page_title: Jocotitlán
section_title: Geography and environment
hierarchical_section_title: Jocotitlán / Geography and environment
caption_attribution_description: English: View of the Jocotitlan volcano in Jocotitlan, Mexico State, Mexico
context_page_description: Jocotitlán is a town and municipality located in the northwestern part of the State of Mexico on the central highlands of the country of Mexico. The town is located at the foot of the Jocotitlán or Xocotépetl volcano, while most of the rest of the municipality is in the Ixtlahuaca Valley. The area has culturally been Mazahua since the pre-Hispanic period, with this indigenous group's traditions strongest in a number of smaller communities in the municipality. Jocotitlán is also home to the Pasteje Industrial Park, which was established in the 1960s, and began the industrialization of the economy. Today, about half of the municipality is employed in industry.
context_section_description: The municipality is located between Ixtlahuaca and Atlacomulco, fifty four kilometers north of the state capital of Toluca. This area is in the northwest of the state, in the Ixtlahuaca Valley, which is formed by small mountain chains that belong to the Sierra Madre Occidental, with some formations as a result of being on the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. Elevation varies from 2,530 masl next to the Lerma River on the far south to 2,900, on one side of the Jocotitlán volcano, with an average of 2,770. However, much of the land in the area is relatively flat and covers much of the Ixtlahuaca Valley. The municipal seat is on the side of the volcano, with the rest of the municipality on the valley floor. Other elevations include hills in San Miguel Tenochtitlán, and Santiago Casandeje.
  The Jocotitlán volcano or Xocotépetl  is an isolated volcano and is the tallest peak in the immediate area.  It is inactive with an altitude of 3,928 meters above sea level at its peak, rising 1,300 meters above valley floor. The volcano developed during the Pleistocene of andesitic-to-dacitic lava flows. The most prominent feature of the volcano is a horseshoe-shaped escarpment open to the northeast that formed as a result of gravitational failure of the summit during the early Holocene. The resulting debris-avalanche deposit covers an eighty km² area to the northeast, although much of soils all around contain volcanic residues. The last known eruption occurred about 700 years ago, but there is still a possibility of it reactivating and should be monitored. The volcano is part of an ecological reserve as part of the Isidro Fabela State Park. On the road that leads up the volcano, there is a statue of the Virgin Mary. This road leads to a lookout point at the top, which allows for a view of about forty km in all directions. Visible from the valley floor are the radio and television transmission towers that are at the top.
  The rest of the municipality is basically flat, with a number of small ponds and lakes such as Santa Elena, San Clemente, Hierbabuena, La Soledad, El Toril, Los Árboles, San Jacinto, Cuendo, La Redonda, La Gorupa and Pasteje. There are also fresh water springs such as Las Fuentes, which supplies the municipal seat with its potable water. In areas without springs or ponds, there are wells, the largest of which is called Mavaro at the Lic. Andres Molina Enriquez Technical School. The climate is classified as temperate and semi humid with rains in the summer. The average annual temperature is 13.2 °C, with high reaching about 31 °C and lows to 4 °C. There can be frosts in late December and early January with the occasional snow, especially on the volcano. Tree species in the area include pine, oyamel, holm oak, cedar, eucalyptus and willow, but most trees are located on the volcano. The valley area is mostly farmland with some areas of grass, nopal cactus and other arid area plants. There are a large number of wild herbs, many of which are used for cooking and medicine. Most flowers in the area are cultivated. Wildlife includes rabbits, coyotes, bobcats, skunks, opossum, armadillos, squirrels, bats and foxes. Bodies of water often contains carp.
caption: View of the Jocotitlán Volcano
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