State of Zacatecas
Flag Coat of arms
Location within Mexico
Country	Mexico
Capital	Zacatecas
Municipalities	58
Largest City	Zacatecas
Government
- Governor	Amalia García Medina (PRD)
- Federal Deputies	PRD: 4 PAN: 1
- Federal Senators	PRD: 2 PAN: 1
Area Ranked 10th
- Total	73,252 km² (28,282. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. Zacatecas is a city in Mexico, the capital of the state of Zacatecas. Municipalities ( municipios in Spanish) are the second-level administrative division in Mexico (where the first-level administrative division is the The major metropolitan areas of Mexico, as reported in the 2005 census Incorporated places over 100 Zacatecas is a city in Mexico, the capital of the state of Zacatecas. The United Mexican States (or Mexico) is a union of 31 thirty one States and one Federal District (the Mexican Federal District, or Distrito Amalia Dolores García Medina (born October 6 1951) is a Mexican politician and the current governor of Zacatecas. The Party of the Democratic Revolution (in Spanish: Partido de la Revolución Democrática, PRD is one of the three main political parties in Mexico. The Chamber of Deputies (in Spanish: Cámara de Diputados) is the lower house of the Congress of the Union, Mexico 's bicameral The Party of the Democratic Revolution (in Spanish: Partido de la Revolución Democrática, PRD is one of the three main political parties in Mexico. The National Action Party ( Spanish Partido Acción Nacional) known by the acronym PAN, is a conservative and Christian democratic The Senate ( Spanish: Cámara de Senadores or Senado) is the upper house of Mexico 's Bicameral Congress. Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. The following table presents a listing of Mexico 's 31 federal states (and its Federal District, officially not a state ranked in order of their surface area Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of 8 sq mi)
Elevation	2,347 m (7,700 ft)
Population (2005)
- Total	1,367,692 (Ranked 25th)
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
HDI (2004)	0. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. The elevation of a Geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point often the mean sea level. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The following table is a list of the 31 federal states and the Federal District of Mexico, ranked in order of their total population based on data from the 2000 and The Central Time Zone observes Standard time by subtracting six hours from UTC during standard time ( UTC−6) and five hours during Daylight saving Areas using UTC−6 Single zone countries Belize Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Daylight saving time ( DST The Central Time Zone observes Standard time by subtracting six hours from UTC during standard time ( UTC−6) and five hours during Daylight saving UTC−5 is the Time offset used in the North American Eastern Time Zone during Standard time and in the North American Central Time Zone during The Human Development Index ( HDI) is an index combining normalized measures of Life expectancy, Literacy, Educational attainment, and GDP 7563 - medium Ranked 26th
ISO 3166-2	MX-ZAC
Postal abbr. The following table presents a listing of Mexico 's 31 federal states (and its Federal District, officially not a state ranked in order of their Human Development ISO 3166-2 is the second part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO	Zac.

Zacatecas is one of the 31 constituent states of Mexico. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. It is located in the north-central region and it is bounded to the northwest by Durango, to the north by Coahuila and Nuevo León, to the east by San Luis Potosí, to the south by Aguascalientes and Guanajuato and to the southwest by Jalisco and Nayarit. Durango (duˈɾaŋgo is one of the constituent States of Mexico. Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of Mexico 's 31 component states. Nuevo León ( Spanish for "New León " after the former kingdom in Spain) is a state located in northeastern Mexico. San Luis Potosí is the name of both a state in Mexico and that state's capital city Aguascalientes ˌaɰwaskaˈljen̪t̪es is a state of Mexico, situated in the center of the country Guanajuato is the name of a state in Mexico and that state's capital city as well as a river in the area Jalisco is a state in Mexico. The capital of Jalisco is the city of Guadalajara. Nayarit is one of Mexico’s 31 states and is located on the central west coast bordering the Pacific Ocean. The state is best known for its rich deposits of silver, its colonial architecture and its importance during the revolution. The state is also known as one of the safest states in the country. Zacatecas has 58 municipalities and the main economic activities are mining, agriculture and tourism. The state shares its name with its capital and chief center of population, the city of Zacatecas, Zacatecas. Zacatecas is a city in Mexico, the capital of the state of Zacatecas.

