Jalpan de Serra - History

History

The name comes from Nahuatl and means “place over sand.” In 1976, the appendix “de Serra” was added to honor missionary Junípero Serra. The coat of arms for the city contains symbols of its history from its founding as a Franciscan mission in 1744 by Captain José de Escandón. There are four elements: “idolatry” represented by the goddess Cachúm in stone, the conquest and evangelism represented by a sword and crossed arms, the mixing of the two races represented by a double headed eagle eating a snake and the fourth represents the Jalpan and Tancoyol missions.

The first settlements in the area were founded between 1700 and 1000 C in the small valleys of the Sierra Gorda by people linked to Olmec areas. Afterwards, groups from the Teotihuacan, Toltec, Huasteca and Totonac cultures would settle in various parts as well. Jalpan is in the center of the Sierra Gorda, a region situated between the sedentary agricultural and mining cultures and the hunter-gatherer cultures to the north. The strongest cultural influences in the area during the Pre Classic period were Olmec, Teotihuacan and Huasteca, with major settlements to the south of the Jalpan area. Huasteca influence since that time has been strongest in the very north of Querétaro, where Jalpan is, although relatively few of the ethnicity have lived in the area. This is because of trade routes, especially along the Pánuco and Moctezuma Rivers. In the first millennium, Nahua tribes invaded the area, with artifacts such as “El adolecente Jalpanse” dated to between 600 and 1000 CE. However, many of these artifacts still show significant Huasteca influence.

By the late Post classic, the climate had dried to the point that much agriculture was no longer possible and many migrated out of the region. At the beginning of the 13th century, groups from the north, mostly Chichimecas: Pames, Jonaz and Ximpeces moved in en masse into the Sierra Gorda area, practicing hunting and gathering to sustain themselves. The Pames and Ximpeces also adapted gradually to village life and lived peacefully with neighboring cultures. Others, such as the Jonaz, never modified their warrior and hunter culture. They used the canyons and rough terrain of the area to launch attacks against more sedentary peoples nearby.

Around 1400, the P’urhépecha made incursions into the Sierra Gorda area after dominating the south of Querétaro somewhat, but never took control of the north. Tribes from the Sierra Gorda and north pushed the P’urhépecha south and west into the south of Guanajuato and to the Lerma River area. The Aztecs had better luck, nominally turning the Jalpan area into a tributary state under Moctezuma Ilhuicamina .

In 1527, Nuño de Guzmán conquered the Oxtipa dominion, to which Jalpan belonged. However, the Spanish did not take possession, due to the fierce opposition encountered, especially from the Chichimeca Jonaz. From then to the mid 18th century, there were various attempts to evangelize the Sierra Gorda area, including Jalpan by the Augustinians and Franciscans, but with little to no success. At the same time, there were military excursions, including the establishments of forts at Jalpan and in other places.

Pressure on the colonial government to take control of the area intensified as the need for secure links to Zacatecas and other mining areas as well as a buffer zone against the new French colony of Louisiana . José de Escandón was sent to pacify the area in 1740, which culminated in the defeat of the Jonaz at the Battle of Media Luna in 1749. This military action allowed for the permanent establishment of mission in the heart of the Sierra Gorda. In 1744, friar Pedro Pérez de Mezquía founded the Jalpan mission. It would be the first of five major missions of the area. The mission’s founding was bolstered by the locating of 54 indigenous families to the area from the city of Querétaro. In 1750, Junípero Serra arrived to the Jalpan mission and worked with Francisco Palou to convert and teach new economic strategies to the indigenous peoples. Serra would be credited with the successful evangelization of the Sierra Gorda.

The mission is Mexican Baroque with significant indigenous influence. It was constructed over a span of seven years and functioned as a hospital, dining hall and training center as well as a mission. The mission allowed the early development of economic activities such as agriculture, livestock and mining to groups other than the Pames, especially in a location called El Saucillo. The conquest of the Sierra Gorda would be the start of the domination of what is now the north of Mexico and into what is now the southwest United States, as the colonial government saw the importance of the region for economic development as well as a military buffer zone against the French and English.

During the Mexican War of Independence, an insurgent group under Captain Elosúa formed, which was defeated by the royalist army in 1819, burning houses and storage facilities in the town, leaving it in ruins.

In 1880, the first highway leading to the area was built connecting Jalpan to the state capital. This spurred economic development. In 1904, the governor of Querétaro, Francisco González de Cosío officially named Jalpan a city as it has telephone, telegraph and some electrical services as well as a sugar cane mill.

In 1910, a group called Club Aquiles Serdán was formed under Policarpo Olvera. Others, such as Coronel De la Peña, Conrado Hernandez and Malo Juvera fought against the Victoriano Huerta regime in 1913. There were also various military actions headed by Lucio Olvera between 1914 and 1924.

In the early 1930s, there was a political struggle between Rómulo Vega from Jalpan and General Porfirio Rubio de Agua Zarca for dominance in the region.

Between 1962 and 1970, a paved highway connecting Jalpan and the city of Querétaro was built. In addition a number of secondary roads, bridges, more electrical infrastructure and water services were constructed.

Between 1980 and 1985, the Jalpan mission, along with the four others underwent restoration. This work and more would eventually lead to the mission churches being declared a World Heritage Site in 2003, at a ceremony at the mission in Jalpan by local, state and UNESCO officials.

In 2003, the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro inaugurated the Jalpan Campus. The Universidad Tecnológica de San Juan del Río opened a campus the same year.The city gained a second tier profesional soccer team in 2004.

Since the mid 20th century, the municipality has been losing population due to lack of economic opportunities. So many have left the Sierra Gorda to work in the U.S. that schools have closed for the lack of students. This loss of students has been most noticeable at the primary school level.