Hidalgo

Hidalgo, state in east central Mexico. Hidalgo is home to a large Native American population and has long been one of Mexico’s most important mining regions. It is bordered by the states of Mexico and Tlaxcala on the south, by Puebla and Veracruz on the east, by San Luis Potosí on the north, and by Querétaro on the west.

Located north of Mexico City, Hidalgo is divided into two major geographic regions. The climate in the northern and eastern regions of the state is cool to temperate; encompassing part of the Sierra Madre Oriental range, these regions contain some of the most rugged terrain in Mexico, with some peaks reaching 3000 m (9900 ft). The southeastern portion of the state consists primarily of semiarid plains, forming part of the high plateau in central Mexico that slopes down to more humid and tropical lowlands. El Chico National Park, Mexico’s first national park, protects one of the few undisturbed natural areas that remain near Mexico City. Los Mármoles National Park, a large park in the northern part of the state, is noted for its dramatic terrain and features an abundance of marble rock formations. The state covers an area of 20,502 sq km (7,916 sq mi).

A number of Native American groups, including the Otomí, live in Hidalgo, generally dwelling in small villages and farming communities in rural areas. Nearly one-fifth of the state’s population speaks an indigenous language. The capital and largest city in the state is Pachuca, one of the primary mining centers in Mexico. Other major cities include , a farming and textile center just east of Pachuca; Huejutla de Reyes, the hub of a tropical region that produces cotton, rice, and sugarcane in the eastern part of the state; and Tula de Allende, home to petroleum refining facilities and a center for the cultivation of alfalfa and wheat in the mountainous western region. The state’s population in 2005 was 2,345,514.

Despite Hidalgo’s close proximity to metropolitan Mexico City, much of the state remains isolated and underdeveloped due to the rugged topography of the region. The extraction of minerals such as silver, gold, copper, manganese, and mercury is a fundamental part of Hidalgo’s economy. The wealth generated from mining helped fund the railroad and highway systems that connect Pachuca to Mexico City and to other important cities in the north and east. Cattle raising is also significant, and the state is a major supplier of meat and dairy products to Mexico City. The manufacture of cement is another notable industry. Agricultural and forest products also contribute to the state’s economy. Heavy industry was given a boost in the early 1950s by the construction of Ciudad Sahagún, a government-financed industrial complex that manufactures transportation equipment.

Hidalgo played a principal role in the pre-Hispanic history of the region. The state is part of a historical region, known as the Huasteca, that was once dominated by Native Americans known as the Huastec. Related linguistically to the Maya, the Huastec are believed to have lived in the region since approximately 1000 bc. When the Spanish arrived in the early 16th century, many Huastec were enslaved and sent to the Caribbean and many more died from diseases introduced by the Europeans. Today, much of the population that lives in the Huasteca region is mestizo, or people of mixed European and Native American descent. Tula, the capital of the Toltec civilization and a major Mesoamerican metropolitan center, is located within the state’s present boundaries near the town of Tula de Allende. Numerous ruins are found in Tula, including the Pyramid of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli—also known as the Pyramid of Quetzalcóatl, one of the most important gods in Mesoamerican mythology. The archaeological site is part of Tula National Park, which also includes a museum and a 16th-century Franciscan chapel. In the colonial period, the region was best known for its vast mineral resources, especially in the Mineral del Monte municipality, where silver was mined in great quantities after the Spanish conquest.

Hidalgo was part of the state of Mexico until 1869, when it was made a separate state and named in honor of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Catholic priest and one of the heroes of the Mexican independence movement. The state played an influential role in the rise of Porfirio Díaz to the presidency in the 1870s.