Nochistlán

History

The earliest known inhabitants were the Tecuexes, who settled here around the year 1000. In the twelfth century the Caxcanes arrived from the valley of Tuitlán, in what is now Villanueva, Zacatecas, drove the Tecuexes out by force and established the town known as Nochistlán.

Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán and his troops arrived on April 1, 1530, and found the town empty because its people had hidden in the hills. He stayed 22 days, put up a church of cane and straw to observe Holy Week, and wrote to the king about the Caxcanes' well-tended fields and copper farming tools. Wanting a military base, he ordered Cristóbal de Oñate to found a town here named for his birthplace. The Villa de Guadalajara was founded at Nochistlán on January 5, 1532, with the first town council in what is now Zacatecas. It lasted only until mid-1533, when it moved to Tonalá.

Spanish mistreatment led to the Mixtón War. One of its main Caxcán leaders, Tenamaxtle, was from Nochistlán, and the conquistador Pedro de Alvarado was fatally injured in 1541 when a horse fell on him in what is now Las Huertas, in this municipality. On May 13, 1864, Colonel Jesús Mejía defended the town against a French attack, which is why it carries his name. Nochistlán became a Pueblo Mágico in 2012 and was declared a Heroic City in 2015.