Tlamazolan

Tlamazolan, later known as Tamazula, lies in the highlands of southern Jalisco. Its Nahuatl name means “place of toads.” Rock paintings on the hill of San Francisco bear witness to earlier inhabitants, while at the time of the Spanish arrival the district was ruled by the chief Calizentli.

Spanish forces reached Tamazula in 1522 and Francisco Cortés de San Buenaventura passed through in 1524. In 1567 Martín de Moreno found silver deposits nearby, giving rise to the mining settlement of Real de Zula. Its workings included the mines of La Moruña, San Joaquín and La Verde. The mines reached their height around 1650, but by the end of the eighteenth century the old prosperity had diminished and mining rights were concentrated in a few hands.