Contents 1 Etymology 2 Foundation 3 Geography 4 Nature 5 Economy 6 Demographics 6.1 Cities 6.2 Tourist destinations 7 Government 8 Municipalities 9 Major communities 10 Notable people 11 Notes 12 External links

Etymology

"Zacatecas" is the Nahuatl-derived name for one of the indigenous peoples who inhabited the region before the arrival of the Spanish. Nahuatl ( is a group of related languages and dialects of the Aztecan or Nahuan branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family The name ultimately derives from the Nahuatl word for a type of grass common in the region, zacatl. The region where this grass grew was originally called Zacatlan, and its inhabitants, Zacateca, pluralized in Mexican Spanish to Zacatecas. Mexican Spanish ( español mexicano in Spanish is the Spanish language as it is spoken in Mexico.

Besides the Zacatecas, the Caxcan, Guachichil, and Tepehuan were also reported by the Spanish to be inhabiting the region which comprises the modern state of Zacatecas. The Zacatecos (or Zacatecas) were an indigenous people inhabiting part of northern Mexico, one of the peoples called Chichimecas by the Aztecs The Caxcan were a partly nomadic people The Caxcan were allied with the Zacatecos against the Spaniards during the Mixtón Rebellion During the rebellion Of all the Chichimeca natives the Guachichiles occupied the most extensive territory The Tepehuán ( Tepehuanes or Tepehuanos) are an indigenous ethnic group in northwest Mexico whose villages at the time of Spanish conquest spanned a large territory

Foundation

On September 8, 1546, with the discovery of its mines, the present city of Zacatecas was founded. Events 70 - Roman forces under Titus sack Jerusalem. 1264 - The Statute of Kalisz It was originally baptized "Minas de los Zacatecas" or "Mines of the Zacatecas". Its rich mineral wealth gave the Spanish Crown a great amount of income (the silver mines in Zacatecas and Potosi, Bolivia, were the Spanish crown's largest sources of income during colonialism), which gave the city of Zacatecas the title of "Ciudad de Nuestra Señora de los Zacatecas".

Geography

Zacatecas is located in the great central plateau of Mexico, with an average elevation of about 7,700 feet (2,300 m). The state is somewhat mountainous, being traversed in the west by lateral ranges of the Sierra Madre Occidental, and by numerous isolated ranges in other parts – Mazapil, Norillos, Guadalupe and others. The Sierra Madre Occidental is a mountain range in western Mexico and the extreme southwest of the United States, extending 1500 km from southeast Arizona There are no large rivers, only the small head-streams of the Aguanaval in the north, and of the Guazamota, Bolaños and Juchipila in the west, the last three being tributaries of the Rio Grande de Santiago. The climate is dry and mostly falls in the semi-arid steppe type, although moisture from the Pacific does influence the state in Summer, particularly western sections.

Nature

There are forest of pines and evergreens in the sierras; in the valleys and plains there is a great abundance of mesquite, maguey, cactus, agave, pastures, huisache, and many other semi-desertic plants. This article is about the tree For other uses of the term "pine" see Pine (disambiguation. In Botany, an Evergreen plant is a plant having leaves all year round Mesquite (from Nahuatl mizquitl) is a leguminous plant of the Prosopis genus found in Northern Mexico and the United The Century Plant or Maguey ( Agave americana) is an Agave originally from Mexico but cultivated worldwide as an ornamental plant A cactus (plural cacti) is any member of the Spine plant family Cactaceae, native to the Americas Agave is a succulent Plant of a large Botanical Genus of the same name belonging to the family Agavaceae. Acacia farnesiana var farnesiana, commonly known as huisache or sweet acacia, is an Acacia tree or shrub which grows readily when disturbed

