Colón, Querétaro, Mexico

🇲🇽 Colón Municipality is a municipality in Querétaro in central Mexico. Located in the west centre of the state, it is the only one in the country named in honor of the traveler Christopher Columbus.

History The Otomi inhabited these lands before the 16th century, who called the Hospadá region. Around the 14th and 15th centuries they were displaced to the south by the Chichimecas jonaces.

1531 The Spaniards allied with the Otomi arrive, who returned to occupy the territory. Europeans establish the fort of San Isidro on the borders of Hospadá.

1550 It was founded to take the name of San Francisco Tolimanejo and Ajuchitlán and Zamorano were founded simultaneously.

1687 Soriano is founded just one kilometer from Tolimanejo.

1756 Tolimanejo merges with Soriano in a single parish.

1825 The congress of Querétaro creates the municipality of Tolimanejo.

1882 Officially Tolimanejo and Soriano are unified into a single town with a new name, Colón.

1920 From May to November, the state of Querétaro is governed by Rómulo de la Torre, the only colonian who has held such a position.

1923 On July 1, Colón was erected as a Free Municipality, thanks to the colonense deputy Arnulfo Cabrera Molina.

1929 The Cristeros lay down their weapons to the Command of the Federal Army.

1965 The Shooting Range is established

2004 Querétaro International Airport is inaugurated, part of whose land is in the municipality, near Galeras.

2007 The aircraft assembly plant of the Canadian company Bombardier is inaugurated.

2009 On February 7, the Basilica of Our Lady of Sorrows of Soriano is proclaimed to the Sanctuary.

Geography The municipality of Colón is located in the west centre of the State of Querétaro. Its area is 807.15 km², which is 6.9% of the total state, being the third place among the 18 municipalities.

It is bordered to the north-east by the municipality of Tolimán, to the east by Ezequiel Montes, to the south-east by Tequisquiapan, to the south by Pedro Escobedo, to the west by El Marqués and to the north by the municipality of Tierra Blanca in the state of Guanajuato.

Geology At the head it has an average altitude of 1900 meters above sea level. In the municipality it varies, since the highest point of the state is the mountain "Pinal del Zamorano" of 3 360 m. n.m., located north of Colón, on the borders with Guanajuato and also has altitudes around 1700 m. n. n. m. The southern half are plains, hills and isolated hills of 1900 m s. n. m. The northern half is of mountains, high plateaus and large glens, foothills of the Sierra del Zamorano. The soil is of volcanic type, with tepetate, obsidian, basalt in the upper areas, large varieties of opal in the south and veins of different minerals. To the south-west there are large ashlar deposits.

Geography: Hydrography Columbus is crossed by the continental watershed. The Pacific Basin begins in the streams from the Pinal Zamorano forming different streams that form the Querétaro River, and this in turn La Laja in Guanajuanto, which is then integrated into the Great Lerma-Santiago Basin. The Gulf of Mexico Basin arises from the El Moro and El Mexicano hills protruding the Colón River from the Moro, and from the community of Zamorano lower Bonfil". This in turn is the Tolimán River, which is a tributary of the Extoraz and joins the Moctezuma and the Pánuco.

In the region of the municipal capital there are high-quality thermal springs and several wells.

Economy Querétaro International Airport has the administrative headquarters of the Regional Cargo airline, in Colón.5

Agriculture It is mainly cultivated corn, beans, barley, alfalfa, sorghum, coconut, mango, watermelon, pear, lechuguilla and various vegetables. In the terrace system, nopal, maguey, oregano and damiana plantations have been made. The area destined for agriculture is almost 20,000 hectares, 98% of the state total

Livestock As in other neighboring municipalities, livestock is an important activity. Fifteen dairy stables produce high incomes. In Colón there are several organizations dedicated to the research and genetic improvement of cattle and other species.

Economy: Industry There are workshops on spinning, weaving and sewing, as well as ceramics and lapidary. There is a milk pasteurizing plant and animal feed factories. There are factories of partition, brick and waterproofing materials, and installations for marble cutting.

An agro-industrial park has been installed, where there are greenhouses for the production of flowers and vegetables

Tourist Industry Colón is part of the Route of Art, Cheese and Wine, of the Otomi-Chichimeca route through the oratory chapels, and of the Route of the Haciendas of Querétaro. It is characterized by offering activities for religious and sports tourism.

Some of the sites of interest are the La Soledad dam, the Canyon of the Pilones, the Alameda de Ajuchitlán, the Basilica of Soriano, the Mission of Santo Domingo, Casa Mota, the mansions, squares, historical monuments and the Cerro del Zamorano, which was declared Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2009.

For family activities there is a zoo that is the Wamerú near the communities of Viborillas, San Ildefonso and Nativitas, on the border with the municipality of El Marqués. In the municipal capital is the Community Museum where typical costumes of the regions of the municipality, photographs, objects from the colonial era and pre-Hispanic utensils that have been found in the municipality are exhibited.

There are two areas of cave paintings that are hundreds of years old. One is in the Barranca de Los Pilones, near Ejido Patria, and the other in El Potrero.

Religious tourism is based on the crowded pilgrimages to the Basilica of Soriano in Colón during Holy Week and September. On February 8, 2009, the establishment of a Minor Basilica to the Sanctuary of Soriano, in Colón, took place. The celebration was presided over by the Apostolic Nuncio in Mexico Christopher Pierre and the bishop of Querétaro, Mario de Gasperín. With this event, the religious activities of this religious centre have greatly increased, in addition to contributing to the economic and tourist development of the municipality. Currently, pilgrimages from different parts of the country, the state of Guanajuato, the state of Mexico, San Luis Potosí, Michoacán, Hidalgo, etc. are there. And of course, from the municipalities of the state itself. All this has contributed so that in the region, today, we find much more activity of visitors and tourists throughout the year, which contributes to the municipality being better known in its various areas: gastronomy, culture, socially, geographically, etc. and especially its own people.

Sports tourism includes sport fishing in the Colon or La Soledad Dams and camping in the wooded areas near Cerro del Zamorano.

The gastronomy of Colón offers dishes such as enchiladas with cheese, nopales in penca, fried fish, fish ceviche, gorditas de maíz, barbecue in penca de maguey, fruit wines and palm flowers. Sweets such as milk hams, charamuscas, quince and apple ate, chilacayote sweets, crystallized fruits, pumpkin and tamarinds are also made.

As for handicrafts, in Colón garments and fabrics are meticulously made with wool of both natural colors and dyed. You can visit the looms to learn more about their elaboration process. You can also find handicrafts of wood, ceramics, rod basketry, lapidary with opal, chalcedony, marble, quarry, onyx and obsidian.