Tehuacan Valley
| Tehuacan, Puebla | |
|---|---|
| City | |
| Tehuacán | |
| Nickname(s): The Place of Gods | |
| Motto: Por la Fe y la Esperanza (Spanish) "By faith and hope" |
|
 State of Puebla within Mexico |
|
 Tehuacán
|
|
| Coordinates: 18°27′N 97°23′W / 18.450°N 97.383°WCoordinates: 18°27′N 97°23′W / 18.450°N 97.383°W | |
| Country |
 Mexico
|
| State | Puebla |
| Founded | 15 century |
| Erected | March 16, 1660 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Ernestina Fernández Méndez ( .svg){kind=small} PRI) |
| Area | |
| • Municipality | 553.57 km2 (213.73 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 27.83 km2 (10.75 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,600 m (5,200 ft) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Municipality | 274,906 |
| • Seat density | 668/km2 (1,730/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| Postal code (of seat) | 75710 |
| Area code(s) | 238 |
| Demonym | Tehuacanero |
| Website | (Spanish) Municipal Official Site |
Tehuacán (Spanish pronunciation: [tehuaˈcan]) is the second largest city in the Mexican state of Puebla, nestled in the Southeast Valley of Tehuacán, bordering the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz. The 2010 census reported a population of 248,716 in the city and 274,906 in the surrounding Tehuacán Municipality, of which it serves as municipal seat. The municipality has an area of 390.36 km² (150.72 sq mi).
Originally a Native American settlement, it became officially a city in the Viceroyalty of New Spain in 1660.
Tehuacan is known for hosting many diverse festivals that celebrate traditions and costumes earned through the years from the ancient natives. One of the most recognized festival in the last 15 years is the Festival Internacional de Tehuacán 1660 which celebrates the artistic and cultural backgrounds of the city.
In the late nineteenth century, the city was well known for its mineral springs. In fact, Peñafiel (now owned by Cadbury Schweppes), a well-known soft drinks manufacturer, extracts water from these wells for use in their products. Tehuacán also has an important cluster of poultry producers, making the city and its surroundings one of the most important egg-producing regions in Mexico.
The main economic activity in the Tehuacán valley is poultry production. The municipality is the second largest producer of table eggs in the country with over 25 million layers housed plus a significant production of broilers for chicken meat. Companies that dominate the industry include El Calvario, Mr. Egg, Huevo Tehuacán, PATSA and IMSA.
After the NAFTA agreement had been signed, Tehuacán saw a flood of textile maquiladoras established in the city and surrounding areas. These textile factories principally put together blue jeans for export to companies such as The Gap, Guess, Old Navy, and JC Penney. At the height of the maquila (short for maquiladora) boom, there were an estimated number of more than 700 maquilas in town, including those that were operating from homes, often in secret. While this situation created a negative unemployment (zero unemployment) and the maquilas sought workers as far away as Orizaba and Córdoba in the neighboring state of Veracruz, it also created an urban and environmental nightmare. In one decade, Tehuacán went from being a town of 150,000 inhabitants to a city of 360,000. Although many maquilas have closed today, in 2007 there were still over 700 of them found in Tehuacán.
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Wikipedia