In the sierras there are many wild boar, white-tailed deer and hares; in the valleys and plains it is common to find coyote, badgers, quails and ducks. The boar or wild boar ( Sus scrofa) is an Omnivorous, gregarious Mammal of the biological family Suidae. The White-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus) also known as the Virginia deer, or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized Deer found throughout Hares and jackrabbits are Leporids belonging to the Genus Lepus. The coyote (kaɪˈoʊti ˈkaɪoʊt ( Canis latrans) also known as the prairie wolf, is a Mammal of the order Carnivora Badger is the Common name for any animal of three subfamilies which belong to the family Mustelidae: the same Mammal family as the Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized Birds in the Pheasant family Phasianidae, or in the family Odontophoridae. For duck as a food see Duck (food; for other meanings see Duck (disambiguation.

Economy

The agricultural products are cereals, sugar and maguey, the first being dependent on the rainfall, often failing altogether, the second on irrigation in the lower valleys, and the latter doing best in a dry climate on a calcareous soil with water not far beneath the surface. Sugar is a class of edible Crystalline substances mainly Sucrose, Lactose, and Fructose. The Century Plant or Maguey ( Agave americana) is an Agave originally from Mexico but cultivated worldwide as an ornamental plant There is also a considerable production of peaches, apricots and grapes, the last being made into wine. The peach ( Prunus persica) is a species of Prunus native to China that bears an edible juicy fruit also called a peach The Apricot ( Prunus armeniaca, "Armenian plum" in Latin syn For the Tokyo University supercomputer see Gravity Pipe. GRAPE, or GRA phics P rogramming E nvironment is Wine is an Alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of Grape juice A few cattle are raised, and considerable attention is given to the rearing of sheep, goats and swine. Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domesticated Ungulates a member of the Subfamily Bovinae of the family The domestic goat ( Capra aegagrus hircus) is a subspecies of goat Domesticated from the Wild goat of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe Pigs, also called hogs or' swine', are Ungulates which have been domesticated as sources of food leather and similar products since ancient times A natural product is guayule, a shrub from which rubber is extracted. Parthenium argentatum, commonly known as Guayule (/gwɑː'juː

The chief industry of Zacatecas, however, is mining for silver, gold, mercury, copper, iron, zinc, lead, bismuth, antimony and salt. Mining is the extraction of valuable Minerals or other geological materials from the earth usually (but not always from an Ore body Silver (ˈsɪlvɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol " Ag " (argentum from the Ancient Greek: ἀργήντος - argēntos gen Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79 Mercury (ˈmɜrkjʊri also called quicksilver or hydrargyrum, is a Chemical element with the symbol Hg ( Latinized hydrargyrum Copper (ˈkɒpɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol Cu (cuprum and Atomic number 29 Iron (ˈаɪɚn is a Chemical element with the symbol Fe (ferrum and Atomic number 26 Zinc (ˈzɪŋk from Zink is a Metallic Chemical element with the symbol Zn and Atomic number 30 Characteristics Lead has a dull luster and is a dense, Ductile, very soft highly Bismuth (ˈbɪzməθ is a Chemical element that has the symbol Bi and Atomic number 83 Antimony (IPA (Received Pronunciation, /ˈæntɪmoʊni/ (US is a Chemical element with the symbol Sb (stibium meaning "mark" and For sodium chloride in the diet see Salt. Sodium chloride, also known as common salt, table salt, or Halite, is a Its mineral wealth was discovered soon after the conquest, and some of its mines are among the most famous of Mexico, dating from 1546. A mineral is a naturally occurring substance formed through geological processes that has a characteristic chemical composition a highly ordered atomic structure and specific One of the most productive of its silver mines, the Alvarado, has records which show a production of nearly $800,000,000 in silver between 1548 and 1867. Thanks to Zacatecas and its mines, Mexico has been the largest producer of silver in the world.

