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GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT GUANAJUATO
Capital: Guanajuato
AREA
30,768 km2, 1.6% of national territory
POPULATION
4,656,761 INHABITANTS (Preliminary census, INEGI, 2000)
Los Altos, Sierra Gorda, Sierra Central, El Bajio and the Bajio Valleys.
The State of Guanajuato possesses a surface area of 30,460 km2, accounting for 1.54% of national territory. It is located in the center of the Mexican Republic between 19° 55 min and 21° 52 min north of the Equator, and 99° 39 min and 102° 5 min west. Guanajuato borders the states of San Luis Potosí to the north, Querétaro to the east, Michoacán to the south and Jalisco to the west. In terms of geography and culture, the state can be divided into five zones.
MAP
In the region of Los Altos, the northern prairies sit at a height of more than 2,000m; in the highlands, the mineral-bearing central mountains include the Comanda, Guanajuato and Codornice ranges, along with notable hill formations such as the Los Llanitos, La Giganta, and El Cubilete. To the east lies the Sierra Gorda, to the south, the Bajio, with its glens, valleys, prairies and craters, locally known as xalapazcos and axalapazcos. To the south-west, we find the Uriangato, San Nicolás de los Agustinos and Guatzingo valleys, plus the plains of Tarimoro and Acámbaro, linked by the hills of Picacho, Tule Blanco, Culiacán and Grande.
ALTITUDES
Minimum: The Santa María River Cañón, 800m.Maximum: Los Rosillos Elevation, 3,810m
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION:
To the north, Guanajuato shares borders with the states of Aguascalientes and San Luis Potosí. To the east lies Querétaro, while on the southeastern border is the State of Mexico. Due south is the state of Michoacán and to the west we find Jalisco.It is a relatively small state, with a surface area of 30,589 km2, making it twenty-second in terms of size among the country's states. There are four main population centers: Leon, Irapuato, Salamanca and Celaya, along with a number of small but important towns such as Guanajuato, the state capital, Dolores Hidalgo, San Miguel de Allende, San Luis de la Paz and Silao. The region divides into three principal regions, each with its own particular geological characteristics: the Central Plateau; the Neo-Volcanic Ridge, and the Western Sierra Madre. Numerous rivers cross the state, the most important being the Lerma, the Chapala, the Santiago and the Alto Rio Panuco. There are three types of climate in the state: semi-dry, temperate and semi-warm.
Temperate and sub-humid, with rain in summer. The irregular topography means a lower temperature of less than 18°C at higher elevations, whilst in the lowlands it reaches 22°C. The north is dry with a precipitation of 50mm annually. The prevailing wind is westerly in the wintertime, coming from the south and southwest in the spring, while during the summer and fall it is east-by-northeasterly.
The greater part of Guanajuato's water belongs to the basin formed by the Lerma, Laja, Guanajuato, Turbio and Coroneo. The Solis dam contains the waters of the Lerma, which diverts further downstream towards the lagoon and Yuriria. The rivers of the Sierra Gorda and northwestern Guanajuato, such as the Santa Maria and Xichu, run into the Panuco basin.
There are also thermal springs in the center and south of the state.
On the high plains: pastureland; in the sierras, pine and oak; in the central lower hills: scrub with cactus; in the Bajio and the valleys: farmland has displaced the indigenous fauna, although there are residual mesquites; in the lakelands, oak, ahuehete trees and forage.
In the Sierra Gorda: opossum, fox, white-tailed deer, armadillo and mountain cat; in the foothills: rattlesnake, coral snake, rabbit and coyote; in the valleys: duck, dove and raccoon.
Marble weapons and tools dating from 20,000 BCE.
Purepecha in the Bajio valleys and the southern Bajio; Guachicil in Los Altos; Pame in the northern central sierras, the Sierra Gorda and northern Bajio; Chichimeca in the southern Bajio; Zacateco to the north of Los Altos, and Guamare in the mountains of Comanja and the Bajio.
Chupicuaro, Coporo, Los Morales, Carabino.
Cultural influences: Olmeca, Teotihuacan, Purepecha, Toltec and Mexica.
Chichimec in the Sierra Gorda and Otomi in the Sierra Gorda and Los Altos.
Pottery in the Central Sierra, Los Altos, Sierra Gorda and the Bajio; toys, wax figures and saddlery in the Bajio; tin, copper and brass work in Los Altos; woolens and wood articles in the Central Sierra.
Son and Jarabe music, played by brass bands, with violin, guitar and drums in the Sierra Gorda, the Bajio, Bajio valleys and Los Altos; Throughout the state, Corridos and popular dances, including Concheros, Matachines, Chichimecas, Christians and Moors, Plumeros, Rayados, La Sonaja and Aztecas en the Sierra Gorda, Bajio, the Bajio valleys and Los Altos.
The crest is composed in the following manner: The coat of arms is supported by a plinth of colored marble with gold decoration. The base is a shell held by two laurel branches bound with a blue ribbon. The shell linking with the coat of arms symbolizes the stability of the home, opening in welcome. The gold background signifies nobility, magnanimity and purity of feeling, as well as the wealth of precious metals to be found in the State.
The coping above the shield is a symbol of greatness, the laurels stand for victory and the acanthus flowers signify fidelity.
Initially, belonging to the city of Guanajuato, but latterly adopted by the state, the crest is one of the most beautiful and interesting in the country.
