Tlaltenango

Tlaltenango lies in a valley of southern Zacatecas, with mountains rising on either side of its river. Caxcan communities cultivated the riverbanks before Spanish arrival, and the settlement was already known as an Indigenous village in 1530. Its fields and neighboring settlements formed part of a Caxcan region extending through the valleys of Teúl, Juchipila and Nochistlán.

In 1541 Caxcan communities and their Tepecano, Zacateco and Guachichil allies rose against Spanish rule in the Mixtón War. The conflict spread through the valleys and defensive heights of the region. After the rebellion was defeated, Spanish settlement and control expanded, while the relationship between Caxcan towns and their former allies changed. Tlaltenango's history remained closely connected to the people and agricultural lands of the valley.