- Tonalá, Jalisco
Tonalá is a city and its surrounding municipality that is part of the Greater Guadalajara metropolitan area. The city had a
2005 census population of 374,258 and the municipality had a population of 408,729 and an area of 119.58 km² (46.17 sq mi). The municipality lies adjacent to the east side of Guadalajara. The Guadalajara metropolitan area, which includes eight municipalities, had a population of 4,095,853, the second-largest urban concentration in Mexico afterMexico City . The city and the municipality both rank fourth in the state of Jalisco in population, after Guadalajara,Zapopan , andTlaquepaque .On two days a week (Thursdays and Sundays) there is a giant street market covering several of the main streets, with numerous vendors of
ceramic s,pottery , glass objects and all kinds of handcrafted items and novelties. Most of the art found onTlaquepaque and Guadalajara was manufactured here.Due to the clay soil in the area, pottery or
alfareria has been a traditional occupation for centuries.A native group, the
Tonaltecas , lived on this area surrounding theIxtépete or "Cerro de la Reina " ("The Queen's Hill"). They spokeNahuatl mixed with their own indigenous vocabulary. Indeed, the word "Tonala" comes from the Nahuatl "Tonallin", meaning "place from which the sun emerges".The noted Mexican artist
Sergio Bustamante is reported to have his primary studio in the Tonalá area, with his main gallery being located in nearbyTlaquepaque .References
* [http://www.inegi.gob.mx/est/contenidos/espanol/sistemas/conteo2005/localidad/iter/ Link to tables of population data from Census of 2005] INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática
* [http://www.e-local.gob.mx/wb2/ELOCAL/EMM_jalisco Jalisco] Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México
*"Breve historia de Jalisco", José María Muriá,Fideicomiso Historia de las Américas, 1994External links
* [http://www.tonala.gob.mx Ayuntamiento de Tonalá] Official website
* [http://www.tonala.com.mx Handcraft producers in Tonalá]
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