| Cuquío | |
| Settlement Type: | Municipality and town |
| Mapsize: | 200px |
| Pushpin Map: | Mexico Jalisco#Mexico |
| Pushpin Label Position: | above |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 300 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Mexico |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Mexico |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Jalisco |
| Area Total Km2: | 643 |
| Area Blank1 Title: | Town |
| Area Blank1 Km2: | 2.44 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 census |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 17820 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Town |
| Population Blank1: | 5011 |
| Population Density Blank1 Km2: | auto |
| Coordinates: | 20.929°N -103.0229°W |
Cuquío is a town and municipality, in Jalisco in central-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 248 square miles (643 km2). It limits to the North with the municipality of Yahualica and the State of Zacatecas; to the South, Zapotlanejo and Acatic; to the East, Yahualica and Tepatitlán; and to the West, Ixtlahuacán del Río. Its name derives from the word Cuixui, which in the Aztec language Náhuatl means kite, and is interpreted as "place of kites", or in Tarascan language, "place of frogs or toads". The foundation of the town is awarded to the Purépechas (Tarascans) who repeatedly ventured through these valleys after the Saltpeter War (1480-1510) (Guerra del Salitre). As a third version about the origins of the municipality name, it is well known that the tribe of Spanish; Castilian: coquias settled in La Cofradía, two kilometers (1.24 miles) from the current town, whose name is conjectured the denomination comes from. Cuquío also depended on the Tonalteca kingdom.
As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 19,176.[2]
In 1530, Nuño de Guzmán conquered the region and established there his main operations centre. The headquarters of the Corregimiento was in the town of Tlacotlán until 1690 when it passed to Cuquío and there it lasted until Independence.
It is known that in 1695 the Mayor was Don Juan Polanco, and the construction of the temple began in 1762, ending in 1834.
In 1823 Cuquío was appointed a party with city hall; and in the decree of March 27, 1824, it was constituted as a Department in the then-newly created State of Jalisco, and had the status of a village (villa).
The decree of March 13, 1837 provided that Cuquío were a party seat. In September 1846 it was declared seat of one department of the Canton of Guadalajara.
The coat of arms dates from 1690 and is carved in quarry and embedded in one of the inner walls of the City Hall of Cuquío. It was previously on the facade of the house of the Corregidor of Cuquío.
The upper figure is an imperial crown of Spain. The coat of arms is quartered; in the first and fourth quarters, in gules field (red), a silver castle clarified of sable (black), and in the second and third quarters, in azure field (blue) a golden rampant lion, linguized and armed of gules (red) looking at the sinister side of the coat of arms. The two castles and two alternate lions represent the union of the former counties, later kingdoms, of Castile and León, carried out on June 22, 1037 by the marriage of Ferdinand the Great, Count of Castile and since that year King consort of León, with Doña Sancha, sovereign of the Kingdom of León.
In 1230 King Ferdinand III the Saint ordered the emblem to be bound.
Charles I of Spain and V of the Holy Roman Empire (1500-1558), king of Spain from 1516 to 1556 and emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1520 to 1558, added two columns of Hercules that symbolize the two empires of Europe and America carrying each one, two rolled bands, finishing off on the cusp with a crown, the band with the "Plus Ultra" motto refers to the discovery of America or New World, and the crown, to the conquest of this territory.
The coat of arms should be surrounded by the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece, instituted in 1429 by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy, in France and introduced in Spain by the consort king of Castile Philip the Handsome, in 1504. But in the coat of arms the collar does not appear complete because the size of the stone did not allow it. This stone was chiselled at the end of the 17th century.
Its form of government is democratic and depends on the state and federal government. Elections are held every three years, when the municipal president and her/his council are elected.
