The state name derives from the name of its capital, Zacatecas. This word is derived from
Nahuatl and means "where there is abundant zacate (grass)". The state seal depicts the
Cerro de la Bufa, a landmark of the capital, surrounded by the weapons of the original inhabitants and below is the Latin motto
Labor omnia vincit ("Work conquers all"). However, shortly afterwards most Spanish attention turned back south because of indigenous uprisings. The area remained dangerous for Spanish settlement because of the fierce opposition of the native peoples. In 1541, an indigenous leader named
Tenamextle, also known as Francisco Tenamaztle and Diego the Aztec, rebelled, capturing and executing Spanish leader Miguel de Ibarra. The Spanish defeated the Caxcans during the
Mixtón War in the 1540s. Tenamextle escaped the battle and continued to organize rebellions against the Spanish. However, the Spanish continued to push into Zacatecas because of its silver wealth, making it a province of
New Galicia. Although able to establish mining towns, convoys transporting the metal were regularly attacked. Much of the state's colonial history to the present has been related to its mineral production, especially of silver. The first boom was from the Conquest to the mid 17th century. The riches drew settlers from the south, and in 1586, Phillip II gave the city the name of Noble and Loyal City of Nuestra Señora de los Zacatecas. In 1588, he authorized its coat of arms. Most of the state was evangelized by the
Franciscans, who founded a hospice in the city in 1558 and by 1567 had built a large monastery. They officially took possession of its religious functions in 1603. Later other orders arrived, founding monasteries; but they did not evangelize the indigenous. The next boom was in the early 18th century, with the state producing one-fifth of the world's silver. These riches supported the establishment of new settlements along with the building of elegant churches and mansions as the area became one of the most important of
New Spain. During the
Mexican War of Independence,
Miguel Hidalgo's troops marched through Zacatecas twice, once when they were attacking royalist troops and later when fleeing them. The war ended in 1821 and Zacatecas formally became a state in 1824, with the city of Zacatecas as its capital. Zacatecas continued to grow. , Zacatecas, Mexico The state's history during the rest of the 19th century was tumultuous, as it was in the rest of the country. From Independence until the 1860s, Liberal and Conservative elements occupied the capital at one time or another, until Liberal leader
Jesús González Ortega seized control of the state permanently in 1859. This leader's decrees against Conservative sympathizers drove many Catholic priests out of the state. In 1861, French troops occupied Zacatecas but only for two years before being driven out. For the rest of the century, the state was mostly controlled by local strongmen, such as González Ortega, Trinidad García de la Cadena and Genero Codina. The fighting depressed silver production until near the end of the century, but it recovered enough to account for sixty percent of the state's export revenue. At the end of the century, technological innovations such as the
telegraph, telephone, electricity and rail lines connected the state with the rest of Mexico. Trains provided direct links to
Ciudad Juárez,
Aguascalientes and
Chihuahua, which led to emigration out of the state, primarily to the United States in the 20th century. Zacatecas was again a battleground with the outbreak of the
Mexican Revolution in the early 20th century. One of the largest and most decisive battles of this conflict took place outside the capital and is called the
Toma de Zacatecas (Taking of Zacatecas). This battle pitted the troops of
Francisco Villa against those of
Victoriano Huerta, resulting in the deaths of 7,000 soldiers and the wounding of 5,000. Civilian casualties were not recorded. The battle led to the naming of the city as a "Ciudad Heroica" (Heroic City). In 1993,
UNESCO named the historic center of Zacatecas as a
World Heritage Site. From 1998 to 2004, the state undertook a major project to expand the highway system. ==Demographics ==