However, the municipality has been losing population since the mid-20th century even though recent events such as the town being named a Pueblo Mágico have worked to create a tourism industry.

The town of Jalpan is the municipal seat, located 180 km from San Juan del Río on Federal Highway 120.

[2] In the early morning, taxis to share with other riders gather at the main square, with their drivers shouting various locations.

It exhibits and sells various crafts from Jalpan and surrounding municipalities such as those made of palm fronds, ceramics, pine needles and wood.

[2] Most of the Querétaro Sierra Gorda's population is Pame, concentrated in the municipality, especially in the community of Las Nuevas Flores, near Tancoyol, but also in San Juan de los Durán, El Pocito, Las Flores, San Antonio Tancolyol and El Rincón.

Only one Querétaro community maintains most of the old traditions, which is Las Nuevas Flores, with primary economic activities including agriculture, the raising of rabbits, goats and sheep and the production of crafts made from palm fronds.

[2] The municipality has been experiencing population loss since the middle of the 20th century, with many migrating out to the United States in search of better paying work.

The only community which has had significant population growth, doubling over the last thirty years, mostly due to the main highway and work related to the Jalpan Dam.

[2][9] The facade is elaborately done in stucco and stone work, with ochre of the pilasters contrasting with the yellow of many of the decorative details.

The Convivio de la Amistad takes place on May 1 on the banks of the Jalpan River in an area known as the Playita (Little Beach).

Earth Day (Fiesta de la Tierra) takes place in June, sponsored by the Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda.

The Tancoyol area has the most important agricultural production with beans, corn, chickpeas, cardamom, tomatoes, chili peppers and watermelon.

Livestock production is most important near the municipal seat, with cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and horses, along with domestic fowl.

In Las Nuevas Flores, various Pame families make various crafts with palm frongs such as fruit baskets, flower vases, fans and more.

Articles include knife sheaths, carriers for cell phones, key chains, wallets, belts and more.

The El Exilio Ranch is in the Acatitlan del Río community and makes a liquor and a sweet pate called ate from guava fruit.

[12] Jalpan de Serra became a Pueblo Mágico in 2010 for its “traditions, warmth, humility, historical valued and human quality.” The Secretary of Tourism for Mexico, Gloria Guevara Manzo, indicated that the municipality has great potential not only for its natural attractions, but for its cultural ones as well.

The naming means that the community is eligible for federal assistance to improve the town's infrastructure, especially the burying of electric and other cables.

[5] The community of Acatitlán del Río is six km from Jalpan de Serra and contains the “La Casita Ecológica” (The Little Ecological House).

These areas have cabins, camping, ecological education, bicycles and horses for rent and a pool filled with water from a local spring.

The coat of arms for the city contains symbols of its history from its founding as a Franciscan mission in 1744 by Captain José de Escandón.

At the beginning of the 13th century, groups from the north, mostly Chichimecas: Pames, Jonaz and Ximpeces moved in en masse into the Sierra Gorda area, practicing hunting and gathering to sustain themselves.

[1][18] From then to the mid-18th century, there were various attempts to evangelize the Sierra Gorda area, including Jalpan by the Augustinians and Franciscans, but with little to no success.

[1][2] In 1750, Junípero Serra arrived to the Jalpan mission and worked with Francisco Palou to convert and teach new economic strategies to the indigenous peoples.

The mission allowed the early development of economic activities such as agriculture, livestock and mining to groups other than the Pames, especially in a location called El Saucillo.

The conquest of the Sierra Gorda would be the start of the domination of what is now the north of Mexico and into what is now the southwest United States, as the colonial government saw the importance of the region for economic development as well as a military buffer zone against the French and English.

[2] During the Mexican War of Independence, an insurgent group under Captain Elosúa formed, which was defeated by the royalist army in 1819, burning houses and storage facilities in the town, leaving it in ruins.

[18] In 1904, the governor of Querétaro, Francisco González de Cosío, officially named Jalpan a city as it had telephone, telegraph and some electrical services as well as a sugar cane mill.

Others, such as Coronel De la Peña, Conrado Hernandez and Malo Juvera fought against the Victoriano Huerta regime in 1913.

[2][18] In the early 1930s, there was a political struggle between Rómulo Vega from Jalpan and General Porfirio Rubio de Agua Zarca for dominance in the region.