Xochipillan

Xochipillan, later called Juchipila, was a Caxcan settlement in the canyon of the river that bears its name. Hills and steep ranges rise on either side of the valley, including the mountains of Nochistlán and Morones. Its Nahuatl name recalls a place of flowers. Before Spanish conquest the settlement formed part of a country of neighboring Caxcan communities, linked by the valleys and defended heights of southern Zacatecas.

During the Mixtón War of 1541, people from Juchipila joined the resistance spreading through the region. Local leaders helped defend strongholds alongside fighters from Nochistlán and Jalpa. Spanish forces eventually brought a much larger army against the rebellion, and the rocky heights of the canyon became scenes of fierce fighting. The memory of that struggle remained closely tied to Juchipila and the neighboring peñol of Mixtón.