Tecalitlán facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tecalitlán
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Municipality and town
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Location of the city in Jalisco
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| Country |  Mexico |
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| State | Jalisco | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 1,301 km2 (502 sq mi) | |
| • Town | 3.66 km2 (1.41 sq mi) | |
| Population
(2020 Census)
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| • Total | 16,705 | |
| • Density | 12.840/km2 (33.256/sq mi) | |
| • Town | 13,243 | |
| • Town density | 3,618/km2 (9,371/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central Standard Time) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (Central Daylight Time) | |
Tecalitlán is a town and municipality in the central Pacific coastal state of Jalisco, Mexico. Located just south of Ciudad Guzmán, the population of the municipality was 16,705 as of 2020.
Economy
Industry
One of Tecalitlán's major industries was the growing of sugar cane. This industry ended about thirty years ago. Nowadays the economy comes from agriculture and the raising of animals such as cattle, pigs, chickens, and goats. Many families of emigrants in the United States receive substantial money from them.
Culture
Tecalitlán is at the heart of the region where mariachi music was developed, and in fact the most famous exponent of that genre, Vargas de Tecalitlán, was founded there in the 1890s (though now resident in Mexico City). There is a museum of this mariachi in Tecalitlan. Tecalitlan has many traditions, such as the fiestas de diciembre which celebrate religion and the love toward the Virgin of Guadalupe. People in this town are very friendly.
A very interesting tradition kept until now, is that every Sunday after mass, people are used to going to the center of the town (jardin) and spend their afternoon socializing with other people of the town. In this Jardin, girls walk one way and boys on the other way on the sidewalk around the park, so they face each other and check each other out. Culturally girls do not stare directly at the boys, but would lock arms with each other and chat as they walk. Street vendors sell hollowed out egg shells filled with confetti which is cracked over the heads of someone they admire passing the opposite way. It's quite a special experience and honor as it showed who was admired as they continue to walk and were seen by everyone. The parents and older folks sit on the benches along the sidewalk and chat and it was a great way to see how the young people interact in a safe environment.
There is the cerro de la cruz, a mountain were there is a cross that people go to visit and offer sacrifices.
A local culinary specialty is birria, a savory stew made from goat meat and other ingredients. There are also other foods like tacos, sopes, pozole, tostadas, enchiladas and many more Mexican traditional foods.
Comedian/singer Cessy Casanova, whose father and brother have been guitarron players with Vargas de Tecalitlan, was born and raised here.
See also
In Spanish: Tecalitlán para niños