The state is traversed by the Mexican Central and the Mexican National railways. Its manufactures are limited chiefly to the reduction of mineral ores, the extraction of rubber from guayule, the making of sugar, rum, mezcal, pulque, woollen and cotton fabrics, and some minor industries of the capital. Rum is a Distilled beverage made from Sugarcane by-products such as Molasses and sugarcane Juice by a process of fermentation Mezcal (from Nahuatl mexcalli, "earth roast maguey hearts" wrongly known as 'mescal' is a Mexican distilled spirit protected by International Pulque, or octli, is an Alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of the Maguey, and is a traditional native beverage Wool is the fiber derived from the specialized skin cells called follicles of animals in the Caprinae family principally sheep, but the hair of certain species Cotton is a soft staple Fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant ( Gossypium sp

Demographics

The state of Zacatecas has a population of 1,441,734 inhabitants. It has more than tripled in a century, in 1900 its population was 462,190. Year 1900 ( MCM) was an exceptional Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar About 75% of the population is mestizo and 25% is white. Mestizo is a Spanish term that was coined during the Spanish Empire to refer to people of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry in Latin The Caucasian race, sometimes the Caucasoid race, is a term of Racial classification, coined around 1800 by Johann Friedrich Blumenbach for the " In the year 2000, Zacatecas had the smallest indigenous population percentage-wise in Mexico: 0. 3%. Only the state of Aguascalientes has a smaller number of indigenous people, numbering 3,472; Zacatecas has 4,039 indigenous people. ^[1] In the last ten years, Zacatecas' population has grown a mere 6%, well below the country's average growth of 20%. ^[2] It is estimated that half of the people from Zacatecas do not reside in the state. The biggest concentration of Zacatecanos outside Mexico is in the United States, with a population of approximately 800,000-1,000,000, almost as many people as in the state itself. Most are concentrated in cities such as, Chicago, Denver, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Phoenix. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. The City and County of Denver (pronounced /ˈdɛnvɚ/ is the Capital and the most populous city of Colorado, in the United States Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Phoenix (ˈfiːˌnɪks O'odham Skikik, Yavapai Wasinka, Western Apache Fiinigis, Navajo Hoozdo, It fact, there are more Zacatecanos living in the Los Angeles area than in the city of Zacatecas itself. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West

Cities

The largest city in terms of population in the state of Zacatecas is Fresnillo, with a population of 183,236 (2005). It is followed by the state capital of Zacatecas with a population of 118,562 (2005). Zacatecas is a city in Mexico, the capital of the state of Zacatecas. Next is Sombrerete with 61,652.

Fresnillo	Zacatecas	Sombrerete	Jerez
Tlaltenango

Tourist destinations

The state has touristic cities like: Zacatecas, and Sombrerete. Zacatecas is a city in Mexico, the capital of the state of Zacatecas. Sombrerete is a colonial city and its surrounding municipality of the same name located in western part of the Mexican state of Zacatecas. The city and surrounding municipality of Jerez de García Salinas is located in the center of the state of Zacatecas, Mexico. The municipality of Tlaltenango de Sánchez Román is located in the southwestern portion of the Mexican state of Zacatecas. Zacatecas is a city in Mexico, the capital of the state of Zacatecas. Sombrerete is a colonial city and its surrounding municipality of the same name located in western part of the Mexican state of Zacatecas. Near Sombrerete is a small town called La Noria, it is small but on July 27 they have a big festival celebrating the saint "San Pantaleon". There are other places like Jerez, and places like Sierra de Organos, Sierra de Cardos, Altavista. The city and surrounding municipality of Jerez de García Salinas is located in the center of the state of Zacatecas, Mexico. Arriba fresnillo.

