Tequisquiapan - The Municipality

The Municipality

As municipal seat, the town of Tequisquiapan is the local governing authority for about two hundred other communities, which together cover a territory of 343.6 km. However, over 77% of the population is concentrated in five communities, with about 51% in the town of Tequisquiapan alone. The other major population centers are San Nicolás, La Fuente, Fuentezuelas and El Tejocote. The main economic activity of San Nicolás is the production of cinderblock, followed by agriculture. La Fuente’s main economic activity is agriculture with chili peppers, corn, tomatoes and beans as principle crops. La Trinidad is the center of opal mining in the municipality, but it also cultivates corn and beans.

The town and municipality are located in the far southeast of the state of Querétaro, just north of the small industrial city of San Juan del Río, and within three hour’s driving distance from both the city of Querétaro and Mexico City. This is one reason why it is a popular place to visit on weekends and many second homes have been constructed here. The municipality borders the municipalities of Colón, Ezequiel Montes, San Juan del Río and Pedro Escobedo with the state of Hidalgo to the east. The municipal government consists of a municipal president and thirteen officials called “regidors” to represent the various communities of the municipality.

The overwhelming majority of the population is Catholic, with a small but growing number in Evangelical groups and Jehovah's Witnesses.

There is one special education school which serves 160 students with sixteen teachers. There are sixteen preschools serving over two thousands young children between four and six years of age. There are thirty six primary schools. Middle school education is offered through two modes, distance education called “telesecundaria” and a general middle school system. Most attend the latter which are located in the larger population centers near the municipal seat. The telesecundarias are located in the communities of La Fuente, Los Cerritos, Fuentezuelas, El Tejocote, San José la Laja, Santillán, El Sauz, La Trinidad and San Nicolás. High school and vocational school education is offered on five sites.

Almost all residences in the municipality are occupied by their owners, with an average of 4.9 occupants per household. Basic municipal services such as running water, garbage and other services are available to 90% or more of the population with the exception of street lighting, which is available to only 60%. Residential construction has changed significantly since the mid 20th century with the introduction of concrete and cinderblock, which is now used in almost all new construction. This is common in Mexico but there is a local variation on roofing which is a vault with a ridgeline in two styles. Constructions dating from before the 1950s are now considered to be “rustic.” These are mostly found in the historic center of Tequisquiapan and a number of the oldest communities in the municipality. New constructions tend to imitate this style.

The main highway for the municipal is Federal Highway 120, which connects it south to San Juan del Río and north to the Sierra Gorda region of Querétaro into Xilitla in San Luis Potosí. Other important roads include State Highway 200 which connects it with Galeras, Huichapan and the city of Querétaro, and State Highway 126, connecting it to Tecozautla. Almost all of the municipality’s roads are paved with only 2.3% left as dirt or paved with stone. There are also roads that connect the eighteen communities of the municipalities as well as to the state of Hidalgo.

La Trinidad has an archeological site. The site was excavated in 2009 and 2010 and dates from 750 to 900 CE., around the time of the fall of Teotihuacan. It has been proposed to make it an ecotourism site called Dö Mëkuni. In addition to conserving the areas flora and fauna, it proposes to offer activities such as rappelling, zip-lines, rock climbing, fishing and more, along with a museum dedicated to the archeological site.

The municipality sponsors the annual Rally de Tequisquiapan, which is afflilated with the PAC auto championships. The rally begins in the town and winds its way along the highways of Querétaro in the mountain areas of the state.