Prehistory

Notable in the prehistory of the local town of Fontezuelas, the Fontezuelas skeleton is a Homo sapiens skeleton initially assumed to be of Pliocene age and thus named Homo pliocenicus by Kobelt (1891). The specimen is a skeleton of unidentified gender standing 1.5 m in height and probably related to the local indigenous peoples. The skeleton was discovered with the overturned carapace of a Glyptodon directly over the specimen, and was most likely placed by other humans. It was named as a new species based on outdated race science, and rigorous descriptions did not find many osteological peculiarities.^[2] Many did not accept claims as a distinct taxon as such.^[3]

16th century

Before the Spanish colonization of the region in 1519, Metztitlán was the site of a powerful, independent Otomi state, unconquered by the Aztec Empire. According to Professor Michael E. Smith, this small kingdom's independence was fortified and maintained as a result of the mountainous terrain in the valley surrounding it. Professor Smith wrote that the factors behind the state's enduring independence was due to the fact that "there were few resources of interest to the (Aztec) Empire in this area, and the final emperors may have decided that Metztitlán was not worth the effort."^[4]

In April and September 1811, two indigenous revolts occurred in the city, ending in the deaths of 1225 people. The city was elevated to municipality status in 1869.^[5]