Since the 16th century, Harappa has become an important economic as well as administrative center
Preface: Since the sixteenth century, Xalappa has been configured as two important economic and administrative centers, the horseback towns of Veracruz and Puebla.
Its strategic location in the middle of the Camino Real, from Puerto Veracruz to Mexico, makes it a must for all pedestrians, passengers, soldiers, merchants, etc. to supply, distribute and stay overnight. The region of Harappa benefits from abundant water resources and a mild climate, which has promoted the development of agriculture and livestock by its inhabitants, but on a small scale.
Thus, until the eighteenth century, Jalapa, in addition to being a stop on the road, did not have more to do with the economy of the governor than the mule town that became a cargo to Veracruz.
The city plan at that time shows a small town surrounded by springs and built at the foot of a mountain. Its traces are extracted from the roads of Veracruz, the streets from their center, in some cases, due to the topography, from north to south, east to west, before the irregularity is enough.
Until the eighteenth century, houses built on the streets used to be simple, with one or two water built into the walls and beams. At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the population reached 3945 neighbors. By 1746, Harappa was inhabited by 243 Spanish, 182 mestizo and 371 Indian families, with about 4,000 neighbors.
The Jalapa model studied by Matilde Sou and Patricia Torres6 established the Jalapeña population among 3973 neighbors, of which 32% were Indian, 31% Spanish (European and Creole), 16% were mestizos, 10% corresponded to browns, and the rest, about 10% were made up of caste, caste, black, mulatto, and unidentified ethnic groups.
It is agreed that the flowering of Jalapa began in 1720, just as the town's first trade fair was celebrated.
The creation of the Jalapa bazaar will be a trigger for the changes that the town will experience in the form of peasants replacing ploughs and hoes with artistic tools, fields previously covered by tabalis are not cultivated and covered with grass for cattle, and mules, then there will be many people, abandoning hard work or roads to devote themselves to commercial traffic within the city.
The topography of the city, and even the customs, influenced by the merchants who arrived from Europe to meet their Mexican counterparts, would also be affected by the new commercial situation that would make Xalappa a sales center for all goods from Europe.
At that time, the fair attracted great interest, especially the head of the province of Xalapa, since it was necessary for merchants to store private rooms, through its structure, the material part of the population expanded and became more compact, completely uniting the communities of San José, San Francisco, El Calvario and Santiago, since then Xalappa has influenced all events in Mexico and has acquired a name in Europe.
The exposition changed not only the material aspects of the harappa, but also the character, customs and tastes of its inhabitants, who acquired European costumes and manners and began to abandon their simple pleasures in search of other, greater pleasures.
This important urban and demographic transformation would culminate in 1791, the year Jalapa was awarded the title of Villa 10. By that year, according to the census ordered by Governor Reverajihedo and published in 1791, the number of inhabitants of Harappa reached 730011. If people take this number for granted, this number has been questioned.
For a long time, the wealthy merchants of Xalappa sought the declaration of villas by the government of the governor, which was not realized until they received the support of the governor, and it was not until 1794 that the first city council was formed, already holding the title of villa.
It grew among more than 3,300 neighbors due to immigration associated with commercial activity (Viceroyalty and Peninsula) and trade fairs. By 1804, according to figures provided by Souto Mantecón, Mexico's population had doubled to about 15,000 inhabitants.
Free trade and the decree ending the fleet in 1778 meant that Jalapa, in many cases, returned to the situation before 1720, with most of the large merchants leaving the town, and by 1791 there were only 19 European merchants, as well as those who remained in the fleet as merchants". The disappearance of the fleet caused side effects from the chain stores and also caused small businesses to suffer losses, so much so that outside the warehouses that had been closed, the number of many mixed-race shops, pulkrias, stalls and street stalls decreased.
Bibliography:
History of Harappa
