Madera, also known as Ciudad Madera, is a town and seat of the
municipality of Madera in the mountains of the northwestern
Mexican state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
of
Chihuahua. As of 2010, the city of Madera had a population of 15,447,
up from 15,267 as of 2005.
[ Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía. Principales resultados por localidad 2005 (ITER). Retrieved on October 13, 2008]
It is a logging town, located in the mountains and the lumber industry is still very important.
''Madera'' is Spanish for "wood", and there used to be a large U.S. company with large lumber mills, there is still a section of the city called "barrio americano" where some American-style wooden houses still survive. New manufacturing industries have created new employment for the residents.
It is at 2,112 metres (6,929 ft) above sea level and was founded in 1906.
The town is located 276 kilometres northwest of the state capital,
Chihuahua, and 536 km southwest of
Ciudad Juárez on the
U.S. border.
History
Madera has been the starting point of the Cabalgata Binacional Villista (see
cavalcade
A cavalcade is a procession or parade on horseback, or a mass trail ride by a company of riders. The focus of a cavalcade is participation rather than display. Often, the participants do not wear costumes or ride in formation. Often, a cava ...
).
Madera is also the place where on September 23, 1965, a guerrilla attack on the military took place; this gave the name to the "
Liga 23 de Septiembre," an urban socialist guerrilla group that took the name to commemorate what they considered their martyrs.
Religion
From 25 April 1966 it was the seat of the
Territorial Prelature of Madera
A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal.
In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or an ...
; after that was promoted to Diocese of Cuauhtémoc-Madera, with a cathedral in its new see
Cuauhtémoc
Cuauhtémoc (, ), also known as Cuauhtemotzín, Guatimozín, or Guatémoc, was the Aztec ruler ('' tlatoani'') of Tenochtitlan from 1520 to 1521, making him the last Aztec Emperor. The name Cuauhtemōc means "one who has descended like an eagle ...
, Madera's San Pedro church, dedicated to Saint Peter, was given the status of
co-cathedral.
Geography
Madera is surrounded by the great
Sierra Madre
Sierra Madre (Spanish, 'mother mountain range') may refer to:
Places and mountains Mexico
*Sierra Madre Occidental, a mountain range in northwestern Mexico and southern Arizona
*Sierra Madre Oriental, a mountain range in northeastern Mexico
*S ...
mountains (southern stretch of the
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico ...
in Canada and USA).
Climate
Madera’s high altitude gives it a
subtropical highland climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
: ''Cwb''), characterised by warm, wet summers and dry winters with cold nights.
Frost occurs most mornings from October to April, but daytime temperatures rise to double digits Celsius. Snow falls on about 7 days per year on average (more often on mountain peaks).
References
{{Authority control
Populated places in Chihuahua (state)
Populated places established in 1906
1906 establishments in Mexico