Colima (state)

The name from the main city of the state is Colima . A toponym can mean “a place that is in the hands of a grandfather”, where the anthropomorphic image of a “grandfather” is most likely associated with a volcano or with a “place that is in the hands of ancestors” ^[1] .

The state is 5,455 km² (only about 3% of Mexico). It borders with the states of Jalisco and Michoacan , in the southwest it is washed by the Pacific Ocean. The state includes the Revilla-Hehedo archipelago, which includes the islands of Socorro , San Benedicto , Clarion and Roca Partida . The height of the state above sea level varies from 0 m to 3839 m. The highest point is the Colima volcano (the most active volcano in Mexico, erupted more than 40 times since the end of the 16th century). The coast is only 139 km long and includes several lagoons (for example, salt is produced in the Cuyutlán lagoon). The climate of the region is characterized as hot and humid, average temperatures vary from 24-26 ° C on the coast to 20-22 ° C on higher ground. Natural geography divides the state into northern and southern regions. The north, in view of the highlands, has a cool climate. In the south it is hotter. The islands of the Revilla-Hehedo, having volcanic origin, stretched for 400 km. The total area of ​​the islands is 205 km². In the north of the state stretch the mountain ranges of the Eastern Sierra Madre (Sierra Madre Oriental). Frequent earthquake. The main rivers of the state include Cihuatlán (also called Chacala, Marabasco or Paticajo), which forms the border with Jalisco in the west, Armería, which descends from the Sierra de Cacoma and crosses the state from north to south in The Pacific Ocean and the Coahuayana River. There are various lakes in the state and include: Carrizalillo, Las Cuatas, El Jabalí, El Calaboso, La María and La Escondida.

Forests occupy about 35% of the state.

Pre-Hispanic Time

The state was home to a number of pre-Hispanic cultures in Western Mexico. Archaeological evidence of a person’s stay here dates back to 1500 BC. The remains of cultures were found in San Lorenzo on the Gulf Coast and Tlatilco in the Valley of Mexico. One period in the development of the area is called the era of Los Ortices, which began around 500 BC. People of this era already knew ceramic production. The next stage is called Comala, and covers the period from approximately 100 to 600 years. n e. Komala's place was influenced by Teotihuacan . Another place called Armeria , on the banks of the river of the same name, was developed around 500 AD. e. The place of Chanal was active from the 6th to the 15th centuries. and was the main culture of the Colima region. There are other places that indicate a high culture of the local inhabitants of the pre-Spanish period.

Around 559, the kingdom of the Otomi and Aztecs was founded with the capital in Caxitlán led by the supreme leader, tlatoani. At the beginning of the 16th century the purpechi invaded the texos and reached the salty fields of Tzacoalco. However, a leader named Colimotl or Colliman smashed the reins in the War Salitre. Tejos was conquered by Sayyula, Zapotlan and Amunlu, which made them dominant in this part of the state.

Spanish time

After the conquest of the Aztecs and the Purpechees, the Spaniards invaded the borders of Colima. The first invasion of the area occurred under the command of J. R. de Villafuerte (Juan Rodríguez de Villafuerte) in 1522, but was repelled by the natives of the Tekoman Valley. Then E. Cortes (Hernán Cortés) sent G. de Sandoval (Gonzalo de Sandoval) to defeat texos, which he did at Paso de Alima and Palenque de Tecoman. Sandoval in 1523 founded the first Spanish settlement in the Colima Valley and named Caxitlán. In 1527, F. Cortes (Francisco Cortés de San Buenaventura) moved the settlement to the place where the city of Colima is now located.

The archipelago of the Revillahihedo was discovered in 1533 by E. de Grijalva. The first port of Tzalahua State played an important role during Spanish rule - as a defensive line and trade center. After the conquest of the territory by the Spaniards, the indigenous population declined sharply. Some estimates give the following figures: 150,000 people in 1523 and 15,000 people in 1554. This reduction led to the fact that the Spaniards, for work in mines and plantations, began to import slaves from Africa and from neighboring regions of New Spain.

