Jalpa, Zacatecas

Jalpa is a town located in the Mexican state of Zacatecas, close to the border with Jalisco and Aguascalientes and about a two hours drive south of the capital city, Zacatecas. Jalpa is a colonial-style city, with cobble stone streets, narrow walkways, two main churches: El Señor de Jalpa and La Parroquia de San Antonio, and two plazas. Jalpa was modeled by the French in the 19th century. In the middle of the plaza is a kiosk which remains in good shape today, after hundreds of years. Most houses are painted in bright colors just as in colonial times. The houses are made of adobe and share common walls and most have flat roofs.

Jalpa Zacatecas
City
Jalpa Zacatecas Show map of Zacatecas Jalpa Zacatecas Show map of Mexico
Coordinates: 21°38′15″N 102°58′40″W
Country	Mexico
State	Zacatecas

The original indigenous natives were the Caxcan, Chichimeca and Huichol people.

History

Origin of the town of Jalpa

It was a Nahuatl chiefdom in the 11th century. Jalpa was founded in 1532 by Spanish explorers in search of gold and silver. Jalpa was spelled "Xalpa" by its native Caxcan, Chichimeca, and Huichol people. The first encomendero was Diego Hernández de Proaño in 1540, at the beginning of the Mixtón Rebellion, he was expelled from Jalpa by the Caxcanes Indians themselves who participated in this fight, under the command of their chief Petacatl, with more than 10,000 natives led by the Heroic Tenamaztle, they defended with their death the freedom denied by the Iberians from 1541 to 1542.

Independence era

In the first decade of the 19th century, the War of Independence began, echoing in this municipality, and the first Zacatecan Insurgents appeared, such as Daniel Camarena from Nochistlán, Father José María Calvillo from Colotlán, the Oropeza brothers and the Viramontes, the latter from the Hacienda la Bernarda in the municipality of Jalpa.

After the failure of Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla in the Battle of Calderón Bridge in the state of Jalisco, on his way north he followed the route of the Juchipila canyon, arriving in Jalpa on January 18, 1811, spending the night there. At this time Jalpa had a mining boom, since the mines of Leonera and Monroy were exploited, calling the municipality Jalpa Mineral.

Background to the second French intervention

At this time Jalpa had an intervention by the French Forces in the so-called French Intervention in 1864, "a command of French infantry forces of about 300 men led by Mexican traitors occupied the square of Jalpa, in the foreign invasion with a view to conquering our national territory and subjecting it to French rule."^[1] Conquered by the Spanish, the Indian population intermixed with Spanish and other European peoples to form today's mestizos.

Population

The population is between ten and twelve thousand with most living within the town and surrounding communities. The population continues to grow since Jalpa is a significant transportation hub between the cities of Guadalajara, Aguascalientes, and Zacatecas. A large percentage of the population is older than 50 years; and there are significantly more females than males in the younger age bracket; the overall female to male ratio is about 50.9% to 49.1%. This disproportion is because more males migrate to the United States, whereas females usually stay. There are about 12,868 females and 12,428 males since 2020. ^[2]

The Leonera Mine operated in Jalpa and was the first site where the mineral jalpaite, a rare copper-silver-sulfide mineral, was discovered in 1858.^[3]

Much of the growth in Jalpa is fed by remittances in US dollars from former residents who have emigrated to the United States.^[4] Almost every family has at least one member, usually male, residing in the US.^[5]

Art and Culture

An image of a tastuan

Jalpa celebrates the *Tastuans Ritual* on July 25th, with participants dressing in cow-hair crests and wooden masks and donning bright capes. The festival includes theatrical battles, dancing, and religious ceremonies rooted in the Spanish conquest and local indigenous resistance.^[6]

Food

Birria, a popular dish in Jalpa

Jalpa is known for its delicious cuisine. Dishes include:

• *Asado de Bodas* – pork with regional chiles
• *Enchiladas Zacatecanas* – regional-style enchiladas
• *Birria* – lamb cooked with ancho and morita chiles and spices such as cloves, oregano, and cinnamon^[7]

Notable people

• Elba Guerrero – Former mayor and city council member of Huntington Park, California. Guerrero is known for her historic role as one of the first Mexican-American women of Jalpa heritage to serve in American municipal government. During her tenure, she helped designate **Jalpa, Zacatecas** as a **sister city of Huntington Park**.^[8]

• Adrian Ayub – Entrepreneur, conservative activist, and candidate for California State Assembly District 67. Ayub is the **first Lebanese-Mexican to run for political office in American history**. Jalpa is his **maternal ancestral hometown**, and he has publicly honored his roots in Mexico.^[9]