Valtierrilla is a village in the Mexican state of Guanajuato, near the city of Salamanca, with a population of 13,200 in 2007. It is considered the world capital of the fruit-bearing cactus known as nopal (Opuntia ficus-indica). Valtierrilla is a developing industrial area, with a population projected to increase to 20,000 by 2015 and is the largest populated place in the Salamanca town after Salamanca itself. Toponymy After the conquest, the settlement was known as Valtierra. Its name derives from the Latin balde (a lot) and terra (earth), meaning "place of much land." In the seventeenth century the estate of Valtierra la Grande (Great Valtierra) was created to the south of Salamanca, so people began to distinguish the settlement by calling it Valtierra la Chica (Small Valtierra). In the early eighteenth century, the inhabitants named the place Santa Cruz Baltierrilla, reflecting the area's evangelization. In 1918, the name was changed to Andres Delgado, but people associated it with a bandit of the independence period, and it caused problems of location and recognition. The restoration of the previous name was promoted by the parish priest, Father . On 9 February 1928, by Decree No.13 of the Congress of Guanajuato, the name became Valtierrilla again. Geography Valtierrilla is from the municipal headquarters in Salamanca. It is in the area known as El Bajío (the shoal) near the confluence of the rivers Lerma and Laja. The land area of the town of Valtierrilla is approximately . Valtierrilla is located at , measured from the tower of the parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It is above sea level. Within the village there is a rocky outcrop known as Cerro de Comaleros about from the community and . South of town is the Laja River, which crosses the town from east to west and joins the Lerma River in a place known as Las Adjuntas, from the village. The climate in the town is warm and semi-arid, with rainfall mainly in the summer and first part of the fall. Famous people Prof. Aurelio Méndez Sánchez, professor, leader in the development of the community in the second half of the twentieth century. St. Barnabas Jesus Mendez Montoya, who died in the Cristero War in Mexico. Shot on 5 February 1928 and canonized on 22 May 2000 by Pope John Paul II. Father Alberto Campos, priest. Participated in the development of the community in the middle