Sain Alto is a locality in the Mexican state of Zacatecas. It serves as the municipal seat of the eponymous Sain Alto Municipality.

Saín Alto
Saín Alto is located in Zacatecas
Saín Alto
Saín Alto
Location of Saín Alto
Saín Alto is located in Mexico
Saín Alto
Saín Alto
Saín Alto (Mexico)
Coordinates: 23°34′52″N 103°14′53″W / 23.58111°N 103.24806°W / 23.58111; -103.24806
Country Mexico
StateZacatecas
MunicipalitySaín Alto
Founded1555
Elevation
2,045 m (6,709 ft)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
5,295
Area code498

Climate

edit

Saín Alto has a cold steppe climate.[1] The average annual temperature in the town is 21 °C (70 °F). The warmest month is May, with an average temperature of 29 °C (84 °F), and the coldest is January, at 14 °C (57 °F).[2] Average annual rainfall is 559 mm (22.0 in). The wettest month is September, with an average of 146 mm (5.7 in) of precipitation, and the driest is March, at 1 mm (0.039 in).[3]

History

edit

Saín Alto derives from Zaín [es] or Çayn,[4] a group of Zacateco people who established the settlement of Saín Alto sometime around 1535–1540.[5] These people were led by a cacique named Saín Alonso. The town's full name was originally "San Sebastián con el renombre de Saín", but it eventually became known as San Sebastián de Saín Alto and later simply Saín Alto. The earliest Spanish conquistadors to come into contact with the people of Zaín were Ginés Vázquez de Mercado [es] in 1552 and 1553, and Francisco de Ibarra in September 1554.[5]

With the first Zacatecas state constitution of 1825, Saín Alto became the seat of its own municipality. The latter became a free municipality on 19 August 1916.[5][6] Mercury mining began in the municipality in 1934, and accounted for 12% of Mexico's mercury production in the years of 1939 and 1940.[5]

Demographics

edit

In the 2020 Mexican Census, Saín Alto recorded a population of 5,295 inhabitants.[7]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Saín Alto, Zacatecas" (PDF). Prontuario de información geográfica municipal de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos (in Spanish). INEGI. 2009. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  2. ^ "NASA Earth Observations Data Set Index". NASA. Archived from the original on 10 May 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  3. ^ "NASA Earth Observations: Rainfall (1 month - TRMM)". NASA/Tropical Rainfall Monitoring Mission. Archived from the original on 11 May 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  4. ^ Carrillo Cázares, Alberto (2000). El debate sobre la guerra chichimeca, 1531-1585. Vol. 2. Zamora: El Colegio de Michoacán [es], El Colegio de San Luis [es]. p. 565. ISBN 970-679-031-4. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d "Saín Alto". Enciclopedia de los Municipios y Delegaciones de México (in Spanish). INAFED. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  6. ^ Estado de Zacatecas. División Territorial de 1810 a 1995 (PDF) (in Spanish). Mexico: INEGI. 1996. ISBN 970-13-1519-7.
  7. ^ Panorama sociodemográfico de Zacatecas. Censo de Población y Vivienda 2020 (PDF) (in Spanish). INEGI. 2016. p. 94–95. Retrieved 22 January 2021.