The rugged landscape has partly shielded Xilitla from industrialization, helping preserve its indigenous
Huastec and
Nahuatl cultures and traditional agrarian lifestyles. Most of Xilitla's residents live in over 100 rural villages of several dozen up to several hundred people. About 30,000 people in Xilitla live in indigenous households and about 20,000 of them speak an indigenous language, principally
Huastec. Most of the speakers of an indigenous language also speak Spanish.
Augustine missionary activity in the Xilitla area began in 1537 and in 1553 construction began on the St. Augustine Convent. It was built to serve both a religious building and a fortress as the
Chichimeca war was in progress and one of the hostile Chichimeca tribes, the
Pame, lived to the northwest. The convent was attacked and burned by the Indians in 1569 and 1587 and largely abandoned by the Augustines. In the 17th century, the
Dominicans made another attempt to evangelize but were unable to overcome the hostility of the Indians. Finally, in the mid-18th century, Fray
Junípero Serra and the
Franciscans succeeded in establishing a permanent missionary presence in the region. The economy is primarily agricultural with the main crops being
coffee and
citrus. A coffee fair is held in August. A local food specialty is the zacahuil, a giant
tamale (3 to 4 feet long) wrapped in banana leaves and filled with pork on one side and chicken on the other. ==Geography==