Villa de Etla - History

History

The name means “town of the land of beans” mixing Spanish and Nahuatl. “Villa” is from Spanish and means “town” and “Etla” comes from Nahuatl meaning in “land of beans.” The Zapotec name for the area is Loohvana, which refers to the land’s fertility.

Most of the history of this town has been lost due to the lack of records. Oral tradition states that the settlement was founded sometime in the 15th century. The decisive Battle of La Carbonera was fought on October 18, 1866 near to Etla during the war caused by the French intervention in Mexico.

The last few years of the municipality has been marked by political instability. This has negatively impacted public works such as the repaving of roads, electrification and a non functioning water treatment plant, with delays as long as 15 years. In 2008, Federal Highway 190 and the main entrance to town were blocked by those protesting the lack of potable water for three months in 2008. The protesters claimed they had running water irregularly only about once a week and sometimes not even that. In 2010, a group of over a hundred residents took over the municipal palace to force the state government to reinstitute Alma Delia Ramos as municipal president. A previous first takeover ended peacefully but without the desired results of the protestors. The latest protests and blockades have centered on the government of Danial Ramírez Ramírez from April to May 2011. This municipal president has been accused of nepotism, putting family and friends on municipal payrolls for no work. He has also been accused of threatening the homes and lives of those who oppose him. Protestors have principally called for and received state-led investigations into the matter, in order to avoid escalation. There have been various incidents over these two months from the blocking of Federal Highway 190, to the blocking of all six main entrances to the town to the takeover of the municipal palace. However, there have been other demands by protestors such as the stop to the construction of a “Súper Precio” commercial center which they say would negatively affect about 300 local merchants.