The Catholic Church, in particular the Franciscan monks, carried out the evangelization of the local population. In 1554 the first monastery of San Francisco de Coliman was opened. The port of Manzanillo , then called Santiago de Buena Esperanza, played a large role in the expeditions to the north ordered by E. Cortes, which led to the discovery of California. F. Cortes intended to conquer the area further north.

Later, the port became a target for pirates such as F. Drake (Francis Drake) and T. Cavendish (Thomas Cavendish), who were stopped here. The last major battle with the pirates took place here in 1615, when Captain S. Viscaino (Sebastián Vizcaino) defended the port against the Dutch pirate J. van Spilbergen (Joris van Speilbergen).

With the creation of the province of New Galicia (Nueva Galicia) in 1531, Colima became part of it. In 1550, Colima lost the provinces of Autlán and Amula. By the end of the 16th century. she lost the Motines region, and in the 19th century. - Silotlan (Xilotlán). Since the beginning of the colonial period, Colima has been a province of New Spain. In 1789, the parish of Colima was included in the diocese of Guadalajara. In 1796, Colima was transformed into a sub-delegation of the province of Guadalajara.

In Spanish time, the production of “coconut wine” began by distillation of palm fruits and coconuts. In the 16th century cocoa cultivation was introduced along with coconuts, sugarcane and cotton. Later production of rice, indigo and vanilla was started.

At the beginning of the 19th century. Manzanillo's commercial port was open to domestic and international traffic for a short time. With the outbreak of the Mexican War of Independence , the Spanish authorities arrested the head of the Indian community along with suspects in preparing a rebellion in October 1810. Despite the fact that the Aztecs were against the rebels, they were accused of hostility to the king and preparing plans to destroy the church. One of the accused was José Antonio Díaz, priest of the parish Almoloyán and friend of M. Hidalgo de Costiglia (Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla). He will later join the rebel army. At the end of 1810, Colima was taken without a fight by rebels led by H.A. Torres (Jose Antonio Torres), but in 1811 the royalist army was returned. In the same year, at Los Llanos de Santa Juana, the royal troops defeated insurgent troops led by José Calixto Martinez. The rebels under the command of I. Sandoval (Ignacio Sandoval) and M. Gallagi (Miguel Gallaga) again occupied the city in 1812. In 1813 the city was again in the hands of the royalists, and the inhabitants swore allegiance to the monarchical constitution.

Independence Time

In 1821, the Igual Plan, which provided for the independence of Mexico, was proclaimed in Colima. Colima remained a sub-delegation of Guadalajara. In 1824, after the introduction of the republican federal constitution, Colima with its environs was proclaimed the Federal Territory of Mexico, led by a political head. From 1837 to 1846, Colima was integrated into the state of Michoacan .

The liberals achieved state status for Colima in 1856, and in 1857 a new state was established. The first constitution of Colima was adopted and the first governor approved. He was elected M. Alvarez Zamora (Manuel Álvarez Zamora).

During the War of Reform of 1858, Colima served as the provisional capital of the liberal government of B. Juarez (Benito Juárez). In 1861, the islands of the Revillahihedo were incorporated into the state.

In 1864, French troops, during their invasion of Mexico, entered Colima, dissolved the State Congress, and Colima was transformed into a department in 1865. In 1867, republican troops under the command of R. Corona (Ramon Corona) occupied the city again. Colima, after that, was again reorganized into a state. In 1881, it became an independent diocese from Guadalajara.

The second half of the 19th century witnessed the emergence of the textile industry. Factories were built in La Armonía, La Atrevida and San Cayetano. In 1869 a telegraph was built. A new line connected the capital with the port of Manzanillo. In addition, since 1883 a telephone line was built. In 1889, rail traffic began between the two cities, and tram traffic began in Colima in 1892. The time of the “porphyry” (presidency of P. Diaz) in Colima was marked by significant stability and economic growth.

