During the event of the Traditional Tuxtla Cuisine, held in Cerro Hueco, the municipal chronicler Jorge Alejandro Sánchez Flores highlighted the historical and cultural importance of this emblematic site, recalling its role in key moments of the history of the capital of Chiapas.
Among the episodes mentioned, he highlighted the construction of a Casa de Campo by Governor Rafael Pimentel at the beginning of 1900, which, in 1932, became the Rural Normal School of Chiapas, today known as Mactumactzá. He also recalled that on February 1, 1912, the State Government sold the Cerro Hueco and Carmen El Zapotal farms to the Tuxtla City Council.
The chronicler also recalled June 5, 1917, when a group of men on horseback, known as “mapaches”, entered through Cerro Hueco to invade Tuxtla Gutiérrez using weapons. He also mentioned the existence of the infamous Cerro Hueco prison, which, after decades of operation, was transformed into the Museum of Science and Technology in 2006.
Cerro Hueco stood out as a symbol of identity – ITAC
Sánchez Flores highlighted that Cerro Hueco has been a source of life for the city, thanks to its springs and streams such as Pojpón, Santa Ana and El Salado, which supplied water to the population from 1892 until the 1940s. He also mentioned the work of farmers dedicated to the planting of corn, beans, squash, sorghum and puxinu, such as his deceased friend Pedro Sánchez, as well as the legacy of ranchers who distributed raw milk in the city, among them Don Tomás Sánchez Sánchez.
Regarding the gastronomy of the area, the columnist highlighted the work of renowned tamale makers, such as Angélica Hernández, Leticia and Marbe Sánchez Gutiérrez, and Leticia Ramos, who have preserved the local culinary tradition.
A point of great significance was the mention of the festivity in honor of El Señor del Pozo, whose celebration will take place on February 21 in La Ribera. According to him, the image was swept away by the Grijalva River during a flood in the mid-nineteenth century and rescued by Cristiana Hernández, who kept it in her home.
Parque Jardín de la Marimba: The musical heart of Tuxtla Gutiérrez
This iconic space, full of music and tradition, is a tribute to the great marimbistas of Chiapas and a meeting point for locals and tourists
Over time, it passed to her daughter Manuela and her husband Domingo Gutiérrez, and later to Delina Gutiérrez. Currently, two images are venerated, one in the house of the deceased Delina and another in the chapel where this event took place. The celebration was accompanied by the music of the marimba “Al pie del cañón”, which, as the chronicler pointed out, “today was at the foot of the Mactumactzá.”
The event reaffirmed the importance of Cerro Hueco not only as a site full of history, but as a symbol of identity, memory and roots for the inhabitants of Tuxtla Gutiérrez.
Source: oem