On 2 March 2021, Analuci Martínez Saldívar, a former PAN councilwoman from Cuquío, was shot to death in the Prados Tepeyac neighborhood of the Zapopan municipality. It was known that Martínez, the also pre-candidate for the municipal presidency of Cuquío for the elections of 6 June 2021, had led several criminal complaints in 2015 against the then municipal president Adrián Cornelio González, for alleged diversions of resources that he would have committed during his first two terms.[3] [4] [5]
| width=120px | Term | width=175px | Municipal president | width=60px | Political party | width=190px | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1928–1929[6] | José Ayala | ||||||
| 1929 | Ramón Salcido | ||||||
| 1930–1931 | Ignacio Martín González | ||||||
| 1932 | Ramón Sánchez G. | Partido Nacional Revolucionario | PNR | ||||
| 1933 | Ignacio Martín G. | Partido Nacional Revolucionario | PNR | ||||
| 1934 | Calixto Muñoz | Partido Nacional Revolucionario | PNR | ||||
| 1935 | Ignacio Martín G. | Partido Nacional Revolucionario | PNR | ||||
| 1936–1937 | Ramón Sigala Ramírez | Partido Nacional Revolucionario | PNR | ||||
| 1938–1939 | Sérbulo González Gómez | ||||||
| 1940 | Epigmenio Ramos Preciado | Partido de la Revolución Mexicana | PRM | ||||
| 1941–1942 | Catarino Olea Olea | Partido de la Revolución Mexicana | PRM | ||||
| 1943–1944 | José Molina G. | Partido de la Revolución Mexicana | PRM | ||||
| 1945–1946 | José Mora Muñoz | Partido de la Revolución Mexicana | PRM | ||||
| 1947–1948 | José Molina G. | ||||||
| 1949–1952 | Emigdio Sánchez González | Institutional Revolutionary Party | PRI | ||||
| 1953–1955 | Miguel Pérez Verdín | Institutional Revolutionary Party | PRI | ||||
| 1956 | Cipriano Gutiérrez Mora | Institutional Revolutionary Party | PRI | ||||
| 1956–1958 | Martín Mora Plascencia | Institutional Revolutionary Party | PRI | ||||
| 1959–1960 | José Mora Ramos | Institutional Revolutionary Party | PRI | ||||
| 1961 | Martín Sánchez Sánchez | Institutional Revolutionary Party | PRI | ||||
| 1962–1964 | J. Jesús Mercado Díaz | Institutional Revolutionary Party | PRI | ||||
| 1965–1970 | J. Guadalupe Figueroa Gómez | Institutional Revolutionary Party | PRI | ||||
| 1971 | J. Jesús Plascencia Sánchez | Institutional Revolutionary Party | PRI | ||||
| 1971–1973 | J. Guadalupe Figueroa Gómez | Institutional Revolutionary Party | PRI | ||||
| 1974–1976 | Senorino Sandoval Gómez | Institutional Revolutionary Party | PRI | ||||
| 01/01/1977–09/08/1979[7] | Manuel Rodríguez Plascencia | Institutional Revolutionary Party | PRI | Was defrocked by the Congress of the State | |||
| 09/08/1979–31/12/1979 | N/A | ||||||
| 01/01/1980–1982 | José Francisco Mercado Mora | Institutional Revolutionary Party | PRI | ||||
| 1983–1985 | Roberto Plascencia Canales | Institutional Revolutionary Party | PRI | ||||
| 1986–1989 | Roberto Saavedra Gutiérrez | Institutional Revolutionary Party | PRI | ||||
| 1989–1992 | Roberto Plascencia Pérez | Institutional Revolutionary Party | PRI | ||||
| 1992–1995 | Héctor Manuel Figueroa Plascencia | ||||||
| 1995–1997 | Roberto Gutiérrez Rodríguez | Party of the Democratic Revolution | PRD | ||||
| 1998–2000 | José Luis Rubio García | Party of the Democratic Revolution Democrática | PRD | ||||
| 2001–2003 | Héctor Manuel Figueroa Plascencia | Party of the Democratic Revolution | PRD | ||||
| 01/01/2004–31/12/2006 | Adrián Cornelio González Fernández | ||||||
| 01/01/2007–31/12/2009 | Carlos Gustavo Gutiérrez Rodríguez | Institutional Revolutionary Party | PRI | ||||
| 01/01/2010–30/09/2012 | Adrián Cornelio González Fernández | ||||||
| 01/10/2012–30/09/2015 | Ma. Victoria Mercado Sánchez | Coalition "Alianza Progresista por Jalisco" | |||||
| 01/10/2015–30/09/2018 | Adrián Cornelio González Fernández | Labor Party (Mexico) | PT | ||||
| 01/10/2018–30/09/2021 | Adrián Cornelio González Fernández | Labor Party (Mexico) | Coalition "Together We Will Make History" | ||||
| 01/10/2021–[8] [9] | Ubaldo Chávez Delgadillo | Institutional Revolutionary Party | PRI |
The municipality consists of land belonging to the Tertiary and Quaternary periods, composed of sedimentary rocks, alluvial, residual and lacustrine soils.
