Queréndaro is a municipality in the MexicanstateofMichoacán. The word Queréndaro is of Chichimeca origin and means "place of rocks", from the great rock in the municipality known as "La Peña Rajada". It contains a cave with paintings that date from the pre-Hispanic era.
It is a township and municipality dedicated to agriculture, fishing, cattle breeding and bread making. The municipality produces corn, wheat, sorghum, various species of chili pepper, beans, barley, alfalfa, and chickpeas, among others. It is recognized regionally for its Feria del Chile (Feast of the Chili Pepper), which is the main celebration of the municipality, celebrating the founding of the town.
Queréndaro is composed of other small towns or communities, including Pueblo Viejo and Rio de Parras, the two larger communities also referred to as tenencias. The other communities include El Castillo, Milpillas, San Miguel Las Cuevas, El Rincon de Zetina, San Jose De La Cumbre, La Estancia, San Antonio Tiradores, each having a population from 250 to 1,000 individuals. Other smaller towns like Ojo de Agua Grande, Colonia Eusebio Luna (El Zocalo), El Panteon de las Agujas, El Nopal, Ojo de Agua Chico (Ojo de Agua Chiquito), Jauja, and Dolores have between 10 and 249 inhabitants. Numerous other small towns have fewer than 100 persons. The primary occupations are agriculture, fishing, cattle, pig, horse, and sheep raising.
Queréndaro was founded in the time of the Tarascan state. During the colonial era, it was occupied by Jesuits, who used it to support and maintain their order in the area. The land turned out to be suitable for farming, and, in addition, it was used as a rest area on the road between Morelia and Mexico City. A nearby landholding named Otzumatlán legally became part of Zinapécuaro in 1831, became a municipality in 1921, and nowadays goes by the name Queréndaro.
Queréndaro is located in northern Michoacán at the coordinates 19º48 'north latitude and 100º53' west longitude, at a height of 1,840 meters above sea level. It borders the municipalities of Zinapécuaro to the east, Ciudad Hidalgo to the south, and Indaparapeo and Alvaro Obregón to the west. Its distance to the state capital Morelia is 35 km.
Queréndaro's flora is formed by mixed forest with pine and aile trees, forest of conifers with oyamel tree and pine, and prairies with nopal, cactus, tall grasses, huizache and diverse scrub. Its fauna consists of armadillos, coyote, hare, raccoon, opossum, skunk, hen of mount, mourning dove, duck, white fish, frogs and other species of birds and small fishes native to the lake, mountains rivers, creeks and ponds.
Queréndaro has a spa (El Pedregal) named for the abundance of stones where it is located. There are also 2 soccer fields, 5 basketball courts, and a sports complex with an athletics track.[citation needed]
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Información proporcionada por cada uno de los H. Ayuntamientos del Estado de Michoacán, 1996-1998.
