El Zape

El Zape is a small town in the hills of the municipality of Guanaceví, in the state of Durango, in northern México. As of 2010 there were 139 homes inhabited by 433 residents.[1][2] El Zape postal code is 35440.[3] It is located on the eastern side of the Sierra Madre Occidental, at an altitude of 1960 m (6430 ft).[4] The region of El Zape was first settled by Thepehuan people. In the late 1500s the Spanish discovered silver in Guanaceví, prompting a rush to settle the region. In 1596 father Jeronimo Ramirez visited the settlement of El Zape. In 1597, he built the mission of San Ignacio de El Zape. Later, in 1604 Father Juan Fonte founded the town of El Zape.[5] The conditions in which native people lived under colonial rule led them to revolt in 1616, attacking Spanish settlements in what is known as the Thepehuan Revolt. During that rebellion, El Zape was the site of a massacre that left 19 Spaniards and 60 African slaves dead[6]