Prehistoric to Pre-Hispanic period The earliest evidence of human habitation in the current territory of the state is a
quartz scraper and
obsidian blade found in the
Tlapacoya area, which was an island in the former
Lake Chalco. They are dated to the
Pleistocene era which dates human habitation back to 20,000 years. The first people were hunter-gatherers. Stone age implements have been found all over the territory from mammoth bones to stone tools to human remains. Most have been found in the areas of
Los Reyes Acozac,
Tizayuca,
Tepexpan,
San Francisco Mazapa,
El Risco and
Tequixquiac. Between 20,000 and 5000 BCE, the people here eventually went from hunting and gathering to sedentary villages with farming and domesticated animals. The main crop was corn, and stone tools for the grinding of this grain became common. Later crops include beans, chili peppers, and squash grown near established villages. Evidence of ceramics appears around 2500 BCE with the earliest artifacts of these appearing in Tlapacoya, Atoto,
Malinalco,
Acatzingo and
Tlatilco. In the pre-historic State of Mexico, the
Tepexpan Man is an important finding for Mexican and foreign anthropologists; it is an important key to understanding what the
Valley of Mexico area was like, 5,000 years ago, as well as helping establish the occupation chronology of the region. Currently, some scholars attribute an age of 11,000 years, others 8,000, and some have suggested 5,000 years old. This individual was originally identified as a male, but recent research confirms a female identity, although this is still a subject of discussion.
Sacrum bone found in Tequixquiac is considered a work of prehistoric art. These people were thought to be nomadic, hunting large animals such as mammoths and gathering fruits as evidenced by archaeological evidence found at the site. One of the most salient discoveries of primitive art in America was found in here, called the Tequixquiac Bone, which had no known purpose, but reflected the ideological sense of the artist who carved the piece of bone from a
camelid around 22,000 years BCE. The first native settlers of Tequixquiac were the Aztecs and Otomi, who decided to settle here permanently for the abundance of rivers and springs. They were engaged mainly in agriculture and the breeding of domestic animals. The earliest major civilization of the state is
Teotihuacan, with the
Pyramids of the Sun and
Moon being built between 100 BCE and 100 CE. Between 800 and 900 CE, the
Matlatzincas established their dominion with
Teotenango as capital. This city is walled with plazas, terraces, temples, altars, living quarters, and a
Mesoamerican ball game court. In the 15th century, the Aztecs conquered the Toluca and Chalco valleys to the west and east of the
Valley of Mexico respectively. Part of the Toluca Valley was held by the
Purépechas as well. Other dominions during the pre-Hispanic period include that of the
Chichimecas in
Tenayuca and of the
Acolhuas in
Huexotla,
Texcotizingo and Los Melones. Other important groups were the
Mazahuas in the
Atlacomulco area. Their center was at Mazahuacán, next to
Jocotitlán volcano. The
Otomis were centered in
Jilotepec. The capital of the state was moved permanently to Toluca in 1830. The struggles between the liberals (federalists) and the conservatives (centralized power) in the 19th century affected the state, especially in those areas that would later break away to form the states of Hidalgo, Morelos, and Guerrero. During the
Mexican–American War, the Americans occupied Toluca and Mexico City, with the state government temporarily located in the unoccupied
Sultepec. By 1852, the state had lost a significant amount of territory to the creation of the state of Guerrero, which prompted the reorganization of the municipalities here. During the
Reform War, General José María Cobos took and sacked a number of municipalities in the territory remaining. During this war, a number of major figures such as
Melchor Ocampo,
Santos Degollado and were executed by firing squad in the Toluca Valley regions. photographed between In 1869, the areas to the northeast and south of Mexico City were converted to the states of Hidalgo and Morelos, respectively. The state promulgated a new constitution in 1869, which established the state as consisting of the districts of Chalco, Cuautitlan, Ixtlahuaca, Jilotepec, Lerma, Otumba, Sultepec, Temascaltepec, Tenango del Valle, Tenancingo and Texcoco, which is the territory the state has today. The period before the
Mexican Revolution was relatively prosperous for the state, especially under governor
José Vicente Villada, who promoted public education, government reform, the establishment of a teachers' college for women, and the Instituto Cientifico y Literario (later UAEM). Mines in various parts of the state were at maximum production.
Mexican Revolution Battles were fought in the state during the Mexican Revolution, especially by
Zapatistas in the southwest part of the state, with
Genovevo de la O and
Francisco de Pacheco entering with their armies in 1912. Fighting intensified after
Victoriano Huerta took power in 1913. In 1915, Toluca was the site of the Convencion de Generales y Gobernadores Revolucionaries (Convention of Generals and Revolutionary Governors) on two occasions. In 1917, the state had another new constitution, which divided the state into sixteen districts and 118 municipalities. The extension of the
Mexico City Metropolitan Area began in 1940 with the creation of the industrial zone of
Naucalpan. The increase of the metro area's population, commerce, and industry has continued to this day. The Consejo del Area Metropolitana was created in 1988 to coordinate concerns and actions of the Greater Mexico City area in both the Distrito Federal and the State of Mexico. From 1824 to 1941, the state had no seal. Governor
Wenceslao Labra proposed one in 1940, which was adopted the following year. It was designed by Pastor Velázquez with the motto of
Patria, Libertad, Trabajo y Cultura ("Country, Liberty, Work, and Culture"). In 1956, the Instituto Cientifico y Literario was converted into the
Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México. During much of the rest of the 20th century, works to divert water from the
Lerma River and other locations to Mexico City were built as well as highways through the state to connect Mexico City with the rest of the country. In 1990, the
Comisión Coordinadora para la Recuperación Ecológica de la Cuenca del Alto Lerma ("Coordinating Commission for the Ecological Recuperation of the Upper Lerma River Basin") was established. ==Geography==