'Guanajuato' is a state in the central highlands of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital city, Guanajuato, Guanajuato. Guanajuato means 'place of frogs' in the local indigenous language, because the local Tarascan Indians believed that the frog represented the god of wisdom. Guanajuato is the home state of Mexico's former president, Vicente Fox Quesada, and famous Mexican artist Diego Rivera.
After central Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico coast, Guanajuato was one of the first areas of Mexico colonized by the Spanish, in the 1520s, for its rich silver deposits. Guanajuato's colonial architecture is very well preserved along with over 35 old churches in its capital alone, and is very European in nature.
Today, Guanajuato's mines are still among the richest-producing silver mines in the world (historically one of the largest). The state also produces tin, gold, copper, lead, mercury, and opals. Guanajuato also leads the nation in shoe production and various farm products such as lettuce and potatoes. Main export products: Motor vehicles and autoparts, footwear, leather goods, chemicals, electric machinery and materials, fruits and vegetables.
In addition to the state capital city of Guanajuato, the state includes the cities of San Luis de la Paz, Acámbaro, Celaya, León, Salamanca, Irapuato, San Miguel de Allende, Salvatierra—the first city of Guanajuato, Cortazar, Tarimoro, and Dolores Hidalgo, the cradle of Mexican independence.
The first populist uprising in Mexican history resulted in a march from Dolores Hidalgo upon the capital of the state and the subsequent burning of the granary which held all the 'gachupines' (approximately 500 men, women and children from Spain or of pure Spanish descent) by peasants of pure Amerindian or mixed (Mestizo) descent who had been put to work in very harsh conditions.
According to some historians, this incident (seen as a horrifying caste revolt) provided the incentive for the ruling class of New Spain to declare its independence from Spain in order to keep the caste system intact, thereby rejecting moderate concessions to the lower classes that had been a part of the original upper class platform for revolting. Subsequently, it would take another 100 years (1910) until the next populist revolution would occur and actually take hold creating the first socialist country in the world pre-dating the Bolsheviks by seven years. Some historians do not, however, relate the two uprisings or agree that the granary's burning had a significant effect on Mexican independence from Spain.
The state of Guanajuato accounts for more than its proportional share of economic migrations of workers to the United States and Canada. Among the areas favored by migrants from this part of Mexico are the U.S. cities of Dallas, Texas, Corpus Christi, Texas, Evanston, Illinois, and Los Angeles, California.
GeographyThe state of Guanajuato borders the states of San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, Michoacán, and Jalisco. It has an area of 30,589 km² (about 11,800 square miles). In 2003, the state had an estimated population of about 4,855,000 people. The literacy rate stands at about 88 percent.
Guanajuato is located in the very center of Mexico, about three and half-hours from Mexico City, and its capital city is one of Mexico's most famous tourist spots.
Government and politicsThe Constitution of the State of Guanajuato provides that the government of Guanajuato, like the government of every other state in Mexico, consists of three powers: the executive, the legislative and the judiciary.
Executive power rests in the Governor of Guanajuato, who is directly elected by the citizens, using a secret ballot, to a 6-year term with no possibility of reelection. Legislative power rests in the Congress of Guanajuato which is a unicameral legislature composed of 36 deputies. Judicial power is invested in the Superior Court of Justice of Guanajuato.
The last Local elections in Guanajuato were held on July 2, 2006.
MunicipalitiesThe State of Guanajuato is divided into 46 municipalities, each headed by a municipal president (mayor). Municipalities are named after the city that serves as municipal seat; e.g. the municipial seat of the Municipality of Guanajuato is the City of Guanajuato.