During the Mexican Revolution , there were no major battles in the state, however, local clashes took place. In 1911, troops loyal to F. I. Madero (Francisco I. Madero) entered Colima, and suspended the work of Congress. A protracted period of political and economic instability began. In the 1920s, interventions in the work of the state administration from the federal center continued. A number of laws were adopted to reform education, medical services, etc.

In the middle of the 20th century. textile production began to curtail, and agriculture became the basis of the economy. The state has become a major lime producer. In 1927, the right-socialist Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) came to power in Colima, a candidate from whom L. Cervantes Vázquez was elected the new governor. In 1942, the University of Colima (Universidad (Popular) de Colima) was founded.

At the end of the 20th century. Colima has become one of the highly developed regions in the country. The infrastructure has improved. New roads were built and old roads improved, the port in Manzanillo was modernized, the pace of housing construction, social welfare facilities, food industry enterprises, etc. increased.

In January 21. 2003, a strong earthquake with a power of 7.6 points occurred in Colima. At least 29 people were killed, 300 were injured, about 10,000 were left homeless, 2,005 buildings were destroyed, 6,615 were injured. Significant destruction was noted in the cities of Colima and Tekoman. Some destruction was noted in the neighboring states of Jalisco and Michoacan .

In the 2010s, the fight against drug trafficking began in Colima. In the first quarter of 2011, 52 organized crime killings were recorded. Politically, after the entry into force of the Constitution of 1917 and the victory in the election of the governor of a candidate from the PRI party, its monopoly on power was not violated by any of the political parties.

In 2010, the state has a population of 650,555, which is only about 0.6% of the Mexican population. About 89% of the population lives in cities. More than 95% of the population profess Catholicism. The proportion of the Indian population is extremely small, only about 0.7% of the population of Colima speak Indian languages. More than 91% of the population over the age of 15 is competent.

Largest cities:

• Colima - 137 383 people.
• Manzanillo - 130,035 people.
• Villa de Alvres - 117 600 people.
• Tekoman - 85 689 people.

Administratively divided into 10 municipalities:

According to socio-economic indicators, the state is one of the first places in Mexico: about 96% of the population have running water, 82% have sewage, 98% have electricity. State GDP for 2009 was 43,370,725,000 pesos . Employment rates are relatively low compared to other regions of Mexico. The proportion of people employed in agriculture is quite small. Main agricultural products include: limes, coconuts, bananas, mangoes and other fruits. The state is Mexico's largest lime producer. In addition, crops such as corn, rice, sorghum, tomatoes, chili peppers, coffee, melons and others are grown. Arable land makes up about 27% of the area of ​​Colima, and about 28% is occupied by pastures.

In coastal areas, fishing and tourism occupy an important place in the economy. Mining, construction and utilities account for 18.5% of employment. Iron is mined in the state (in Peña Colorado, the largest deposit in the country). Tourism is an important sector of the country's economy. Water sports are popular here, and the state is famous for its beautiful beaches.

Transport

The largest transport center in the region is the port of Manzanillo. There are 2 airports: Playa de Oro International Airport (in Manzanillo) and Lic. Miguel de la Madrid Airport (in Colima). The state runs 191.5 km of railways. The road network is 1,424.5 km, of which 686.9 km are covered. The main roads connect the cities of Colima and Manzanillo with Guadalajara .

The state emblem is a silver shield with a scarlet border. In the center of the shield is an Indian (Mayan) hieroglyph depicting a bent arm at the elbow emerging from the waters. The origin of this sign is difficult to establish. Perhaps it follows from the Aztec words colli and maitl, which can be translated as "a place in the hands of the ancestors." From below, the shield is framed by symbols of the state flora and fauna - jaguars, snakes, flowers, sea shells. A shield rests on the Colima volcano, in front of which is a palm tree. A shield is crowned by a knightly silver shield. Colima State does not have an approved flag. Often used a white panel with a coat of arms in the center.

• Pospelova N.M., Chesnokova O.S. Toponymy of Mexico: names of states and their capitals // Bulletin of the Russian University of Friendship of Peoples. Series: Russian and Foreign Languages ​​and the Methodology of Their Teaching: Journal. - 2005. - No. 1 . - S. 227-237 .