La Garita is a town in the Mexican state of Jalisco in the Municipality of Tamazula de Gordiano. According to INEGI 2010 national census it pegged the town's population at 1,060 people. A special census done by the INEGI government agency estimated the population to be at 1,278 in 2005. Although this number seems low, about 1,000 people from La Garita now reside in the United States with the most living in California, Illinois, Texas, Florida, and New York. The city of Joliet, Illinois now is the destination for most of the emigrants from this town. Others have migrated to nearby cities like Tamazula de Gordiano, Ciudad Guzman, and Guadalajara. History La Garita was called the property or Hacienda of San Lázaro when it was settled by rich businessmen. San Lázaro or Saint Lazarus was the patron of the settlement. The hacienda was founded around 1846 (it is the date that is reference by the eldest citizens). During those times merchants that journeyed from the state of Michoacán to their destination, the state of Colima, stopped to rest in this area and to promote commerce in the region. Transportation during those times for merchandise was difficult and long for they only used animals to carry the loads. The merchants took this place as a refuge to rest and later continue their trip. It is one of the reasons why they called it "La Garita": "garita" comes from the old French "garita", which means refuge, of Germanic origin. People from different places settled in this place, including foreigners who constructed properties in the region, among them the one of La Garita that in that time, the landowners were those who had in their power the land and control of the region. In the time of president 'Lazaro Cardenas' the federal government transformed the region into "ejidal" form or communal land, granting to the farmers the land that had belonged to the landowners for farming and settling. In 1940 the construction of the state highway Jiquilpan-Manzanillo 110 started, which crosses through the middle of the town of La Garita and connects with the town of Mazamitla and the city of Tamazula de Gordiano in the state of Jalisco. The highest ended the relative isolation of NB the town. The name was changed from "Hacienda de San Lázaro" to "La Garita de San Lázaro." Over the years the people dropped the patron's name