Editing Tapachula (section)

==History==
[[File:Mam people.jpg|thumb|left|[[Mam people|Mam]] girls. The Mam are one of the largest ethnic groups of the city and are the original inhabitants of the city, which was previously a territory subservient to the Mam Kingdom of [[Xelaju]].]]

The name comes from the Nahuatl phrase “Tapachollan” which means ”between the waters”. The official name of the city was changed to "Tapachula de Córdova y Ordóñez" in 1997 in honor to priest [[Fray Matías de Córdova y Ordóñez]].<ref name="tapagob">{{cite web |url=http://www.tapachula.gob.mx/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2&Itemid=7 |title=Tapachula |publisher=Municipality of Tapachula |location=Chiapas, Mexico |language=es |access-date=February 8, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212010010/http://www.tapachula.gob.mx/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2&Itemid=7 |archive-date=February 12, 2012 }}</ref>

[[File:Galcafe004.jpg|thumb|German Finca in Santo Domingo, near Tapachula]]

The first people to settle in the area migrated from the south in Central America and most likely are the ancestors of today's Mam people. The [[Olmec]]s dominated the area, driving many Mam to migrate back south. The [[Toltec]]s arrived next but never completely subjugated the native peoples. However, these conquests resulted in the Mam never developing major civilization. The city of Tapachula was founded as a tribute collection center for the Aztecs in 1486 by a military leader named Tiltototl, sent by [[Ahuitzotl]] to conquer the Soconusco.<ref name="tapagob"/>

The Soconusco region has produced [[cacao bean|cacao]] since 2000 BC.  After the [[Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire|Spanish conquest]], it was administered under the [[Kingdom of Guatemala]].   This region was larger than it is today, with the very south of the old extension now part of Guatemala. As such, Tapachula became a border area, first among the Spanish colonial authorities of [[New Spain]], Chiapas and the [[Captaincy General of Guatemala]]. For example, when the [[Diocese of Chiapas]] was created in 1539, it included the Tapachula area.<ref name="diocese"/> However, the Soconusco region had political differences with all of these authorities at one time or another. Tapachula became the capital of Soconusco region in 1794, replacing [[Escuintla, Chiapas|Escuintla]].<ref name="tapagob"/><ref name="maperez">{{cite journal |last=Perez de los Reyes |first=Marco Antonio |title=El Soconusco y su Mexicanidad (Breves Consideraciones) |trans-title=Soconusco and its Mexicanness (Brief Considerations) |journal=Jurídicas |volume=12 |location=Mexico |publisher=UNAM |language=es |access-date=January 27, 2012 |url= http://www.juridicas.unam.mx/publica/librev/rev/jurid/cont/12/pr/pr20.pdf }}</ref>  In 1809, shortly before the start of the [[Mexican War of Independence]], Tapachula protested the high rate of taxation to Spanish authorities to no avail.<ref name="encmuc"/> During the war, it was officially declared a town in 1813,<ref name="tapagob"/> and a parish in 1818, with the San Agustín parish church established in 1819.<ref name="diocese"/> At the end of the war, Tapachula, as capital of the Soconusco, declared its own independence from Spain and Guatemala in 1821,<ref name="tapagob"/> and away from Mexico in 1824.<ref name="encmuc"/> However, for most of the rest of the 19th century, the Soconusco would be disputed territory between Mexico (as part of Chiapas) and Guatemala, until a final border was drawn between the two countries in 1888. In the meantime, Mexican president [[Antonio López de Santa Anna]] declared Tapachula a city as he fought to force the region back under Mexican control.<ref name="tapagob"/><ref name="maperez"/>  The city was occupied by French troops during the [[Second French intervention in Mexico|French Intervention in Mexico]] until 1865 when they were expelled by Sebastián Escobar.<ref name="encmuc"/>

The current municipality was created in 1915, with Tapachula as the governing entity. It was declared the provisional capital of Chiapas by forces loyal to [[Victoriano Huerta]] in 1924.<ref name="encmuc"/><ref name="tapagob"/>

The first air route to the city was established in 1929, connecting it with [[Tuxtla Gutiérrez]] and Mexico City.<ref name="encmuc"/>

Tapachula became a diocese separate from Chiapas in 1957 covering the entire Chiapas coast area.<ref name="diocese"/>

It was reaffirmed as the capital of the Soconusco region in 1983.<ref name="tapagob"/>

In 1984, a coat of arms was chosen for the city, designed by Edgar José Cabrera Arriaga.<ref name="tapagob"/>

The growth of the city and its economy has presented problems in the early 21st century. The city during this time has grown outward, surrounding industrial structures such as petroleum storage facilities belonging to [[PEMEX]] and a terminal of the Chiapas-Mayab railroad. This raised questions of safety until both were moved further outside of the city limits in 2011. (PEMEX is still inside the city; it has never been moved outside of the city.)<ref name="saldran">{{cite news |title= Saldran de Tapachula Pemex y ferrocarriles |first=Daniel |last=Pensamiento |newspaper=El Norte |location=Monterrey, Mexico |date=April 7, 2000 |page=16 |language=es |trans-title=PEMEX and railroads will leave Tapachula }}</ref><ref name="avanza">{{cite news |title= Avanza en Tapachula reubicación de estación de tren |newspaper=NOTIMEX |location=Mexico City |date=January 13, 2011 |page=1 |language=es |trans-title=Relocation of train station advances in Tapachula }}</ref>

In September 2019, the [[Seventh-day Adventist Church]] in Chiapas unveiled a monument in a ceremony to commemorate the Bible at Los Cerritos Park. Dozens of local government officials, religious leaders, and church members attended the ceremony. The project and the monument were applauded as a community achievement and a historical moment that marks religious freedom. The intent of the project by the church was to recognize the Bible as the guide to the society and to bring awareness to the public in the reading of the Scriptures. The monument was the eighth memorial built by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Chiapas. Monuments were previously unveiled since 2018 in the following cities: [[Palenque, Chiapas|Palenque]], [[Huixtla|Hiuxtla]], Malpaso, [[Pichucalco]], [[Cintalapa]], and Usumacinta.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.adventistreview.org/church-news/story14037-in-mexico-church-unveils-monument-to-highlight-the-bible-at-a-public-park|title=Adventist Review Online {{!}} In Mexico, Church Unveils Monument to Highlight the Bible at a Public Park|website=www.adventistreview.org|language=en|access-date=2019-09-16}}</ref>

Since Tapachula is a major border crossing between Mexico and Guatemala, it contains a substantial population of undocumented migrants from the [[Northern Triangle of Central America]] who are fleeing violence or unemployment in their home countries. The presence of this vulnerable population has made Tapachula a hub of [[human trafficking]], both sex trafficking and labor trafficking.<ref>Clark, Jennifer Bryson, and Steve J. Shone. 2018. “Migration and Trafficking: The Unintended Consequences of Security and Enforcement Frameworks and the Revictimization of Vulnerable Groups.” in The SAGE Handbook of Human Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications.</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.utrgv.edu/human-trafficking/blog/southern-mexico/chiapas/index.htm | title=Chiapas &#124; UTRGV }}</ref>