• Zacatecas: The colonial center of this city is a UNESCO World Heritage site and features elaborately decorated buildings, cobblestoned streets, and wrought-iron lanterns.
• Sombrerete: Colonial city established in 1555 as a village, actually is a small city, is the fifth most important in the state, and considered the second most beautiful city in the state. The city features old and beautiful churches built in the New Spain Era, decorated and old buildings. The municipality had touristic forests, and Sierra de Organos, famous place in the world for filmed western movies.
• Jerez de Garcia Salinas: A city near the capital city of Zacatecas (Zacatecas City), has colonial buildings and the Santuario and Parroquial Churches, made known internationally by Lopez Velarde, a writer born in that city. It also has beautiful colonial buildings some of which are now lighted at night. Jerez was designated as a "Pueblo Mágico" in 2007 because of its customs, traditions, cuisine and its people. More than 20 years in the past (1988) it had already been designated as a National Monument.

Government

The current governor of Zacatecas is Amalia García Medina (PRD) who will end her 6 year term in 2010 after winning the election of 2004. Amalia Dolores García Medina (born October 6 1951) is a Mexican politician and the current governor of Zacatecas. The Party of the Democratic Revolution (in Spanish: Partido de la Revolución Democrática, PRD is one of the three main political parties in Mexico. She became the first female governor on September 12, 2004. The state is represented by three representatives in the Mexican senate: Mejía Haro Antonio (PRD), Tomás Torres Mercado (PRD) and José Isabel Trejo Reyes (PAN). The Senate ( Spanish: Cámara de Senadores or Senado) is the upper house of Mexico 's Bicameral Congress. The Party of the Democratic Revolution (in Spanish: Partido de la Revolución Democrática, PRD is one of the three main political parties in Mexico. Tomás Torres Mercado is a Mexican politician affiliated to the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD who has been elected to serve as senator from The Party of the Democratic Revolution (in Spanish: Partido de la Revolución Democrática, PRD is one of the three main political parties in Mexico. The National Action Party ( Spanish Partido Acción Nacional) known by the acronym PAN, is a conservative and Christian democratic Zacatecas also has 9 representatives in the Mexican Chamber of Deputies: 9 of the Party of the Democratic Revolution, 3 of the National Action Party and 1 of the Ecologist Green Party. The Chamber of Deputies (in Spanish: Cámara de Diputados) is the lower house of the Congress of the Union, Mexico 's bicameral The Party of the Democratic Revolution (in Spanish: Partido de la Revolución Democrática, PRD is one of the three main political parties in Mexico. The National Action Party ( Spanish Partido Acción Nacional) known by the acronym PAN, is a conservative and Christian democratic The Ecologist Green Party of Mexico ( Spanish: Partido Verde Ecologista de México known by the abbreviation PVEM)is one of the six political parties

Municipalities

Main article: Municipalities of Zacatecas

Zacatecas is subdivided into 58 municipalities (municipios). The Mexican state of Zacatecas is made up of 58 municipalities ( municipios). A municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a City, Town, or Village, or Mazapil by far is the largest municipality in the state, occupying about 16% of the area of the state. The Municipality of Momax is the smallest one in area with only 164. 538 km².

Major communities

• Fresnillo
• Guadalupe
• Jalpa
• Jerez de García Salinas
• Juan ALdama
• Loreto
• Ojocaliente
• Río Grande
• Sombrerete
• Victor Rosales
• Zacatecas
• Valparaiso
• El Tejujan
• Chalchihuites

See also List of towns in Zacatecas

Notable people

• Antonio Aguilar, singer, actor
• Cynthia Klitbo, actress
• Pepe Aguilar, singer
• Rebecca de Alba, model
• Susana González, actress
• Don Juan de Oñate, Mexican-born conquistador of Spanish parents
• Mateo Correa Magallanes, 1866-1927, saint and martyr
• Manuel María Ponce, composer
• Los Temerarios, music group
• Ramón López Velarde, Mexican poet of the 19th Century, poet of "La Suave Patria"
• Florinda Meza, actress
• Sergio Santana, soccer player
• Benjamin Galindo, former soccer player
• Maria del Rosario Castro

Notes

External links

• Zacatecas state government
• Zacatecas travel guide from Wikitravel
• (Spanish) Towns, cities, and postal codes in Zacatecas

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