History of Guadalajara
History of Mérida
History of Oaxaca
Northern Mexico
Central Mexico
Southern Mexico
History of Guadalajara
History of Mérida
History of Oaxaca
Northern Mexico
Central Mexico
Southern Mexico
THIS TOWN WAS PART OF THE VAST AZTEC EMPIRE
Pre-Hispanic Era
The territory was occupied by the Matlazincas who, at the time of the arrival of the Spanish, were dominated by the Aztecs.
The Aztec conquest process was consolidated, in part, by strong detachments in the center and periphery of the subjugated zone. In the case of Valle de Bravo, the conquering people had time to build palaces and temples, the ruins - or part of them - of which were found around "La Peña" around 1930.
Colonial Era
When the Spanish soldiers dominated Tenochtitlán, they decided to conquer other territories, including the Matlatzinco, which included the Valle de Toluca, Teotenango, Malinalco, and Ocuilan, which paid tribute since the late 15th century. The region where Valle de Bravo was located was part of Matlatzinco but had managed to remain as a smaller autonomous territory until the entry of the Spanish.
Prominent historians mention two campaigns in the conquest of the Matlatzinco territory: the first led by Andrés de Tapia and the second led by Gonzalo de Sandoval.
The Franciscans were probably the first to try to convert the Matlatzincas of Temascaltepec. This town was founded by a mission of Franciscan priests from the convent of Toluca, recently conquered the country, who stayed in the town until they handed over the administration to secular priests between 1607 and 1615, at which time the temple already existed in the same place it occupies today, and there was also a convent, which was named San Franciscano del Valle de Temascaltepec.
History of Valle de Bravo
19th century
After the outbreak of the War of Independence in 1810, the Indians of San Francisco del Valle de Temascaltpec joined the movement. Among the rebels was one very famous figure who appeared around 1834. His name was Carlos Guadalupe Tepixtoco Abad, who proclaimed a plan to restore the empire of Moctezuma, which the people considered ridiculous and reckless.
On May 7, 1842, due to the valor shown by the inhabitants in the fight against the French invasion during the so-called "Guerra de los Pasteles" (Pastry War), the town received the official title of Villa, changing its previous name to "Villa del Valle."
In 1847, a small group of inhabitants of Villa del Valle, including José Rebollar, Ramón Uriarte, and Francisco Ortíz Luque, allied with General Nicolás Bravo's army to participate in the heroic defense of Chapultepec Castle during the US invasion.
Under the conservative General José María Cobos, with the motto of "religion" and "privileges," Villa del Valle was taken, and the neighboring town of Amanalco was looted in 1857.
Villa del Valle was renowned in the region for the pack saddles for cargo animals produced here. Its fine shawls were also well-known, and their industry thrived during the time of Maximilian. According to Castillo and Piña, "the amount of money that entered the town due to the sale of shawls was so great that the streets could have been paved... with silver."
Years later, during the Reform Wars, General Felipe Berriozábal, a supporter of President Lerdo, attacked Valle de Bravo, which was under the control of the conservatives. The liberals positioned themselves on the nearby hill of Calvario, from where they fired upon the town.
In 1889, during the height of the Porfirio Díaz regime, Valle de Bravo appeared as a district composed of five municipalities and three towns, encompassing a city, three villages, 33 towns, four neighborhoods, 23 haciendas, one ranch, and 24 rancherías.
Before the end of the century, Valle de Bravo already had a power plant for generating electricity, a telegraph office, and a theater.
Around 1879, there were nine mines in Valle de Bravo, which apparently were not exploited due to the economic situation. Only one of them stood out, El Salto, where iron was obtained and smelted for the production of stoves, grills, and other objects. It was later destroyed by the Zapatistas.
20th Century
After gaining independence, Mexico experienced more than a century of political and social turmoil. Liberals and conservatives fought for power, plunging the country into chaos and backwardness. Valle de Bravo did not escape these conflicts and instabilities.
By 1910, Valle de Bravo was the most important municipality in the district and due to its strategic location, it became a target of revolutionary forces.
In 1937, a small group of engineers from the newly established Federal Electricity Commission had arrived to conduct studies for the possible construction of the Ixtapantongo power plant, later named "Miguel Alemán" Hydroelectric System. The work began on May 5, 1938, and was completed on July 17, 1947. It flooded 2,900 hectares of Valle de Bravo's best land, known as El Plan. The system began at the Villa Victoria Dam and extended to the state of Michoacán, including 18 operational units generating a total of 458,775 kilowatt-hours. Today, this dam is part of the Cutzamala System, which supplies drinking water to the Mexico City metropolitan area.
In 1968, Valle de Bravo served as a sub-headquarters for equestrian competitions during the Olympic Games.
In 1971, it was granted the title of "Typical City of Valle de Bravo" under the "City Protection and Conservation" law.
In 1972, the city hosted the sailing and canoeing competitions of the Central American Games, and in 2012, it was designated as a "Magical Town."
A LAKE, COBBLESTONE STREETS AND SMALL TOWN TRADITIONS
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