The climate of the municipality is considered semi-dry, with dry winter and spring, and semi-warm with mild winter. The average annual temperature is 64.22 °F (17.9 °C), and has an average annual rainfall of 839.5 millimeters, with rainfall in June, July and August.
The prevailing winds are heading North to South. The average number of days with frost per year is 7.6.
This region belongs to the Lerma-Chapala-Santiago hydrological basin, Juchipila-Bolaños sub-basin, Río Verde and Grande Belén.
Its main stream is the Río Verde (Green River). It has streams of permanent flow: Atenguillo; flow streams only in the rainy season: Los Gigantes, Contla, Achichilco, Zapote, Ocotic, Blanco, Grande, El Salto, Garza (Heron), Pera (Pear) and Los Hornos.
Its main reservoirs are Los Gigantes, González, and Cuacuala dams.
The composition of the soil corresponds to the type of euphoric Planosol and haplic Feozem as dominant; and the type of ferric Luvisol as an associate.
The natural wealth that the municipality has is represented by 39,000 acres (15,900 hectares) of forests where oak, holm oak, and pine species predominate. The wooded areas known as La Silleta and Plan de Potrerillos stand out for their richness and extension. There are natural forests located in San Gabriel, La Silleta hill and Plan de Potrerillos table, mostly composed of oak, holm oak and pine.
Its mineral resources are deposits of silver, magnesium, lime and quarry.Most of the land has an agricultural use, land tenure is mostly private property.
In the fauna, species such as deer, fox, squirrel, coyote, tigrillo and various birds such as quails, owls and mourning doves stand out, among others.
The municipality of Cuquío bases its economy on different sectors. Agriculture is an economic activity that is exercised in the municipality, the crops include corn, sorghum, oats, peel tomatoes, and beans. Cattle of milk and meat, pig, goat, sheep, poultry and small-scale beekeeping are raised. The main industrial activities in the municipality are pottery, manufacture of wooden objects, huaraches and embroidery. Pine and oak are exploited, those woods are partly transported to Guadalajara, the state capital, and the rest is destined to primary uses in the municipality. Mining is another economic activity, metallic minerals are represented by deposits of magnesium and silver. Of the nonmetals, there are deposits of lime and quarry stone. The municipality also practices fishing due to its hydrographic situation, whose main waters are the Lerma-Chapala-Santiago hydrological basin, Juchipila-Bolaños sub-basin, Río Verde and Grande Belén. Small-scale carp and catfish species are caught and for local consumption. Tourism offers inhabitants and tourists its archeological zone, as well as the colonial monuments that exist in the municipality, religious, historical buildings, and haciendas. It also has beautiful natural landscapes worth admiring. In trade, activities predominate in the sale of essential products and mixed stores that sell small-scale items. In the service sector, the inhabitants provide financial, technical, communal, social, personal and maintenance services.
Among the architectural monuments of the municipality is the Parish Church of San Felipe dating from the 17th century. In the center of the municipal seat is a work that the Jesuits left unfinished when they were expelled from New Spain in 1767. Religious architecture also highlights the Temple of the Sacred Heart and the Convent of Dolores. Among the buildings of a civil nature can be mentioned the Hacienda Sin Nombre (With No Name), the Hacienda del Burro de Oro (Golden Donkey) and the nursing home of San José. There are archaeological remains in an area called La Cofradía that, due to lack of conservation, tend to disappear. And among the historical ones is the house where Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla spent the night in January 1811. The house where Mexican martyrs San Justino Orona Madrigal and San Atilano Cruz Alvarado were murdered in the community of Las Cruces.
