Los puertos de montaña de Atlatlahuca: un espacio estratégico en el siglo XVI

The Spanish conquest led to the abandonment of this ancient route. First, its strategic value from a military point of view disappeared after the whole of central Mexico was under Spanish control. Second, the depopulation throughout the sixteenth century and the priority given by Spaniards to the healthy highlands led to the abandonment of most of the ancient commercial routes. Third, among the major mining towns located southwest of Mexico City, only Zacualpan continued using this route, which was also used by the wheat producers from the valley of Tenancingo and by merchants that traveled far into depopulated tropical lands. This commercial activity started to grow in the second half of the eighteenth century, when repopulation started and some tropical products were demanded by world markets.