Atlixco

City Hall
Seal
Location in Mexico
Coordinates: 18°54′N 98°27′W / 18.9°N 98.45°W / 18.9; -98.45Coordinates: 18°54′N 98°27′W / 18.9°N 98.45°W / 18.9; -98.45
Country	Mexico
State	Puebla
Founded	1579
Municipal Status	1706
Government
• Municipal President	AngelAntonio Vazquez
Area
• Municipality	893.15 km2 (344.8 sq mi)
Elevationof seat	1,035 m (3,396 ft)
Population (2008)Municipality
• Municipality	125,000
• Seat Density	1,035/km2 (2,680.6/sq mi)
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
Postal code (of seat)	21019
Area code(s)	33
Demonym	Atlixquense
Website	(Spanish) Municipal Official Site

Atlixco (originally called Atrisco) is a city and a municipality in the Mexican state of Puebla. It is located only 24 km south of the city of Puebla, yet it is 300 meters lower in altitude, at 1840 m. This drop in altitude causes a noticeable change in the weather of the city compared to the surrounding regions of the "Sierra Nevada" (literally "Snowy Mountains"). This makes Atlixco renowned for its benign climate, which varies by only a few degrees Celsius year round.

Atlixco, which reported a population of 86,173 in the 2005 census, is located on the foothills of the Popocatépetl volcano. The city is the third-largest community in the state, after Puebla and Tehuacán. The municipality of Atlixco, which has an area of 229.22 km² (88.5 sq mi), reported a population of 122,149.

The city is an agricultural, commercial and industrial centre. Alfalfa, flowers, corn, wheat,and fruits are the main crops grown in the area. Textile factories, grain mills, and soft-drink plants are also located in the city, as well as several car dealerships.

In the past few decades, Atlixco has increasingly become a preferred area for country houses of residents of the city of Puebla, beginning in the 1970s with the development of the residential complex La Moraleda, and later El Cristo Golf Club.

Important highways link Atlixco with the cities of Puebla and Cuautla. The city also has an airport for private planes.

Atlixco is also the filming location for the telenovela Zacatillo, un lugar en tu corazón.

As a tourism spot for pueblans, Atlixco also offers entertainment infrastructure such as sport facilities i.e. soccer fields, tennis courts, cross country and hiking paths, and swimming pools. One of the memorable teams is the Atlixquenses Futbol Club located in La Concha soccer field, champions of Puebla Liberty Cup season 2001-02 when the midfielder Ricardo Marin scored the last goal who gives them the championship. He later moved to Los Angeles, California.

The University of Puebla (BUAP) has a Regional Section there.

History of Atlixco

Early History

The first settlers arrived in the 11th century and founded a settlement at the site of today's neighbourhood "Los Solares Grandes" in the San Miguel quarter of Atlixco. It was called "Quauhquechollan" or "Quauhquechula" meaning "fleeing eagle". Later, in Colonial times, it was called "Acapetlahuacan" ("place of división of the dominions"). The modern name "Atlixco" can be analyzed into atl 'water' + ixtli, 'face, surface' + -co 'in'.

By the 15th century it had grown into a big town.

After several wars with neighboring populations the town was resettled later on. It was then called "Huehuequauhquechollan", the old Quauhquechula. It was at that time when the pyramids and the ceremonial centre were built in what is today San Miguel.

The caciques of Atlixco were able to keep relatively independent from the dominant people of Huejotzingo.

As the valley of Atlixco forms a natural road to the centre of Mexico, Atlixco was of major importance for the colonial period.

During the era of New Spain it was the capital of the province of Atrisco, which was also the same of this place at that time.^[1]

References

• Link to tables of population data from Census of 2005 INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática
• Puebla Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México

1. ^ Peter Gerhard, Guide to the Historical Geography of New Spain (Cambridge: University Press, 1972) p. 57

See also

Mexico portal

• Municipalities of Puebla

External links

• Atlixco municipality Official website
• Atlixco
• Atixquense Grupos

v d e Heroic Cities of Mexico Alvarado (Veracruz) · Atlixco (Puebla) · Caborca (Sonora) · Cananea (Sonora) · Cárdenas (Tabasco) · Chiapa de Corzo (Chiapas) · Córdoba (Veracruz) · Cosoleacaque (Veracruz) · Cuautla (Morelos) · Ejutla de Crespo (Oaxaca) · Guaymas (Sonora) · Huajuapan de León (Oaxaca) · Huamantla (Tlaxcala) · Juchitán de Zaragoza (Oaxaca) · Matamoros (Tamaulipas) · Nogales (Sonora) · Puebla (Puebla) · Tenango del Valle (México) · Tlapacoyan (Veracruz) · Tlaxiaco (Oaxaca) · Valladolid (Yucatán) · Veracruz (Veracruz) · Ures (Sonora) · Zitácuaro (Michoacán)