Xalisco, Nayarit Mexico Photography - Fotografia
Photography by Bill Bell -
Xalisco (Spanish pronunciation: [xaˈlisko], hah-LEES-ko) is a city and its
surrounding municipality of the same in the Mexican state of Nayarit. The city
had a population of 21,899 in the 2005 census while the municipality has an area
of 290.6 km² (112.2 sq mi) and a population of 42,893. The municipality lies
adjacent to the south side of Tepic, the state capital, and is part of the Tepic
metropolitan area.
Formerly known as Jalisco this municipality is located 6.4 km. southwest of
Tepic. In the north it bounds the municipality of Tepic, in the south the
municipalty of Compostela; in the east the municipality of Santiago Ixcuintla
and in the west the municipality of San Blas. See Map of Nayarit The total area
is 290.60 square kilometers, which makes it the smallest of the 20
municipalities that make up the state. See Municipalities of Nayarit.
Over half of the municipal territory is mountainous with one peak,
Cerro
Alto, reaching 2,240 meters. There are several small rivers and streams of short
length.
In the upper elevations there are still conifers and oaks, but over-forestry and
long years of wood gathering for cooking have seriously depleted the natural
cover. There are still deer, badgers, armadillos, and javalis in more remote
locations.
Due to the proximity to Tepic the economy is less agriculturally based than many
municipalities in the state. Among the most important crops were: rice, corn,
avocados, lemons, oranges, bananas, coffee, cherries, and sugarcane.
In the town there are the ruins of a colonial hacienda and a museum with
pre-Columbian artifacts. The most important festival is that of Asunción de la
Virgen María, celebrated on 15 August, at the beginning of the corn harvest. It
is also known as the “La Feria del Elote”, or Corn Fair.
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