 Lands in and around Metepec were given to Captain Juan Gutiérrez Altamirano, who brought the Franciscans in to evangelize the area, and then these lands passed on to form the estates of the Counts of Santiago.The area was considered an "alcaldía mayor" (literally 'major mayorship') by 1560 with the village of Metepec as its seat.Records of municipal government transactions begin in the 19th century.