Acatlán (Acatlán)
Acatlán is a town and municipality located in the Mexican state of Hidalgo, about 10 km northwest of the city of Tulancingo and 147 km from Mexico City. The main landmark is the San Miguel monastery which was built in the 16th century. It is partially in ruins but there have been efforts since the 1980s to restore it. Acatlán comes from a Nahuatl phrase which means “near the reeds”.
Before the arrival of the Spanish, this area was part of an Aztec tributary province. After the Conquest, it became part of the encomienda controlled b D. Pedro de Paz, which encompassed the area of what is now the municipalities of Atotonilco, Huasca de Ocampo and Acatlán. Later in the colonial period, it became part of an "Indian Republic", meaning the Otomi and Mexicas here had some amount of autonomy from Spanish rule.
The town's founding is dated as 1518, but the first records in which the town appears date to 1564 when governor Domingo de Alvardo has a color map drawn. The monastery was built by the Augustinians between 1544 and 1569 and dedicated to the Archangel Michael. The town would take on "San Miguel" as a prefix late into the 18th century. It is not known who exactly built it as the earliest surviving record is a registry of marriages from 1569. Other records from this time indicate that it was in operation with three monks in residence, including one who could speak both Nahuatl and Otomi. The monastery was turned over to regular clergy in 1745, becoming the parish of the community under Father Miguel Echeverría. Originally it was under the jurisdiction of Mexico City but became part of the Tulancingo archdiocese in 1864.
At the end of the 16th century, the encomiendas were broken up into the hacienda system, with the Totopa, Mixquiapan, Zupitlán, Tpenacasco and Cacaloapan located in what is now the municipality. In the middle of the 18th century, natives of the area struggled against María Dolores Romero de Terreros over lands that were annexed to the San Juan Hueyapan Hacienda in Huasca. These and other problems with the landed elite caused most of the populace here to side with the insurgents during the Mexican War of Independence in the early 19th century, recruiting a number of soldiers hereafter Nicolás Bravo occupied nearly Tulancingo.
The municipality was created in 1869. The town was temporarily occupied by forces loyal to Venustiano Carranza during the Mexican Revolution, using the monastery as a barracks. The church and monastery complex area is undergoing restoration work, which was begun by the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia in 1988.
Before the arrival of the Spanish, this area was part of an Aztec tributary province. After the Conquest, it became part of the encomienda controlled b D. Pedro de Paz, which encompassed the area of what is now the municipalities of Atotonilco, Huasca de Ocampo and Acatlán. Later in the colonial period, it became part of an "Indian Republic", meaning the Otomi and Mexicas here had some amount of autonomy from Spanish rule.
The town's founding is dated as 1518, but the first records in which the town appears date to 1564 when governor Domingo de Alvardo has a color map drawn. The monastery was built by the Augustinians between 1544 and 1569 and dedicated to the Archangel Michael. The town would take on "San Miguel" as a prefix late into the 18th century. It is not known who exactly built it as the earliest surviving record is a registry of marriages from 1569. Other records from this time indicate that it was in operation with three monks in residence, including one who could speak both Nahuatl and Otomi. The monastery was turned over to regular clergy in 1745, becoming the parish of the community under Father Miguel Echeverría. Originally it was under the jurisdiction of Mexico City but became part of the Tulancingo archdiocese in 1864.
At the end of the 16th century, the encomiendas were broken up into the hacienda system, with the Totopa, Mixquiapan, Zupitlán, Tpenacasco and Cacaloapan located in what is now the municipality. In the middle of the 18th century, natives of the area struggled against María Dolores Romero de Terreros over lands that were annexed to the San Juan Hueyapan Hacienda in Huasca. These and other problems with the landed elite caused most of the populace here to side with the insurgents during the Mexican War of Independence in the early 19th century, recruiting a number of soldiers hereafter Nicolás Bravo occupied nearly Tulancingo.
The municipality was created in 1869. The town was temporarily occupied by forces loyal to Venustiano Carranza during the Mexican Revolution, using the monastery as a barracks. The church and monastery complex area is undergoing restoration work, which was begun by the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia in 1988.
Map - Acatlán (Acatlán)
Map
Country - Mexico
Currency / Language
| ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| MXV | Mexican Unidad de Inversion | 2 | |
| MXN | Mexican peso | $ | 2 |
| ISO | Language |
|---|---|
| ES | Spanish language |