Jocotepec

Jocotepec
Jocotepec
Municipality and town
	Coat of arms
	Location of the municipality in Jalisco
	Jocotepec Location in Mexico
	Coordinates: 20°17′10.82472″N 103°25′49.404″W / 20.2863402000°N 103.43039000°W
Country	Mexico
State	Jalisco
Government
• Type	Municipal
• Municipal president	José Miguel Gómez López, Citizens' Movement
Area
• Total	324.3 km2 (125.2 sq mi)
• Town	5.61 km2 (2.17 sq mi)
Population (2020 census)
• Total	47,105
• Density	150/km2 (380/sq mi)
• Town	20,286
• Town density	3,600/km2 (9,400/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central Standard Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (Central Daylight Time)
Website	jocotepec.jalisco.gob.mx

Jocotepec (Spanish pronunciation: [xokoteˈpek]) is a town and municipality, in Jalisco in central-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 324.3 km². As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 37,972.^[2]

History

Perhaps as early as 100 BC, nomadic bands of Indians passed through the Lake Chapala Valley. Some moved on, others settled on the shore. Jocotepec, once Xuxutepeque, a small fishing village at the western end of the Lake, became a permanent home for the Nahua Indians in 1361. They built a temple to their god, Iztlacateotl, and practiced human sacrifice. The village became a trading and ceremonial site for the surrounding mountain area.

"Xuxutepeque was the name given Jocotepec by its first Nahua settlers. (The last of the nomadic bands to settle in this area were the Purépecha.) It became a permanent home for the Nahuas in 1361. Xuxutepeque later became "Xilotepec", meaning "Hill of ear of Corn". Finally, with the arrival of the Spaniards, led by Jacob Tepec, the settlement's name became "Jocotepec" and was interpreted as meaning "Hill of Guavas". (Guavas are a small bitter-sweet tasting fruit.) The meaning of Jocotepec is thus derived: Xoco-tepe-K, meaning Xoco (fruit); Tepetl (hill); and K (place)."^[3]

In 1520, Captain Alonzo de Avalos was given this area as an encomienda (land grant). Chief Xitomatl, who then governed the area between Chapala, Jalisco and Jocotepec, submitted his territory to Spanish rule without a battle. In 1529, Jocotepec was formally founded, according to a title of property issued by Hernán Cortés, a copy of which can be found today in Jocotepec records.

Franciscan fathers then proceeded with conversion of the natives. Old Indian temples were destroyed and Catholic church foundations laid in their ruins. At that time, Jocotepec acquired its two religious protectors - Nuestro Senor del Monte and Nuestro Senor del Guaje.

The municipality of Jocotepec has a large variety of trees and plants, mostly located inside garden walls. The main plaza is surrounded by greenery, making it very inviting.

Vegetation is composed mainly of jacaranda, galeana, hule, pine, roble, cazuarina, mesquite, guamuchil, chaparrale and encino. Fruit trees such as mango, avocado, lime, lemon and orange are also abundant.

In North Jocotepec, acacia, huizache and palo-bobos predominate, while in the south (lake) side, there are a few sauce trees and sabinos. A large farm grows raspberries for export. Fields of corn and chayote are very common in this area.

Products of Jocotepec are mainly wool carpets in typical weaves and many colors, and the traditional serapes of this village. Another important industry is the fabrication of tiles, ready-made or made to the client's design. Wood and forged iron furniture can also be made to order. A large sweater factory is expected to soon start exporting. Recently, painting and music have been given a boost by local organizations promoting cultural events.

Jocotepec has two religious protectors: Nuestro Senor del Monte and Nuestro Senor del Guaje. A Fiesta Patronal (a religious celebration of these protectors) is held early in January. It lasts two weeks, and honors the first patron, the Lord of the Mountain, with daily masses, dances, cockfights, bullfights, parades and fireworks. Another fiesta, later in the year, honors Nuestro Senor del Guaje, but on a smaller scale.

The town has several sport recreation centers, 2 banks, and 2 gas stations.

Government

Municipal presidents

Term	Municipal president	Political party	Notes
1932^[4]	Julián Ibarra	PNR
1933	José María Aldrete	PNR
1933	Vicente Urzúa Gutiérrez	PNR
1934	Vicente Torres Olmedo	PNR
1934	Ramón Castillo	PNR
1935	Ignacio Aldana Cuevas	PNR
1936	José Vergara Olmedo	PNR
1937	??	PNR
1938	??	PRM
1939	Alberto Balcázar Chavoya	PRM
1940	Antonio Ramírez Ochoa	PRM
1941	Irineo Álvarez Bizarro	PRM
1942	Alberto Balcázar Chavoya	PRM
1943-1944	Porfirio Encarnación	PRM
1945-1946	Cirilo Cuevas Ornelas	PRM
1946	Porfirio Mena	PRI
1947	José Olmedo Valencia	PRI
1948	Francisco Jara Ramírez	PRI
1949	Donaciano Olmedo Núñez	PRI
1949-1952	Vicente Torres Olmedo	PRI
1953-1954	Jesús Navarro Chacón	PRI
1955	Catarino Olmedo Pérez	PRI
01/01/1956-31/12/1958	Andrés Vergara Olmedo	PRI
01/01/1959-31/12/1961	Mario González Barba	PRI
01/01/1962-1963	Juan José Cuevas	PRI
1963-31/12/1964	J. Jesús Rodríguez S.	PRI
01/01/1965-31/12/1967	Alberto García Ibarra	PRI
01/01/1968-31/12/1970	Arnulfo Vergara Ramírez	PRI
01/01/1971-31/12/1973	Jorge Ibarra Gálvez	PRI
01/01/1974-31/12/1976	José Reyes Prado	PRI
01/01/1977-31/12/1979	Carlos Rodríguez Mendoza	PRI
01/01/1980-31/12/1982	Salvador Huerta Chacón	PRI
01/01/1983-31/12/1985	María Guadalupe Urzúa Flores	PRI
01/01/1986-31/12/1988	Genaro Navarro Hoyos	PRI
01/01/1989-1992	Miguel Ibarra Ramírez	PRI
1992-1995	César Ramón López Jara	PRI
1995-31/12/1997	Lorenzo Camarena Martínez	PAN
01/01/1998-31/12/2000	José Olmedo Alonzo	PAN
01/01/2001-31/12/2003	Miguel Cuevas Jara	PRI
01/01/2004-31/12/2006	J. Jesús Palos Vaca	PVEM
01/01/2007-31/12/2009	Felipe de Jesús Rangel Vargas	PAN
01/01/2010-30/09/2012	Mario Guadalupe Chávez Morales	PAN
01/10/2012-30/09/2015	John Francis O'Shea Cuevas	PRI PVEM	Coalition "Compromise for Jalisco"
01/10/2015-30/09/2018^[5]	Héctor Manuel Haro Pérez	MC
15/10/2018-14/12/2020^[6]	José Miguel Gómez López	PAN PRD MC	Coalition "For Jocotepec to the Front". He applied for a temporary leave, because of ill health, COVID-19
15/12/2020-2021^[7]	Juan José Ramírez Campos	PAN PRD MC	Coalition "For Jocotepec to the Front". Acting municipal president
01/10/2021-30/09/2024^[8]	José Miguel Gómez López	MC	He was reelected on 06/06/2021