Zacatecas

Zacatecas

, state, Mexico

Zacatecas (säkätāˈkäs), state (1990 pop. 1,276,329), 28,125 sq mi (72,844 sq km), N central Mexico. Zacatecas is the capital. Lying on the central plateau, Zacatecas is a state of semiarid plains and mountains. The Sierra Madre Occidental dominates the western half, and a transverse spur (often over 10,000 ft/3,048 m high) of the same range, crossing the state from west to east, divides it. Rainfall is light and vegetation scanty. The absence of large rivers to support irrigation has limited agriculture. Cattle raising is a major activity, but the greatest industry is mining. With gold, silver, mercury, copper, iron, zinc, lead, bismuth, antimony, and salt, Zacatecas is one of Mexico's largest producers of mineral wealth. Low mineral prices, however, have led to the closure of many mines. In recent years there has been a significant outmigration from the state to the United States. After the territory, which under the Spanish also included Aguascalientes, was explored in 1530, it was initially not colonized, and it became a refuge for the indigenous peoples defeated in the Mixtón War. Their continued resistance led to a 1546 expedition from Nueva Galicia to suppress them. The discovery of silver shortly afterward caused a silver rush that all but depopulated Nueva Galicia. Zacatecas is known for its numerous examples of baroque architecture.

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Zacatecas

, city, Mexico

Zacatecas, city (1990 pop. 100,051), capital of Zacatecas state, N central Mexico. With an altitude of more than 8,000 ft (2,438 m), it is situated in a deep ravine surrounded by arid hills. The climate is temperate. The city is characterized by colonial buildings and narrow, winding, steep cobbled streets, frequently broken by stone steps. Zacatecas is a distribution center for the mining country as well as the commercial center for the region. Founded in 1548, the strategically located city was a key point in the Mexican wars and revolutions of the 19th and early 20th cent. Its cathedral was heavily pillaged during these struggles.

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The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Zacatecas

 

a state in Mexico, in the central part of the Meseta Central. Area, 75,000 sq km. Population, 951,500 (1970). The capital is the city of Zacatecas. The state’s population is engaged in small-scale dry farming, mainly the cultivation of corn and beans, and in gathering the fiber from lechuguilla, a local wild plant. Livestock, which is destined to supply the Mexico City area, is pastured in the state. Complex ores are also mined. The nonferrous metallurgy industry is centered at Fresnillo, Mazapil, and Concepción del Oro. Other industries include the production of textiles and food.

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Zacatecas

 

a city in northern Mexico, capital of Zacatecas State. Population, 41,000 (1969). Zacatecas has a railroad station. It is the center of an old mining region, where lead, zinc, and silver are extracted. The city has nonferrous metallurgy and a textile industry, primarily for the processing of local coarse-fibered plants. Woolen items are hand-produced. Zacatecas was founded in 1548.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

Zacatecas

1. a state of N central Mexico, on the central plateau: rich mineral resources. Capital: Zacatecas. Pop.: 1 351 207 (2000). Area: 75 040 sq. km (28 973 sq. miles)

2. a city in N central Mexico, capital of Zacatecas state: silver mines. Pop.: 241 000 (2005 est.)

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005