mills as well as small workshops. There is logging for wood as well, but this is heavily managed. Tlalmanalco has been designated as a “sustainability center” by the Foundation for Sustainable Development in Mexico in cooperation with the state government and UAM. This is in response to the deterioration of the environment in this area, as well as population growth, leading to demand for more public services.
  The major river here is called La Compañía, which has nine arroyos, one lake and seven aqueducts associated with it in the municipality. Much of the water flowing from this system comes from the Ayolotepito glacier. However, potable water availability is an issue here. In January 2008, 400 ranchers in the upper mountains of the municipality, who lack access to potable water themselves, protested and shut down a project to transport water to the lowlands and especially to the municipal seat. The protesters are demanding access to the water to be carried by the new line.
  The most important community in the municipality outside of the seat is San Rafael, located about 5 km east of the town of Tlalmanalco at the foot of the Iztaccihuatl volcano The town essentially was created due to the placement of the San Rafael paper mill, which reached its height of production between 1930 and 1970. Its old cinema and casino are still standing but empty, and there are a number of older houses that show the French influence that was popular in Mexico between the 19th and 20th centuries. The town is nearly surrounded by pine forest and there are many unpaved roads leading into it, most of which were cut by the paper mill.
  The municipality has a number of elevations, including Teyotl, a 4700 meters and Tlatlachelo at 3175 meters. The latter has some Toltec-era shrines at its peak.
caption: San Rafael
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