Lerma, State of Mexico

Lerma
Municipality
Lerma
Official seal of Lerma
Lerma is located in Mexico
Lerma
Lerma
Location in Mexico
Coordinates: 19°17′05″N 99°30′43″W / 19.28472°N 99.51194°W / 19.28472; -99.51194
Country Mexico
StateState of Mexico
City Founded1616
Municipality Founded1826
Government
 • Municipal PresidentMiguel Ángel Ramírez Ponce
Area
 • Municipality228.64 km2 (88.28 sq mi)
Elevation
 of seat
2,570 m (8,430 ft)
Population
 (2005) Municipality
 • Municipality105,578
 • Seat
16,827
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (US Central))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (Central)
Postal code (of seat)
51350
Area code728 y 722
Website(in Spanish) /Official site

Lerma is a municipality located just east of Toluca and 54 km west of Mexico City in State of Mexico, Mexico. The municipal seat city of Lerma de Villada was founded in the early colonial period and named after the Duke of Lerma in Spain. The municipal area saw two battles of the Mexican War of Independence, the Battle of Monte de las Cruces and the Battle of Lerma. For a time after independence, the city was the capital of Mexico State before it was moved to Toluca.[1] The municipality is in one of the most densely populated areas of Mexico and is growing. Much of this growth is occurring near the Toluca-Mexico City highway and on the floodplains of the Lerma River. The latter has caused significant problems with flooding when the river overflows its banks during the rainy season.[2] The Nahuatl name for the area is Cacamilhuacan, which translates to “crows in the field.” In the early colonial period, the area was called Santa Clara Cacamilhuacan. The municipality has both an Aztec glyph with a crow reflecting its Nahuatl name and a Spanish coat of arms.[1]

  1. ^ a b "Enciclopedia de los Municipios de Mexico Estado de Mexico Lerma de Villada" (in Spanish). INAFED. Archived from the original on May 15, 2007. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  2. ^ Eakin, Hallie; Appendini, Kirsten (December 2008). "Livelihood change, farming, and managing flood risk in the Lerma Valley, Mexico". Agriculture and Human Values. 25 (4): 555–567. doi:10.1007/s10460-008-9140-2.