Zacazonapan

**Zacazonapan** (pronooncit sah-kah-soh-NAH-pahn) is a veelage an municipality near Mexico Ceety. The name comes frae Náhuatl an roughly translates tae "in watter o the meadaes"

## The veelage

The aurie wis settled bi the Matlatzincas who wur conquered bi the Aztecs, makkin the aurie a border zone atween the Aztec Empire an Tarascan launds. Efter the faw o the Aztec Empire bi the Spaniards, the aurie wis subdued bi Andrés de Tapia an Gonzalo de Sandoval. They, amang ither conquistadors they exploitit the aurie's mineral deposits makkin it pairt o the “Real de Minas de Temascaltepec” (the day Valle de Bravo). Large haciendas dedicatit tae growin crops an raisin cattle wur established here as well. Evangelisation wis carriet oot bi Franciscans, who wur follaeed bi Spainyie faimilies bringin succar cane an fruit trees tae plant. In 1521, Zacazonapan wis includit in the Indie Republic o Tmascaltepec. The modren veelage o Zacazonapan haes its ruits in a hacienda kent as Santa Maria. It wis vera important tae the development o the aurie acause o the irrigation seestem it constructed on its launds, which constitutit hintle o wha is nou the municipality.

The veelage o Zacazonapan oreeginally belangit tae the municipality o Otzoloapan. Efter arrivin in the late 19t century, an receivin a wairm walcome, General Juan N. Mirafuentes started a movement tae mak the veelage a municipal seat separate frae Otzoloapan. This wis accomplished on 5 Apryle 1879 wi C. Juan de Dios Villafaña Salinas as the first municipal preses.

The aurie saw fechtin durin the Mexican Revolution, but mony faimilies hid or muivit awa durin the conflict. Durin the Cristero War, the aurie saw fechtin as well includin the captur an execution o three prominent Cristero priests. 

As a municipal seat in the State o Mexico, Zacazonapan wis remodeled bi Carlos Hank González in 1974. 

The population o the modren toun as o 2005 wis 2,718. 
The nearby ex-hacienda o Santa Maria, constructit in the 16t century wis declared a historic monument bi the Naitional Institute o Anthropologie an History in 1994 as well as the house o Victoriano Arroyo Garibay, constructit in 1900 due tae its airchitectur. Thare are unsplorit aircheological steids in the surroondin municipality an aw. 

The toun haes a sang written aboot it, written bi Rubén Méndez del Castillo, which wan seicont place in a sang contest in the state caipital o Toluca in 1972.

## The municipality
As municipal seat, the veelage o Zacazonapan is the govrenin authority for the follaein commonties: Alcantarilla, La Cañada, Naranjo, El Potrero, Santa María, Tizapa, Temascal, Arrastradero, El Puente, El Puerto, an Cerro Pelón alang wi 15 unnamit dounsets. The population o the entire municipality is 3,836.

It is bordered bi the municipalities o Otzoloapan, Tejupilco Temascaltepec an Valle de Bravo. The municipality haes a territory o 67.14 square km.

The municipality borders the edge o the Sierra Madre del Sur givin it an uneven landscape wi elevations such as the Cerro (hill) de La Pila, Cerro Sombrero, an Cerro Pelón. Housomeivver, tae the north thare are notable cerros such as El Xomil, Peña Colorada, an Peñas del Fraile an aw. The maist important river is the Temascaltepec, acause o its year-roond flow an as it receives the saisonal flow frae arroyos such as the Zacazonapan, La Papaya an San José. Thare is a series o freshwatter springs an aw.

In the mid 20t century, the economy o the municipality wis based on fishin, agricultur an the production o piloncillo, a succar cane product uised for saisonin. Agricultur (corn, tomato an husk tomato) an fish fermin are still the main occupations. The anerly ither significant economic activity, providin a significant nummer o jobs, is realisit bi Minera Tizapa, S.A. de C.V., which mines zinc, lead an copper, wi smaw amoonts o gowd an siller.

## References