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San Francisco de Pénjamo
San Francisco de Pénjamo; Pénjamo
	Calle Peatonal Mariano Abasolo, in the centre of Pénjamo
	; Seal
	; Seal
	Nickname(s): Cuna de la independencia
	Motto: Nobilis, Fidilis, Fortis, Latin for 'noble, faithful, strong.'
	Location of Pénjamo in Guanajuato
	Coordinates: 20°25′52″N 101°43′20″W / 20.43111°N 101.72222°W
Country	Mexico
Federal entity	Guanajuato
Founded	12 November 1542
	Government
- Mayor	José Erandi Bermúdez Méndez (PAN)
Elevation	1,770 m (5,807 ft)
	Population (2000)
- Total	144,426
Time zone	Central Standard Time (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	Central Daylight Time (UTC-5)
Website	http://www.penjamo.gob.mx/

Pénjamo (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈpenxamo]) is a municipality located in the south-west of the Mexican state of Guanajuato. Taking up 164,261.27 hectares of land (5% of the entire state,) it is bordered by the towns of Abasolo, Cuerámaro, and Manuel Doblado and by the states of Jalisco and Michoacán. According to the 2000 census, the population of Pénjamo has risen to 144,426 inhabitants in total, the majority of whom work in agriculture and in business. The name Pénjamo is derived from the P'urhépecha word penlamu, which means 'place of Ahuehuete trees'.

[edit] Geography

The city of Pénjamo, home to the municipal government, is located at 101º42´22´´ longitude to the west of the Greenwich Meridian and at 20º 25´ 44´´ latitude north. It is at 1,700m above sea level, although in some places, like the mountain range around Pénjamo, this can be up to 2400 metres.

The city is located along highway 90, which connects the city of Irapuato with the city of Guadalajara, in Jalisco state. The city is around 40 minutes from Irapuato.

[edit] History

The territory which is now occupied by the city of Pénjamo was first settled by the Guachichil people. The city, then a village, was founded on the 12 November 1542, not that long after the arrival of the Spanish, and it was given the name San Francisco de Penxamo. In the year 1815, the whole village was destroyed when it was set on fire. The task of rebuilding it did not begin until fifteen years later, in 1830.

On the 22 May 1857, the village was made a town, and in 1906, it was elevated to the title of city by the governor, Joaquín Obregón González. At that stage, the city had approximately 40,000 inhabitants. During World War II, because of Mexico's entering the fray, the entire city turned its lights off for fear of being bombed.

For hundreds of years, the city has been symbolised by its mountain range and the Ahuehuete tree of which there are not many left. Both appear on the city's shield. Another symbol, but one not featured on the seal, is the river Pénjamo, which divides the city into two halves.

[edit] City seal

The seal of the city features a Ahuehuete tree, underneath which there is written the year of the city's foundation, 1542. Beneath that is a drawing of the Cerro Grande (the Grand Hill), with a blue sky and a gilded, five-pointed star, underneath the year that Miguel Hidalgo was born, 1753. On top the shield is written 'Cradle of Hidalgo, San Francisco de Penxamo,' and around the shield is the Latin motto, Nobilis, Fidilis, Fortis, (noble, faithful, strong.)

[edit] Change

The municipal and state government are in the middle of carrying out important changes to establish the city as a touristic destination. The historical centre of the city is being renovated; an important publicity campaign regarding its archaeological zone has been staged; various commercial stores have been attracted to the city. Much of the city has been urbanised, but importance has also been given to preserving and creating green zones around the city. There are also plans afoot to turn the house that once belonged to Hidalgo into a museum.

[edit] Puntos tourist attractions

Corralejo: The old Hidalgo property and the monuments that are dedicated to him draw many tourists, especially during the first week of May, when the town is frequented by artists.

Plazuelas: Plazuelas is an archeological zone considered to be the most important in the state. The esplanade of the pyramids therein hosts pre-colonial dances and various events. There is also a museum there where various artifacts discovered in the archeological zone are exhibited.

[edit] Famous people born or connected with the town

In 1753, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, chief leader of the Mexican War of Independence against Spain, was born in Pénjamo. Due to this, the city advertises itself as 'cuna de Hidalgo' and 'cuna de la independencia:' cradle of Hidalgo and cradle of Independence respectively.
Pénjamo is the birthplace of seminal actor and director, Joaquín Pardavé.
The Spanish revolutionary known as 'The Lad', Francisco Javier Mina, was shot to his death in the Fuerte de los Remedios, part of Pénjamo's mountain range. He was a revolutionary who had been a guerilla fighter in both the Spanish War of Independence and the Mexican War of Independence.

[edit] External links

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