MEZCALA ISLAND
Small island little more than one kilometre long, located 20 minutes from the village in the boat; It is a summary of the country's history and offers magnificent views of the lake and its mountainous shores. It was first a pre-Hispanic ceremonial centre; There were some obsidian points, ornaments, vertical tombs, ceramics of the traditions Teuchitlán (archaeological zone of Guachimontones), Ixtépete (220-700 Apr. J) and Aztlán (850-1350 Apr. ). Its recent history dates back to just over two hundred years, when the island became a battlefield during the war of independence of Mexico. Defeated in 1811 in Calderón's Puente, a fugitive insurgents decided to refuge on the island, accompanied by residents of the region fleeing the abuses of the regular army. They formed a set of fortifications that allowed them to resist for four long years the Loyalist troops (1812-1816). As a result of the increasingly harsh blockade, it was ultimately only a typhus epidemic that forced them to lay down the weapons. In order to prevent the island from falling into rebel hands, the authorities built a fort with a bridge-drawbridge and moat in 1817, which remained almost intact until today.
