Sombrerete, Zacatecas

Location of Sombrerete municipality in Zacatecas

Sombrerete is a colonial city and its surrounding municipality of the same name located in western part of the Mexican state of Zacatecas. Known for being a picturesque city and for its large deposits of mineral ores, discovered in the sixteenth century. The city is considered the fifth most important city in the state. Within the Sombrerete municipio, the largest town/city is Sombrerete followed by Chalchihuites. There are also several smaller communities known as ranchos in the municipio. The largest town after Chalchihuites is Sain Alto. It is debated whether or not Sain Alto is actually part of the Sombrerete municipio. Continuing, San Jose de Mesillas, aka Mesillas, is the largest rancho, or small ranch town, in the Sombrerete Municipio. Mesillas plays a big role in the municipio's economy. Every october, several "fiestas" are held in Mesillas which bring some revenue for the local economy.

Mesillas,Sombrerete, Zacatecas

Some of the most popular last names in Mesillas are; Ramos, Moreno, Avila, Castrellon, Rodriguez, Flores, Diaz, Chihuahua,etc. Several families make up the rancho's population of 1,326.

[[Image:<a href="http://s132.photobucket.com/albums/q20/raulcastrellon_2007/?action=view&current=mesillas.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q20/raulcastrellon_2007/mesillas.jpg" border="0" alt="Mesillas"></a>}}

The San Francisco Church and Convent.

Geography

Near the Sombreretillo Hill, the city of Sombrerete city is 167 km from the capital, Zacatecas of Zacatecas state. Famous for its mineral resources of gold, silver, lead, tin and mercury, Sombrerete is also known for its great architectural wealth -- magnificent churches and old and beautiful buildings constructed during the New Spain era.

Climate:

The climate is semi-dry with ranges of temperature between 37 to -10 in winter occasionally are presented some snowfalls.

Demographics

At the census of 2005 19,353 people resided in the town of Sombrerete, while the municipality had a population of 61,652 inhabitants. The municipal total represents 4.255 percent of the total population of Zacatecas state. The land area is 3,571 km² (1,378.77 sq mi) and includes many smaller outlying towns, the largest of which are Colonia González Ortega, Charco Blanco, and Colonia Hidalgo.

General Information

Sombrerete is a colonial city established in 1555 by Juan de Tolosa. It is often considered to be the second most beautiful city in the state, after Zacatecas City.

The Santo Domingo Church.

Touristic Sites

This city is the second most beautiful city in the state. Suggested sites to visit include:

• The Parochial Temple
• The Santo Domingo Church,
• The "La Soledad" Church
• The "La Santa Veracruz" Church
• The San Francisco Convent
• The "Tercera Orden" Church (only one in the country in Renaissance style, and its vault in the interior is unique in Latin America)
• The San Francisco Church
• The Municipal Museum
• The Juárez School
• The Rivas de Bracho School
• Los Portales

The city is near the "Sierra de Organos," where the Caveman Movie, Bandidas, and other movies were filmed.

Economic activities

Principal commercial activities are mining and tourism.

Old Hotel Hidalgo in the Hidalgo Avenue.

References

• Zacatecas Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México

External links

• Template:Es icon MunicipiosZacatecas.com Informaion, Noticias, Hisotria, Foros, y Fotos,de los Municipios de Zacatecas
• Sombrerete, Zacatecas. MX - Un punto de encuentro Local website
• Gobierno Municipal de Sombrerete Gov. official website
• Tecnológico de Sombrete Technology and Education Institute website
• www.sombrerete.biz Business site