Both the archeological ruins and the Spanish village were referred to by the Aztec glyph for "Tenango" in the early colonial period in documents such as the Mendocino Codex.

[1] At the time of the Spanish conquest the southern part of the Toluca Valley, including the Tenango area, was dominated ethnically by the Matlatzincas, whose center was the Teotenango site on Tetepetl Hill.

Next came the establishment of encomiendas, or land grants which gave the Spaniards who received them control over the native population.

Atlatlahuaca and Xochiaca, other communities in the modern municipality of Tenango del Valle, were granted to Hernando de Jerez with Zictepec and Zepayautla becoming part of the encomienda of Tacuba.

[1] Encomiendas were not allowed to pass onto descendants, and for this reason, the Crown established "corregimientos" in the 1530s in most areas of what is now the municipality of Tenango del Valle.

These corregimientos were designed to attend to judicial matters between encomienda (later hacienda) holders and the indigenous population.

[1] Most of the population of the municipality was quiet during the Mexican Revolution, due to maneuvering by those with money and power, with only the small town of Zictepec openly joining the Zapatista rebels.

[1] During the 20th century, the town grew with the introduction of schools, an industrial park to provide jobs, and better transport and communication infrastructure.

It sits at about 2,600 meters above sea level, with a temperate climate, with some frost in winter and rains primarily in the summer.

Both were built during the "Porfirato," a period of time at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries when this building style was very much in vogue in Mexico.

[3] Tenango is noted for its traditional cuisine such as barbacoa, meat consumé, cecina, and rabbit dishes.

[3] This archeological site was the town which was abandoned in favor of the new settlement on the valley floor after the Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire.

It was excavated in the 1970s by the Instituto Mexiquense de Cultura, who continues to maintain the site as well as the Roman Piña Chan Archeological Museum located at the base of Tetepetl Hill.

[3][6] This site is one of the major tourist draws for the State of Mexico after Teotihuacan, Valle de Bravo and Chalma.

It borders the municipalities of Calimaya, Santa María Rayón, Texcalyacac, Tenancingo, Villa Guerrero, and Toluca.

[1] The geography of the municipality includes a number of elevations such at the Tetepetl, the Azul, the Ladera, the Tepehuisco, the Zacatonal and the Cuexcontepec.