Los Altos de Jalisco

Los Altos de Jalisco, or the Jaliscan Highlands, are a geographic and cultural region in the eastern part of the Mexican State of Jalisco, famed as a bastion of Mexican culture, cradling traditions from Tequila production to Charrería equestrianism. Los Altos are part of the greater Bajío region of Mexico, considered to be one of safest regions with one of the highest qualities of life in Latin America.[1][2][3][4][5]

Los Altos de Jalisco

Jaliscan Highlands
Region of Mexico
Coordinates: 21.17°N 104.41°W / 21.17; -104.41
Municipalities21
StateJalisco
Population
 (2010)
 • Total925,648
Demonym(s)Alteño(a)
Spanish for Highlander

Los Altos are known for their high quality of life, for historic Mexican colonial architecture, and numerous traditional Mexican arts, primarily equestrianism, Mariachi, Tequila production, and traditional Mexican dances and festivals. A significant portion of the population consists of Mexicans of European descent, primarily descended from the criollos of Castillian, Galician, Basque, and Andalusian origin, but also from early Portuguese settlers and later French, Irish, and Italian, German, Dutch, Slavic and Greek immigrants, among others.[6][7][8][9][10]

History
Templo de San Miguel in Yahualica de González Gallo, built in 1542.

The region's native inhabitants, the Chichimeca people, were conquered in the 16th century by Spanish conquistadors led by Captains Hernando Martel and Pedro de Anda in the Chichimeca War.

The first towns that inhabited the region were the Chichimeca nations, a name given by the Mexicas to a group of indigenous peoples who lived in the center and north of the country.[11]

The casualties that the Spanish conquerors incurred in the region due to the Chichimeca attacks led them to answer with a warlike genocidal tactic. They took to the Altos de Jalisco, rural Castilian militiamen, who have the great majority of French descent who arrived in Castile, Spain during early of Middle Ages to repopulate the center of Spain. However, there were also Portuguese, Basques, Italians and Flemishs (natives of Flanders), who had previously fought against Turks and Moors during the Reconquista. In this way, among Europeans and Indians, the crucible of races so uncharacteristic of this region was formed.[12]

There is also some evidence of Sephardic Jewish settlement in the region during colonial times.[13][14][15]

After the French intervention in Mexico within the early 1860s, the French forces were expelled from México under the order of General Eulogio Parra in 1866. However, some French communities stayed in the obscured areas of Los Altos, Jalisco.[16][17][18][19][20]

Culture
San Juan de los Lagos.

Tequila

Los Altos is one of the two main tequila producing regions in the state of Jalisco, the other being the municipality of Tequila, Jalisco. The main tequila producing center in the region is Arandas[21] and the second region is Atotonilco El Alto.[22]

Charro

Jalisco's charro tradition is particularly strong in the Los Altos region. In Spain, a charro is a native of the province of Salamanca, especially in the area of Alba de Tormes, Vitigudino, Ciudad Rodrigo and Ledesma.[23] It's likely that the Mexican charro tradition derived from Spanish horsemen who came from Salamanca and settled in Los Altos de Jalisco.

Architecture of Los Altos

Many of Los Altos's older architectural structures, including entire sections of Pre-Hispanic and colonial, have been designated World Heritage sites and Pueblo Mágico for their historical, cultural, artistic significance. Lagos de Moreno is only one city in Los Altos de Jalisco on the lists of Pueblo Magico out of 121. The architecture in Los Altos are heavy influenced by European architects during the Spanish Colonial to early WWI era.

Valle de Guadalupe.
Arandas.

Pilgrimage

Los Altos have many shrines. San Juan de los Lagos is the second most visited pilgrimage shrine in Mexico, after the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City . The numerous shrines are important tourist attractions for the state of Jalisco:

Administration
Jalostotitlán.
Teocaltiche.
San Miguel el Alto.
Encarnación de Díaz.

Since 1996, Los Altos has been organized administratively by the state of Jalisco into two regions, the North Highlands (Altos Norte) and the South Highlands (Altos Sur).

North Highlands

The North Highlands (Altos Norte) region covers 8,882 km², which represents 11% of the state's territory. The municipalities in the region are the following:

Lagos de Moreno is the municipality seat of the North Highlands. In this region, factories develop clothing, furniture, footwear, metal goods, sweets and jams. Some of the municipalities in this region have a very important livestock activity mainly in the production of dairy products.

South Highlands

The South Highlands (Altos Sur) region has 6,667 km², which is 5% of the state's surface. The municipalities of this region are the following:

Tepatitlán de Morelos is the municipality seat of the South Highlands. In this region is the most recent municipality of the State, San Ignacio Cerro Gordo, which was separated from Arandas. Traditionally Atotonilco el Alto, Ayotlán, Tototlán and Degollado belong to this southern zone of Los Altos. In general, the region has the production of tequila and the development of livestock, clothing, and various crafts.

Notable Alteños
Tepatitlán de Morelos.
Ojuelos de Jalisco.

Politics

Culture

Athletics

See also

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved September 7, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "Economía - Noticieros Televisa". Noticieros Televisa.
  3. Cruz, Osiel (August 16, 2013). "Bajío, el nuevo milagro mexicano".
  4. "Estados del Bajío crecen a ritmo asiático: Banamex".
  5. "El Bajío crece a ritmo de tigre asiático". www.elfinanciero.com.mx.
  6. "Esos Altos de Jalisco (documented about Asturian, Andalusian, and Galician settlers)". soyjovenjalisco.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  7. "Las Mujeres más Bellas del Mundo Están en Los Altos de Jalisco". LA BRECHA (in Spanish). July 26, 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  8. Judío, Central de Noticias Diario (July 19, 2011). "Presencia judía en Los Altos de Jalisco | Diario Judío México". Diario Judío: Diario de la Vida Judía en México y el Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  9. Complutense University of Madrid - Los Mitos Vivos: Itentidad Regional en Los Altos de Jalisco
  10. Meyer, Jean. "DOCUMENTO: LA FUNDACION DE SAN FRANCISCO DE ASIS, ALTOS DE JALISCO. (documented about poor Spanish, Basque and Galician settlers in Los Altos)" (PDF). www.colmich.edu.mx. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  11. http://www.historia-mexico.info/2011/10/los-chichimecas.html Archived March 6, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Chichimecas
  12. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 8, 2016. Retrieved November 16, 2018.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. "Francisco MARTIN - Geneanet". gw.geneanet.org. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  14. "Presencia judía en Los Altos de Jalisco | Diario Judío México". Diario Judío: Diario de la Vida Judía en México y el Mundo (in Spanish). July 19, 2011. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  15. Arredondo, Benjamin (June 7, 2018). "El Bable: Del mito judío-sefardí en los Altos de Jalisco". El Bable. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  16. "The History of Jalisco". houstonculture. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  17. "Presencia judía en Los Altos de Jalisco". Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  18. "Las Mujeres más Bellas del Mundo Están en Los Altos de Jalisco". Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  19. "Los Altos, región mestiza". Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  20. "Francisco Primitivo Martín". Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  21. Gobierno Municipal de Arandas Official website
  22. Gobierno Municipal de Atotonilco El Alto Official website
  23. charro in the Diccionario de la Real Academia Española.

Further reading
  • Jim Tuck, "The Holy War in Los Altos: Regional Analysis of Mexico's Cristero Rebellion." Tucson, Arizona: University of Arizona Press, 1982, ISBN 0-8165-0779-1
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