| Malinalco | |
| — Town & Municipality — | |
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  Malinalco
|
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| Coordinates: 18°56′54″N 99°29′41″W / 18.94833°N 99.49472°W | |
| Country |  Mexico |
|---|---|
| State | State of Mexico |
| Founded | 12th century |
| Municipal Status | 1826 |
| Government | |
| - Municipal President | Armando Reynoso Carrillo (2006-2009) |
| Elevation of seat | 1,740 m (5,709 ft) |
| Population (2005)Municipality | |
| - Municipality | 22,970 |
| - Seat | 6,523 |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| Postal code (of seat) | 52440 |
| Website | (Spanish) http:// www.malinalco.gob.mx/ |
Malinalco is a town and municipality located in the southwestern part of Mexico State, Mexico. Malinalco is to the south of Mexico State, more or less 65 kilometers from the city of Toluca. [1], about 70 km away from Toluca. This town serves as a municipality seat and is famous for its cultural traditions also for its natural wonders and the archeological site. Malinalco comes from the Nahuatl malinalli (place of the zacari flower). Malinalco was founded, according to legends, in the 12th century and named after Malinalxochitl who was an ambitious witch, sister of Huitzilopochtli, the most important god of the Mexicas. This is a folk etymology.
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The town
In the pre-Conquest era and well into the modern era, Malinalco lay on the main route from Tenochtitlan (present-day Mexico City), the principal city of the Mexica, to Acapulco.[2] Its origins are not well-documented but its reputation as a magical place of witches and sorcerers goes back centuries. The town was conquered by Axayacatl in 1476, who had a sanctuary and fort for the military elite built here. This complex, now known as the Cerro de los Idolos, is unique in the Americas.[3]Tribute goods were transported along this route on the backs of tamemes (bearers) from populations subjugated by the Mexica to Tenochtitlán.[2]
Attractions
The town's main historical attraction is an archaeological site in top of Cerro de los Idolos. Cerro de los Idolos is located west of the town. This site was constructed around the year 1502 by the Mexica emperor Axayacatl. In this archeological site there are a couple of buildings. Cuauhtinchan or House of the Tiger and Jaguar Warriors is the name for the main temple. This temple is carved into the rock of the mountain and there are only five of this type of monolithic temples in the world. In this temple, warriors were initiated into the Eagle and Jaguar warrior classes.
- The Dr. Luis Mario Schneider Museum of the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico. It has an interesting ethnobotanical exhibit. Many of the other artifacts recovered from archaeological sites are grouped by discoverer, which does not give a good sense of their place or function in the archaeological record.[2]
- Monastery of the Divino Salvador de Malinalco- Malinalco has been an important religious place from pre-Hispanic times and has continued as such to the present day. In 1533 Servants of the Dulce Nombre de Jesús founded the house of Malinalco. In 1540, following a council meeting that took place in San Agustin de México, it was agreed that the monastery would be built in Malinalco due to its pre- Hispanic importance, which made it a suitable location for the building of an important regional institution. That is how in 1543 this Augustinian monastery was founded and from where the evangelization of the entire region began. The convent includes a large atrium and a rectangular temple to the rear of which is monastery vegetable garden. An open chapel can be seen on the façade of the convent, which is sometimes use as a “porteria”. During the Colonial period, Augustinians founded a monastery here called the Divine Savior (Divino Salvador), managing to perserve many of the stone glyphs on the walls of the original Aztec building in which it was founded.[2][3]
Malinalco has a variety of hotels, small stores, beautiful restaurants and a wonderful downtown. An important part of Malinalco is its colonial streets where you can take a tour and admired typical colonial houses proper of the town. Recently in downtown many artist had installed a couple of ambulant stores of artisanal products that are really popular.
Malinalco's traditional culinary specialty is trout. This dish became popular here with the many pilgrims who stayed here while visiting the nearby shrine of Chalma. Many restaurants and street stands serve the fish in a variety of ways: wrapped in paper and steamed, fried, highly-spiced or "a la diabla" and covered in garlic butter. A traditional drink to have with the meal nowadays is a pineapple prepared with tequila, vodka or mezcal.[3]
The municipality
To the north it limits with Joquicingo which serves as a municipality, to the northeast with Ocuilán, also a municipality, to the northwest with Tenancingo, also a municipality, and to the south with the state of Morelos.The municipality of Malinalco covers a total surface area of 186.28 km², in the year 2000 census, reported a population of 21,712.[1][2]
The municipality is also home to the town of Chalma, a place of Roman Catholic pilgrimage. Chalma is the second most-visited Catholic temple in the whole nation.[2] In addition to this site, and outside the main town, there are many small barrios or villages, each having its own chapel. Most of these chapels were build between the 16th and the 17th centuries and many of these, such as those of Santa Maria, San Martin, San Guillermo, San Pedro, San Andres and La Soledad are considered to be works of art. For example, the chapel of San Juan has reliefs of Augustinian monks and the head of the encomendero of Malinalco, Cristobàl Romero.[3]
Near the town are a number of sites which contain cave paintings and ancient rock etchings, some of which are at least 2,000 years old. One of the best-known of these sites is Las Caritas, east of town on the other side of the highway. Here small faces are carved to the cave's rockface. Two other sites that contain small cave paintings are Los Diablitos and El Coyotito Rojo, both to the north of Malinalco proper.[3]
Economy
The main economic activities in Malinalco depended on the location of the town, in the north are ranching in center “fish sales” and commerce in general and in the south agriculture.[2]
Social organization
The last count done in 1998 there were 69 educational institutes in Malinalco. Among those institutions were taken all the educational levels: kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school, and special education.
Sports
Soccer is the most practiced sport in the entire municipality. There is a sport complex named "Arturo Orihuela" administrated by the municipal government. Inside this sport complex we can find a soccer stadium, three basketball courts, a volleyball court and an indoor soccer field.[4]
References
- ^ a b INEGI. "Mapa digital de México". Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática. http://galileo.inegi.gob.mx/website/mexico/viewer.htm?bsqTable=77&bsqField=CVEMUN&bsqStr=15087&TName=MGM&seccionB=mdm. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. (Spanish)
- ^ a b c d e f g Estado de Mexico. "Estado de Mexico, Malinalco". Secretary of Tourism of the State of Mexico. http://turismo.edomex.gob.mx/esp/esp/index.html#sectur=. Retrieved on 2002-02-03. (Spanish)
- ^ a b c d e Quintanar Hinojosa, Beatriz (August 2007). "Malinalco: El paraiso misterioso". Guía México Desconocido: Estado de Mexico 136: 22-31. ISSN 1870-9400. http://www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx.
- ^ Monografia de Malinalco
- García Payón, José (1947) Los monumentos arqueológicos de Malinalco. Revista Mexicana de Estudios Antropológicas 8(1):5-63.
- Hernández Rivero, José (2004) Ideología y práctica militar mexica: el cuauhcalli de Malinalco. 2nd ed. Private Publication, Mexico City.
- Noguez, Xavier (2006) El templo monolítico de Malinalco, Estado de México. Arqueología Mexicana 78:68-73.
- Smith, Michael E. (2008) Aztec City-State Capitals. University Press of Florida, Gainesville (in press).
- Townsend, Richard F. (1982) Malinalco and the Lords of Tenochtitlan. In The Art and Iconography of Late Post-Classic Central Mexico, edited by Elizabeth H. Boone, pp. 111–140. Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, DC.
External links
- Magic Malinalco
- malinalco.net
- The Corner Project of Malinalco
- Lugares de México - Malinalco in Spanish
Coordinates: 18°57′N 99°30′W / 18.95°N 99.5°W
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