It remained an important town through the colonial period, part of the vast lands held by a family which came to be known as the Counts of Calimaya.

Today, the municipality is still mostly agricultural but there has been a rapid construction of housing divisions, changing parts of it from rural to suburban.

[7] It borders the municipalities of Toluca, Metepec, Mexicalzingo, Chapultepec, Tianguistenco, San Antonio la Isla, Tenango del Valle and Santa María Rayón.

[6] Over 95% of the population has basic services such as sewerage, running water and electricity; however, in 85% of the municipality, drainage is insufficient, and police coverage is sparse.

[1] The municipality, along with federal authorities, has been promoting fish farming operation with the aim of generating jobs in rural areas.

Workshops produce tubes, cinderblock, bathroom fixtures and food processing such as corn for tortillas.

[1] The municipality is home to one of the largest and most important zoos in Latin America, located on the former Zacango Hacienda.

[1][2][10] Dating from the first half of the 17th century, the hacienda was important not only for agriculture but also as a stopping point for mule trains as well as a commercial center.

[2] Today, its forty-eight acres are dedicated to about 1500 animals from 250 species in enclosures meant to imitate the creatures’ natural habitats.

[10] The property has a number of services including a library, museum, education center, auditorium, “ecological house”, chapel, as well as an area with restaurants and souvenir stands.

[10] It offers camps for children, which includes activities such as preparing food for the animals, and tours at night focusing on nocturnal species.

[11] The zoo has breeding programs of endangered species, whose successes include the birth of thirty-three reptiles in 2010.

[14] Calimaya was one of three main sub-dominions in the area along with Tepemaxalco and Mexicaltzingo, which probably remained after the Conquest until 1549, when Spanish-style councils replaced indigenous authority.

Calimaya's council formally began to function in 1560, with the area recognized as an “Indian Republic” (República de Indios).

[1] Agriculture remained the main economic activity through the colonial period, either on solid land or on artificial islands on area's lake and swamp called chinampas.

[14] The grandson of Juan Gutiérrez Altamirano married the granddaughter of the viceroy in 1616, which gained him a noble title, becoming the Count of Santiago Calimaya.

[14] By 1718, the town of Calimaya would be a base for Spanish and Criollo merchants, which had an effect on the social order, forming schools and religious brotherhoods for festivals which are still celebrated.

When Toluca became the capital of the State of Mexico, its growth created demand for agricultural products, also helping Calimaya's economy.

[14] The economic inequality in Mexico was evident in Calimaya as well by 1910, exacerbated by a fierce snowstorm in 1909 which ruined local crops.

The highest elevation is 4,578 meters above sea level, which is located on the slopes of the Nevada de Toluca.

[1] Ninety three percent of the municipality's surface is used for agriculture, livestock and forestry, with the rest used for residences and mining.

The only wild areas are forests of oyamel fir, holm oak and pine on the slopes of the Nevada.

Today, it is done for fun, but it has its origins in a fertility ritual tied to agriculture, with the aim of bringing rain.

[1] The most important religious celebration for the municipality is the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul on 29 July.

Each year the event is sponsored by three volunteers called “mayordomos” with fireworks, bullfights and live bands.

This tradition dates back to the early colonial era and show the influence of the Spanish from Seville which dominated the town then.

[2] The Santa María Nativitas Church is an example of folk Baroque style with the decoration molded from plaster.

Another of this type is the chapel at San Andrés Ocotlán, whose main portal contains Salomonic columns, possibly added at the beginning of the 18th century.

[1] The municipality hosts an annual Feria de Mariachi, which attracted about sixty bands in 2011 from as far as Jalisco and Aguascalientes.

The name is from Nahuatl and means “to move the heart.” It has its origins in the 19th century when mules brought sugar cane alcohol from Morelos, which was then mixed with sweetened orange juice.