On the south shore of the Lake almost directly across from Chapala, the town of Tuxcueca is located at the juncture of the highway to Matzamitla and the highway between Jocotepec and Sahuayo. Tuxcueca is the name of the town as well as the Municipio. (A municipio is roughly the equivalent of a county.)
Tuxcueca has its origins in pre-Hispanic history. It was founded by Chichimeca Indians. The original settlement was located on the "right side" of the Carretas Arroyo about two kilometers east of the present town site. Presumably, at the time there were a great number of rabbits in the area for the name can be loosely translated as, "the place where they make women's slips out of rabbit fur". A veritable pre-Colombian Victoria's Secret. At least the secret part still applies.
Some years before the arrival of the Spanish, the area was invaded by the King Tangaxoan of the Tarasco Indians who lived in what is now the State of Michoacan It seems that the good King had a rather pressing political problem. He needed salt. There was plenty of salt laying about on the ground near the present day towns of Zacoalco and Sayula and the salt road to Zacoalco from Michoacan led through Tuxcueca, behind the mountains which border Lake Chapala, and thence to the salt flats of Zacoalco which are still visible down in the valley at the turn off of highway 15 from Guadalajara to Jocotepec. But the Chichimecas in Tuxcueca were a bother to any self-respecting Tarasco salt merchant because the Chichimecas felt as though they were due tribute from any salt passing through their territory. King Tangaxoan felt differently. I mean, really! How could people who made slips out of rabbit fur demand anything!
So the King and a few thousand interested Tarasco citizens visited Tuxcueca where they staged an encounter session with the local boys. At the end of the day the folks from Tuxcueca had to admit that perhaps they had erred and agreed that they really didn't have a pressing need for salt tribute after all. The only problem with this rather happy turn of events was that old King Tangaxoan had forgotten that King Colimote of the present day state of Colima felt as though the salt at Zacoalco really belonged to him and was slighted that Tangaxoan had failed to send him an invitation to the proceedings at Tuxcueca.
Colimote checked with a number of his kingly cronies and found that they too had been slighted and so it came to pass that at the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century the south shore of Lake Chapala was embroiled in what came to be known as the Guerra del Salitre or the Salt War. In the end the King from Colima won the war but still felt slighted about that invitation that had not been sent, so he began charging a resounding tribute to what was left of the folks in Tuxcueca. One has to assume that the ladies of the royal court in Colima no longer suffered from chaffing and that Colimote was loved long and ardently.
For the next hundred years things stayed pretty much stable. The salt stayed in Zacoalco, the tribute was paid to Colima, and the Chichimecas in Tuxcueca stayed in Tuxcueca. Then a fellow named Cortez put in an appearance in Mexico and things started to change. In 1524 Mr. Cortez sent one of his trusted military aides to the western front to deal with the Indian problem in what is now Jalisco. Captain Alonso de Avalos "colonized" the area including Tuxcueca. It seems that there was very little actual fighting and the Tuxcuecans willingly exchanged the devil they knew for the one they didn't.
In 1560 the original village was moved from the "right side" of the Arroyo Carretas to the present location. One of the reasons for the move is the natural harbor of present day Tuxcueca. Another reason was the magnificent site chosen for the original church, which still stands on a hill overlooking the town and the lake. The new church is located right off the plaza but to walk the two blocks to the old church is well worth the effort.
For the next few centuries nothing much happened in Tuxcueca. But in 1837 a baby was born in Puruaguas, which is only 4 kilometers to the east, who was to become a hero in Mexico's war against the French. It was General Corona to whom Maximiliano surrendered before being executed. When Corona returned from the wars the town begged that he intervene for them to become independent municipio.
General Ramon Corona went to the State Congress and suggested that Tuxcueca be declared a municipio. Even State Congresses bow to war heroes and so State Congress decree number 184 published on April 20, 1886 converted Tuxcueca from a ward of Tizapan el Alto to a fully credited municipio covering almost 300 square kilometers. For the first time in its long history Tuxcueca was independent. Three years later the General was assasinated by a madman muttering about women's fur slips.
Present day Tuxcueca boasts a population of around 18,000 for the entire municipio. The principal occupation is agriculture. It is one of the poorest mun-icipios in the area. It is also, perhaps, the best kept secret of the entire Chapala basin. in spite of it's breath taking views and perfect climate.
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