Nochistlan

Nochistlán lies among the hills of southern Zacatecas, in a region once inhabited by the Caxcan. Its rocky heights and valleys became a center of Indigenous resistance during the Spanish conquest of Nueva Galicia. In 1532 the Spaniards founded the first settlement named Guadalajara nearby, but Caxcan opposition helped drive them to move it to Tonalá the following year.

In 1541 the Mixtón War spread through Nochistlán, Juchipila, Jalpa and neighboring towns. The Caxcan leader Tenamaxtli and other commanders defended the rocky height near Nochistlán against a Spanish force led by Pedro de Alvarado. Their resistance defeated the attack, and Alvarado was fatally injured during the campaign. Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza later assembled a much larger army of Spaniards and Indigenous allies to suppress the rebellion. Nochistlán remained a place closely associated with the struggle over Nueva Galicia.