Acatlán, Hidalgo
| Acatlán | ||
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| Town & Municipality | ||
Main street through town
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| Coordinates: 20°08′40″N 98°26′18″W / 20.14444°N 98.43833°WCoordinates: 20°08′40″N 98°26′18″W / 20.14444°N 98.43833°W | ||
| Country |
 Mexico
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| State | Hidalgo (state) | |
| Founded | 1518 | |
| Municipal Status | 1869 | |
| Government | ||
| • Municipal President | Orlando Rubén Muñoz Medina | |
| Elevation (of seat) | 2,140 m (7,020 ft) | |
| Population (2005) Municipality | ||
| • Municipality | 17,914 | |
| • Seat | 418 | |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) | |
| Postal code (of seat) | 43540 | |
| Website | http://www.acatlanhidalgo.gob.mx/ | |
Acatlán is a town and municipality located in the Mexican state of Hidalgo, about ten 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.” “San Miguel” is derived from the name of the monastery.
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 dates to 1564, when governor Domingo de Alvardo has a color map drawn. The monastery was built by the Augustinians in 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.
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Wikipedia