San Antonio Tlayacapan
After having an idea of how the first settlers of Chapala came to be. We will now talk about San Antonio Tlayacapan, which is the first town going west from Chapala.
San Antonio Tlayacapan
The first settlers in this area were gatherers of fruits, plants and edible roots. Who lived in small huts made of twigs and bushes or in caves on the hilltops. They were peaceful people. The men wore thongs made of cloth and the women, who wore a typical long skirt, did not cover themselves from the waist up.
Their gods were elements of nature itself. They venerated water, sun, earth, fire and wind. They were observers of nature and cared for it, because it was nature that gave them all they needed to survive.
The first name they gave to the town was just Tlayacapan, which means “over the tip of the earth.” However there are versions that say there could have been another name predating that of Tlayacapan.
In 1524, the conquest of the lakeside by the Spaniards was very peaceful. Only a few scattered tribes resisted and fought, but they were defeated by the conquistador, Nuño de Guzman.
In 1530, Franciscan friars arrived and submitted the tribes in a peaceful manner. These tribes were subject to the cacique, or chieftain, Xitomatl, who ruled from here to Cutzalan (nowadays San Juan Cosala). The Spanish Captain Alonso de Avalos conquered the area. This story repeats itself around the lakeside area, but there were differences and all the towns claimed they were independent from each other.
The friars intensified the evangelization with Friar Juan de Padilla and Friar Miguel de Bolonia, who helped the natives through the plague and the different diseases brought by the Spanish. To be able to recognize each town officially, the first thing the friars did was to add a Christian name to the towns. This is why the name recognized by the authorities became San Antonio Tlayacapan, because the patron saint was determined to be Saint Anthony of Padua.
Bibliography/Sources
Wikipedia
Book San Antonio Tlayacapan
Vicky Corona and GRUPO ACALLI
Paintings Collection of Vicky Corona
Traditions of San Antonio Tlayacapan
Thank you. This is excellent information and gives me a greater appreciation for the area I now call home.
Thanks for the lovely video and all the history of San Antonio…I enjoyed it very much and look forward to seeing and learning more…