There is a legend that tells that a large shipment of gold and silver, in seven mules, is buried in a cave of Cerro del Truco (Hill of the Trick) having sealed the "door" of said cave with mortar mixed with the blood of the seven mules. This treasure was the product of theft by a sheaf that assaulted haciendas and royal roads and as it is said only two of the members of the sheaf were injured in a fight and were fleeing when they finished burying the treasure, dying shortly after, and no one knows the exact place of this cave. So there have been many adventurers who want to find this treasure, without having achieved it. The inhabitants of the nearby communities have remained alert from their homes to see when the "door" of the cave opens, but they fear suddenly seeing themselves in the situation of a well-known saying ("everything or nothing") for what referring to the treasure of that cave, since whoever manages to see that wealth once inside must take everything or else must leave even what he/she brings. This is how the charm of Cerro del Truco is heard.
A Christ is venerated which some Indians found while walking in Cuquío, named as Black Christ of Teponahuasco. For this, traditional pilgrimages are made every Friday of the year. Every first Sunday of July, the Christ is taken to the temple of San Felipe Apóstol as a tradition of the people by a well-known legend there. And on the first Sunday of October, he is returned to his temple in Teponahuasco.
In Cuquío there is also the Cuauhquioc Folkloric Group, a ballet directed by Fernando Ramos Barajas, which currently has 24 members, youth and adults; it is the result of the effort and work of nine generations, who have given life to traditions for thirty years, dances of the peoples of the country.
In its thirty years of life, the Cuauhquioc Folkloric Ballet has alternated with folk groups from Ecuador and Colombia, as well as with important artists of popular culture such as Paloma del Río, Valente Pastor, Hilda Aguirre and Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, among others.
Recently, some folk groups have emerged to enrich the culture of Cuquío, sponsored by the cultural mission offered by the Secretariat of Education, managing to cross borders and visiting some cities such as Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Among the participating communities are El Terrero, Teponahuasco, and the municipal seat.
Wooden objects such as chairs, tables and doors are made; paper flowers, embroidery, two-needle and crochet fabrics; clothing, pottery, glazing, wool blankets, baskets of reeds and wood. In Teponahuasco pots and other articles are made out of clay.
Food: Goat meat birria, chicken or turkey birria, arepas, panela, and empanochadas (wheat flour and piloncillo bread) and the famous cotorras, "guaraches", "picones" (fluffy sweet breads, raised in a cone shape), and "birotes" (salty wheat flour breads, soft and fluffy on the inside, and hard on the outside).
Sweets: Fruits in syrup.
Teponahuasco and its wheat flour chips.
Turkey with mole.
Caramel.
Tacos in the market.
Sliced bread.
Corn tamales.
You can admire many colonial monuments such as the parish church of San Felipe; the temple of the Sacred Heart and the Convent of Dolores, the house where Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla spent the night. The Hacienda Burro de Oro and the Hacienda Sin Nombre, in addition to Atrial Crossings and its historic center with colonial-style mansions.
Its natural heritage is formed by the landscapes of the hill of La Silleta, the Los Gigantes dam, as well as the "Agua Caliente" hot spring stream, and the Cuacuala dam.
The distance between Guadalajara and Cuquío is of 49 miles (79 kilometers).In order to get to this municipality leaving from Guadalajara, it is recommended to reach Avenida Alcalde, exit towards Zacatecas, after passing toward the North the Anillo Periférico, the above-mentioned avenue takes the name Carretera a Saltillo, id est, Federal Free Highway 54; follow the same direction to Ixtlahuacán del Río, and, before reaching the seat of this municipality you will find a junction with the Jalisco State Highway 201 Cuquío; please turn right to take this one. The distance from this junction to Cuquío is of approximately 19 miles (30 km). The Guadalajara-Cuquío journey takes about 1:40 hours, due to the winding road.