It is located between 103°22′30″ and 103°50′00″ longitude west and 21°54′00″ and 22°10′00″ latitude north, at an altitude of 1,767 metres (5,797 ft) above sea level.

Prior to the Spanish conquest, the municipality of Villa Guerrero was inhabited by the indigenous Tepecan (Tepehuan).

The area was conquered by the Spanish Captain Pedro Almíndez Chirino, sent by Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán in the year 1530.

In the early 17th century, the area was the scene of a number of indigenous uprisings, including one by the Wixarika and Tepecan in 1607, resulting in its abandonment by the few Spanish settlers.

By 1673, the place was an agricultural and cattle ranch called Juanacatic, owned by the Spanish captain Juan de Escobedo.

[3] In 1676, the Spanish military administrator for the region of Colotlán Toribio González de Escalante, began the extraction of saltpeter in the valley.

Eventually the extraction of saltpeter ceased due to its cost inefficiency and the administrator's inability to retain sufficient labor.

In 1779, the Juanacatic hacienda was acquired by Pedro de Llanos y Valdés as the area began to experience large flows of European immigration.

Political reforms, such as the Iguala Plan undertaken in 1821 by the newly independent government extinguished separate treatment of indigenous communities and communal lands of the Tepehuan were distributed to individuals.

Construction on a stone church to replace the adobe chapel of the town of El Salitre began in 1905.

Rainy season occurs in the months of June, July and August, and includes an average rainfall of 803.2 millimetres (31.62 in).

Rabbits, hares, deer, coyotes, reptiles, mountain lions and other smaller species inhabit in this region.