Tenancingo is one of 125 municipalities in the State of Mexico, Mexico. The municipal seat is the town of Tenancingo de Degollado. The municipality is located in the south of the state, in the Tenancingo Valley, just outside the Toluca Valley. The official name of the municipality is only Tenancingo but the town is Tenancingo de Degollado and is often confused with Tenancingo, Tlaxcala, which is a town in a different state.
It is a commercial area known for its production of rebozos (a kind of shawl) which have been woven there since the colonial period on both backstrap and pedal looms. Several artisans also produce baskets and fine fruit liquors. Tenancingo is the home to more than 200 carpentry workshops that fashion furniture. There are many green houses in the region that produce cut flowers, and the flower industry is Tenancingo's largest source of income. It is the home of the Santo Desierto del Carmen, the name of both a monastery and a national park.
Tenancingo has recently become known by foreigners as a Paragliding destination, with multiple launches in the region, during the dry season from November to March.
The town
The seat of the municipality is the town of Tenancingo, surrounded by mountains and forest. The main elevation overlooking the town is the Cerro de las Tres Marías, topped by a giant white statue of Christ the King (Cristo Rey), built in 1985, designed by Hector Morret and visible from just about anywhere in the valley below. The monument is reachable by either climbing a staircase with 1,030 steps or by paved road. There is a lookout allowing for a 360-degree panoramic view.
Since it is relatively isolated, Tenancingo has maintained much of its country feel and old traditions despite extensive economic growth and tourism. It has a colonial-era layout, centered on a main plaza filled with young poplars, which replaced aged junipers that grew there before. Market (tianguis) days are still Thursdays and Sundays, which almost five square city blocks with stalls. The plaza contains a traditional kiosk as well as a notable marble statue of Miguel Hidalgo, which was sculpted here but was in the Jardín de los Martires in Toluca for many years before its return. It is said to be the oldest sculpture of its kind in the State of Mexico.
thumb|left|View of the Cristo Rey from Casanova Street
Facing this plaza is the municipal hall, built when the municipality was formed and the San Francisco Asis Parish. This church was built in the 17th century of sandstone. Its interior has a Baroque tabernacle dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary and a second chamber dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The municipality has one city, four neighborhoods (), twenty ranches, fourteen villages, six agricultural neighborhoods (), eight urban neighborhoods (), ten semi-urban neighborhoods () and two communities of a type called , which together form a territory of . The municipality borders the municipalities of Tenango del Valle, Joquicingo, Zumpahuacán, Malinalco and Villa Guerrero.
Attractions in the municipality (outside the seat) include the Tecomatlán Parish, the chapels located in the communities of San Simonito, Zepayautla, Acatzingo and Teola and the former haciendas of Tenería, Monte de Pozo and Santa Ana.
The monastery was built in the late 18th century and consecrated in 1801 as a new home for the monks of the Desierto de los Leones, when they decided that they needed to be further away from the expanding Mexico City.
Average years of schooling for residents is 8.1 years, below the state average of 9.1. The municipality has 179 educational centers including 69 preschools, 63 primary schools, 33 middle schools, 14 high schools and four vocational schools. Other important dates include Epiphany, the Feria de Jarro on Ash Wednesday and the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (July 16). These are popular dates for weddings and confirmation and feature native folk dance, religious services, fireworks, traveling amusement rides as well as local food specialties. Santa Ana Ixtlahuatzingo is particularly noted for the growing of flowers, as is the community of San Miguel Tecomatlán. Furniture making is mostly concentrated in the La Campana neighborhood of the seat. The classic style of the area is lacquered in white or pastel colors, decorated with flowers painted by hand. The municipality has about thirty weavers and over 180 , those who finger-weave the fringes. Another notable rebozo maker is Luis Rodriguez Martinez, who distributes his ware in various parts of Mexico including Puebla, Oaxaca, Morelos, Michoacán, Guanajuato, Guadalajara and Mexico City. Currently there are 35 weavers from 200 about 70 years ago and thirty of these have been in operation for more than sixty years. The main reason for the loss of artisans is the low prices of rebozos, including imitations from abroad. Weavers have taken to making other items such as neckties and bags using the same material as the rebozos. It attracts over thirty artisans and about 3,500 people each year with pieces available here running between 200 and 15,000 pesos.
Geography
The municipality is located in a small valley just southeast of the Toluca Valley. The walls/fortifications refer to the natural steep formations of the mountains of the original indigenous settlement, which was difficult to access.