El Oro Municipality, Mexico State
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El Oro de Hidalgo Mineral del Oro |
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|---|---|
| Town & Municipality | |
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| Coordinates: 19°48′03″N 100°07′53″W / 19.80083°N 100.13139°WCoordinates: 19°48′03″N 100°07′53″W / 19.80083°N 100.13139°W | |
| Country |
 Mexico
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| State | State of Mexico |
| Founded | 1787 |
| Municipal Status | 1901 |
| Government | |
| • Municipal President | Gilberto López Martínez (2006–2009) |
| Area | |
| • Municipality | 137.86 km2 (53.23 sq mi) |
| Elevation (of seat) | 2,740 m (8,990 ft) |
| Population (2005) Municipality | |
| • Municipality | 31,847 |
| • Seat | 5,797 |
| Time zone | Central (US Central) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | Central (UTC-5) |
| Postal code (of seat) | 50600 |
| Website | eloromexico.gob.mx |
The name El Oro de Hidalgo (Spanish 
), is not from Nahuatl, like most other municipality names in the state, but from Spanish, and simply means "the gold." It has subsequently been given an alternative Nahuatl name of "Teocuitlatl," meaning "sacred excrement," referring to gold. Its seal, in the form of an Aztec glyph, contains elements referring to gold and to caves, of which there are many in the municipality. The municipality is located in the northwest of the State of Mexico, 96 km from the state capital of Toluca, and is bounded by the municipalities of Temascalcingo to the north, Jocotitlán to the east, San Felipe del Progreso and San José del Rincón to the south, and by the state of Michoacán to the west. As of 2005[update], the municipal seat with the formal name of El Oro de Hidalgo had a population of 5,797, and the municipality of El Oro had a population of 31,847. While it made its name as a major gold and silver mining town from the 17th to the early 20th centuries, the mines have since been tapped out and the town is turning to tourism for economic development.
The Mazahua people first populated this area, migrating from the north. One of these migrations is documented in the Annals of Cuauhtitlán, which occurred in 538 AD, when five tribes headed by Ehécatl, Coahuatzin, Mazacóatl, Otzihuacoatl and Tlalpanhuitz y Huitz, with Mazacóatl leading them. The first populations settled in communities now known as Tapaxco, Endotejiare, Tultenango and Santiago Oxtempan, all of which are in the current municipality of El Oro. Initially, the Mazahuas were hunter-gatherers but dedicated themselves to agriculture and fishing as well as hunting, as the Mazahua-populated region became dominated the Toltecs, the Chichimecas and then the Aztecs. The last group conquered this area in 1474 by Axayacatl.
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Wikipedia