Tlayacapan - Economy

Economy

The area’s economy is decidedly a rural one; however the overall municipality is not considered to be economically marginalized. One community is ranked as extremely poor and eleven ranked as poor, accounting for just under 2,200 of the municipality's total population.

Agriculture and livestock form at least part of the economic base for over 90% of the population. Almost all farming occurs during the rainy season from June to October. Important crops include tomatoes, corn, beans, squash and cucumbers. However, the growing of tomatoes has decreased due to plant infestations, costs of herbicides and insecticides and falling market prices. Most of the municipal land was held communally in ejidos until recently, when constitutional changes have allowed more land to pass into private hands.

While agriculture remains the backbone of the area's economy, pottery is important culturally. This area’s pottery has been produced the same way since the colonial period, with many of the same designs. Most workshops are family owned and generational, although only 1% of the population makes a living this way, and most is made in the Texcalpan or Santiago neighborhood. In addition to its own pottery, a number of stores have become distributors of crafts from other parts of the state as well as from Michoacán, Querétaro, Guanajuato and Puebla.

Mining was done there in colonial times but there are no records indicating exactly where. Some stories indicate that gold was mined in the Tlatoani Hill and silver in Popotlán. Some openings in these mountains have been found but have not been explored. The area has deposits of lime, plaster, andesite, basalt and other volcanic rock, but these are not currently exploited.

Tourism is also considered important, due to attractions such as the former monastery and the La Cerería museum, but this only employs .25% of the population. There are 23 stores in the municipality. Tourism and commerce together employ 7.3% of the population. Tlayacapan is part of the Ruta del Volcan, which is a tourist route set up by the state tourism trust. This route also includes Tepoztlan and Yecapixtla, with the “volcán” referring to the Popocatépetl volcano. Due to is “historic attributes”, there have been calls for the town to become a “Pueblo Mágico” (a program sponsored by the federal government), and it is being considered for inclusion.