Atlacomulco Municipality

Atlacomulco is one of 125 municipalities in the State of Mexico located in the northwest of the State of Mexico in central Mexico, from the state capital of Toluca. The municipal seat is the city of Atlacomulco de Fabela. The name is derived from the Nahuatl phrase "atlacomulli" which means "where there are wells." The city, with a population of 109,384 is surrounded by rural area in which 75% of the rest of the municipality lives. The municipality has a sizable percentage of indigenous language speakers, mostly Mazahua. The Mazahua name for the area is Embaró, which means "colored rock." Agriculture is still the main economic activity, but the development of a number of industrial parks, such as Atlacomulco 2000, which allowed the seat to reach city statues by 1987. Atlacomulco is also the origin of a political organization called the "Atlacomulco Group" made up of powerful political figures who deny its existence.

==History== thumb|Saint James the Apostle Church in Santiago Acutzilapan, Atlacomulco The area was originally settled by the Mazahuas but the date of their arrival is not known. This area eventually came under the control of Azcapotzalco during the reign of Tezozomoc, calling it the province of Mazahuacan. Later, it came under the control of Tlacopan or Tacuba. After the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, Atlacomulco became the encomendero of Francisco de Villegas in 1535. In 1537, the regent of Ixtlahuaca took possession of the area, and relocated Spanish families here to settle. The municipality remained quiet through the rest of the colonial period and during the various wars of the 19th century. The only events of note were the passing of the armies of Miguel Hidalgo and Ignacio López Rayón on the edges of the municipality during the Mexican War of Independence.