Ixtlán de Juárez

The town of Ixtlán existed before the Spanish Conquest of Mexico. It is thought to have been founded in the latter half of the 15th century, by Zapotec people from the region around Tarabundi and San Pedro Laduu[4] (though there are also neolithic remains in the area[5]). The first settlers were probably warriors establishing a defensive outpost against Aztec invaders. In 1859 Ixtlán was the site of a battle during the Reform War between liberal and conservative forces. Some of the other communities in the municipality are probably several centuries older than the town of Ixtlán.[6]

San Pablo Guelatao, the birthplace of Benito Juárez, lies 4 km from the town of Ixtlán and at the time of his birth fell within its jurisdiction, so Juárez was baptised in the church of St Thomas in Ixtlán;[7] hence his name has been added to that of the town (in 1824, however, Guelatao declared itself independent of Ixtlán, and it remains an independent municipality.[8]) The addition of Juárez's name serves the additional purpose of distinguishing the town from the many other Ixtláns in Mexico: the name is usually claimed to come from Aztec words meaning "land of the maguey",[9] and use of the maguey (otherwise known as the century plant) was widespread in pre-Columbian Mexico. An alternative proposed derivation is from Mixtec words meaning "place of obsidian", and the town uses a logo that depicts an object made of obsidian.[5]

Templo De Santo Tomás Ixtlan

Atardecer en Ixtlan

An economically sustainable, community-owned fish farm, located near Ixtlan.

In this community private property does not exist. Purchase and sale of land prohibited

Ixtlán is now a centre for eco-tourism. Its location, surrounded by cloud forest and pine and oak woodlands (which are forested sustainably) gives it great natural landscape beauty, and the forests of the Sierra Juárez mountains are claimed to be home to around 500 bird species and 6000 plant species. Tours are operated from the village, and accommodation is available.[9][10] Hiking trails link it to neighbouring towns and villages in the Sierra Norte. It is accessible by the bus service that connects Oaxaca and Veracruz along Federal Highway 175. The land is held in common,[11] but for a time in the late 20th century, a Mexican national paper manufacturer held a concession to harvest its forests. However, when the concession expired, the local communities denied the company any extensions and the forests are now managed communally in order to ensure that they are sustainable.[12][13] Principal agricultural crops in the municipality of Ixtlán are maize and coffee, with a small amount of land given over to sugarcane and other crops. Fair trade marketing has made a substantial difference to the coffee growers in this area.[14]

• Templo de St Tomás Apóstol (Church of St Thomas the Apostle), a baroque building constructed 1640–1734, replacing an earlier adobe structure.[9]
• Clock tower on the Plaza
• Presidencia municipal
• Museo de la Biodiversidad (Biodiversity Museum)

Clock tower in the center of the town

• Entry for Ixtlán de Juárez in the Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México Archived 2011-07-18 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish)