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The city of Chihuahua or Chihuahua City ( ; Lipan: ) is the state capital of the
Mexican state A Mexican State (), officially the Free and Sovereign State (), is a constituent federative entity of Mexico according to the Constitution of Mexico. Currently there are 31 states, each with its own constitution, government, state governor, a ...
of Chihuahua. , the city of Chihuahua had a population of 925,762 inhabitants. while the metropolitan area had a population of 988,065 inhabitants. Among cities in Mexico, the city of Chihuahua is highly ranked in human and social development. According to a
UNDP The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...
report on human development, Chihuahua municipality's HDI is 0.842 as of 2020 – among the highest in the country, only after municipalities in the
Monterrey Monterrey (, , abbreviated as MtY) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is the ninth-largest city and the second largest metropolitan area, after Greater Mexico City. Located at the foothills of th ...
and
Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
areas. IMCO ranks Chihuahua as one of the six cities with very high urban competitiveness The city was named capital of Mexico for a brief amount of time in 1864 by Benito Juarez during the second French intervention of Mexico. The predominant activity is industry, including domestic heavy, light industries, consumer goods production, and to a smaller extent ''
maquiladora A (), or (), is a factory that is largely duty (economics), duty free and tariff free. These factories take raw materials and assemble, manufacture, or process them and export the finished product. These factories and systems are present thro ...
s''. The city is served by the General Roberto Fierro Villalobos International Airport.


History

It has been said that the name derives from the
Nahuatl Nahuatl ( ; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahuas, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller popul ...
language, meaning "between two waters"; other accepted definitions are "place of the holed-rock" or from Tarahumara, "dry and sandy place". The name itself is older than the
Spanish conquest of Mexico The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire was a pivotal event in the history of the Americas, marked by the collision of the Aztec Triple Alliance and the Spanish Empire. Taking place between 1519 and 1521, this event saw the Spanish conquistad ...
. The city was founded on October 12, 1709, by
Blas Cano de los Rios Blas is mainly a Spanish given name and surname, related to Blaise. It may refer to Places *Piz Blas, mountain in Switzerland * San Blas (disambiguation) People * Ricardo Blas Jr. (born 1986) Judo athlete from Guam * Blas Antonio Sáenz (fl. 184 ...
and
Antonio Deza y Ulloa Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language–speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular ...
, a Spanish explorer, as El Real de Minas de San Francisco de Cuéllar. Don Ildefonso de Irigoyen donated the land for the city foundation. The town was erected a Villa in 1718 (or 1715) with the name of San Felipe el Real de Chihuahua, and the name was shortened in 1823. The location was chosen because it is the intersection of the rivers Chuviscar and
Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...
. It is also the midpoint between the Río Bravo del Norte (Rio Grande) and the then-important mining city of
Hidalgo del Parral Hidalgo del Parral is a city and seat of the municipality of Hidalgo del Parral in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It is located in the southern part of the state, from the state capital, the city of Chihuahua, Chihuahua. As of 2015, the city ...
. For much of the 18th century, Chihuahua served as the de facto capital of Nueva Vizcaya because most governors preferred to reside there rather than in
Durango Durango, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Durango, is one of the 31 states which make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in the northwest portion of the country. With a population of 1,832,650 ...
, the capital of the province at that time. Just as in other parts of Northern Mexico,
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...
were an important influence during the colonial era, and the city became a meeting point for missionaries heading to and from the 'sierra', the mountainous region in western Chihuahua State where the native Tarahumara still live. During the
War of Independence Wars of national liberation, also called wars of independence or wars of liberation, are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) ...
, the city saw little action. However, it was in Chihuahua where
Miguel Hidalgo Don Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla Gallaga Mandarte y Villaseñor (8 May 1753 – 30 July 1811), commonly known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or simply Miguel Hidalgo (), was a Catholic priest, leader of the Mexican Wa ...
, considered the Father of the Country, was held prisoner in the Federal Palace of Chihuahua and executed in 1811 at the nearby Government Palace by the Spaniards. During the
Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...
, Chihuahua fell to U.S. forces in 1847, after the
Mexican Army The Mexican Army () is the combined Army, land and Air Force, air branch and is the largest part of the Mexican Armed Forces; it is also known as the National Defense Army. The Army is under the authority of the Secretariat of National Defense o ...
was defeated at the Battle of the Sacramento, north of the city. During the French invasion, President Benito Juárez made the city the seat of his
government-in-exile A government-in-exile (GiE) is a political group that claims to be the legitimate government of a sovereign state or semi-sovereign state, but is unable to exercise legal power and instead resides in a foreign country. Governments in exile usu ...
from 1864 to 1867. During the presidency of
Porfirio Díaz José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori (; ; 15 September 1830 – 2 July 1915) was a General (Mexico), Mexican general and politician who was the dictator of Mexico from 1876 until Mexican Revolution, his overthrow in 1911 seizing power in a Plan ...
the city experienced explosive growth and became one of the most important cities in Mexico. The city became the seat for important banks and wealthy families. The city was more involved during the
Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...
(1910–1917), for it became at times the operations base for the
División del Norte The División del Norte (English: Northern Division) was an armed faction formed by Francisco I. Madero and initially led by General José González Salas following Madero's call to arms at the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution in 1910. Gonz� ...
, the army led by
Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa ( , , ; born José Doroteo Arango Arámbula; 5 June 1878 – 20 July 1923) was a Mexican revolutionary and prominent figure in the Mexican Revolution. He was a key figure in the revolutionary movement that forced ...
. Many sites and memories remain of the Revolutionary era; the most important of these is the Historical Museum of the Mexican Revolution at Villa's former estate house near downtown Chihuahua. La Quinta Luz was turned into a museum by his widow, Sra. María Luz Corral de Villa, and is now managed by the federal government. During the 20th century, the city grew in population and learned to take advantage of its proximity with the U.S. border. Until the establishment of foreign manufacturing plants in the 1970s, the city was largely a trade post for cattle and agricultural products. During the 1990s the city grew dramatically economically, becoming the third wealthiest municipality (per capita) in the republic, after
Benito Juárez Benito Pablo Juárez García (; 21 March 1806 – 18 July 1872) was a Mexican politician, military commander, and lawyer who served as the 26th president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in office in 1872. A Zapotec peoples, Zapotec, he w ...
borough of the
Federal District A federal district is a specific administrative division in one of various federations. These districts may be under the direct jurisdiction of a federation's national government, as in the case of federal territory (e.g., India, Malaysia), or the ...
(Mexico City), and
San Pedro Garza García San Pedro Garza García (also known as San Pedro) is a city-municipality in the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Mexican state of Nuevo León and part of the Monterrey Metropolitan area. It is a contemporary commercial suburb of the larger met ...
in
Nuevo León Nuevo León, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nuevo León, is a Administrative divisions of Mexico, state in northeastern Mexico. The state borders the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Zacatecas, and San Luis Potosí, San Luis ...
. In 2002, Mayor Jorge Barousse Moreno from the
Institutional Revolutionary Party The Institutional Revolutionary Party (, , PRI) is a List of political parties in Mexico, political party in Mexico that was founded in 1929 as the National Revolutionary Party (, PNR), then as the Party of the Mexican Revolution (, PRM) and fin ...
(PRI) died and was succeeded by Alejandro Cano Ricaud. During Cano's administration, the city experienced dramatic growth in the security sector when the Police Department was certified by the ISO and surveillance aircraft bought. Between 2002 and 2005, the city experimented with the introduction of certain new commercial innovations, like the first large mall in the city, Plaza del Sol, and the rise of the commercial Zone of the Sun, all along the Periférico de la Juventud, one of the main thoroughfares in the city. In 2004 Juan Blanco Zaldívar, of the National Action Party (PAN), won the election for mayor (municipal president) of the city for the term 2004–2007. Since 2005, the International Festivals of Chihuahua have been celebrated by both the state and city governments during the months of September/October with art shows, plays, stage presentations and concerts by such bands as
America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, Foreigner, Creedence and
Los Lobos Los Lobos (, Spanish for "the Wolves") is a Mexican American rock group, rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, zydeco, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional ...
being held at venues throughout the city. Elections for mayor for the term 2007–2010 were held at the beginning of July 2007; Carlos Borruel Baquera of the PAN defeated former mayor Alejandro Cano Ricaud (PRI) by less than one-quarter of a percentage point of almost 200,000 votes cast. The turnout of registered voters, at about 41%, was the lowest in years. In January, 2010, Mayor Carlos Borruel submitted his resignation in order to campaign for election to the office of
Governor of Chihuahua According to the Political Constitution of the Free and Sovereign State of Chihuahua, Executive Power in that Mexican state resides with a single individual, the Constitutional Governor of the Free and Sovereign State of Chihuahua, who is chose ...
. His deputy, Lic. Alvaro Guillermo Madero Muñoz, assumed the office of mayor for the balance of his term. On July 4, 2013, Javier Garfio Pacheco of the PRI won election for a 3-year term as mayor. In December 2015, Eugenio Baeza Fares assumed office as mayor of the City of Chihuahua, after Javier Garfio Pacheco requested licence to pursue the possibility to become the candidate for the political party PRI to Governor of the State of Chihuahua. After Garfio lost his bid for Governor Candidate, he returned and ended his period as mayor. In July 2016, María Eugenia Campos Galván (PAN) was elected mayor. She was elected
Governor of Chihuahua According to the Political Constitution of the Free and Sovereign State of Chihuahua, Executive Power in that Mexican state resides with a single individual, the Constitutional Governor of the Free and Sovereign State of Chihuahua, who is chose ...
in 2021. File:ChihHidalgo1.jpg, Execution of
Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Don Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla Gallaga Mandarte y Villaseñor (8 May 1753 – 30 July 1811), commonly known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or simply Miguel Hidalgo (), was a Catholic priest, leader of the Mexican War ...
depicted in a mural by Aarón Piña Mora in the Government Palace of Chihuahua. File:Batalla de Sacramento.jpg, Battle of the Sacramento, 1847 File:PalGobJuarez.jpg, Panel of Piña mural in the Government Palace, honouring the liberators
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
,
Benito Juárez Benito Pablo Juárez García (; 21 March 1806 – 18 July 1872) was a Mexican politician, military commander, and lawyer who served as the 26th president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in office in 1872. A Zapotec peoples, Zapotec, he w ...
and Simón Bolivar File:Pancho villa car.jpg,
Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa ( , , ; born José Doroteo Arango Arámbula; 5 June 1878 – 20 July 1923) was a Mexican revolutionary and prominent figure in the Mexican Revolution. He was a key figure in the revolutionary movement that forced ...
's bullet-riddled
Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence, Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...
in the Historical Museum of the Mexican Revolution


Foundation

The origin of the city of Chihuahua begins with the discovery of the nearby mines and foundation of the population of Santa Eulalia in 1652 by Spanish captain Diego del Castillo, however; due to the climate and constant attacks of the indigenous people the exploitation was suspended and Santa Eulalia remained several years uninhabited. Some fifty years later, in 1707, more wealthy mining discoveries were made, leading to the immediate population of Santa Eulalia and its prosperity. However, Santa Eulalia is located in the middle of a mountain range and the difficult terrain hindered the construction and expansion of the city; because of this, when in 1709 the governor of
Nueva Vizcaya Nueva Vizcaya, officially the Province of Nueva Vizcaya (; ; Pangasinan: ''Luyag/Probinsia na Nueva Vizcaya''; ), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon. Its capital and largest town is Bayo ...
, Antonio de Deza y Ulloa, with the instruction to found the head of the Real de Minas visited the population, decided to convene 16 notable neighbors (miners, traders, government officials and priests) to resolve with them the desirability of setting up Santa Eulalia herself at the head of the Royal de Minas or founding for them a new population in the nearby valley where the rivers converged Rio Chuvíscar' Chuvíscar and
Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...
. On 12 October 1709 the vote of the notables was held on the founding of the Royal de Minas, eight of them voted for establishment in Santa Eulalia itself, while the remaining eight did so for foundation in the valley. Faced with the tie, the governor Deza and Ulloa intervened with his deciding vote for foundation in the valley of the junta de los ríos; this is what is seen as the official foundation of Chihuahua and Antonio Deza and Ulloa as its founder. The new Real de Minas was founded under the name of ''Real de Minas de San Francisco de Cuéllar'' in honor of the then
Viceroy of New Spain This article lists the viceroys who ruled the Viceroyalty of New Spain from 1535 to 1821 in the name of the monarch of Spain. In addition to viceroys, this article lists the highest Spanish governors of the viceroyalty, before the appointment o ...
, Francisco Fernández de la Cueva Enríquez, 10th. Duke of Alburquerque and Marquis de Cuéllar.


Spanish Colony

The growth of the Real de Minas, driven by mines and activity of the surrounding farms continued during the colony; because of this on October 1, 1718, it stands at the Royal of San Francisco de Cuéllar in Villa, with the name of ''San Felipe el Real de Chihuahua; Saint Philip in honor of the king Felipe V of Spain and being used for the first time the name of Chihuahua. At this time it is also solved the construction of a parish temple worthy for the village, to that end, the city council decided to impose a special tax on silver extracted from the mines of Santa Eulalia and with it was built the temple that today is the Catedra Scun. By the year 1786 the Villa de Chihuahua was a Mayor's and on April 1, 1797, the first census was lifted in the city of Chihuahua by Don Fructuoso Simón de Herrera with the following summary: 324 men, 396 women, total 720 inhabitants. In the 18th century, an aqueduct with quarry arches pouring water into a fountain in the main square was built in the city. Then elegant houses appeared, some with wooden floors worked with rich woods brought from the mountains; these houses had orchards with fruit trees and vegetables, chicken coops and smaller cattle. Wealthy miners like the Irigoyen and Carbonel decorated their mansions with luxurious furniture, magnificent paintings, silverware and beautiful porcelain. In the name of the king of Spain came the "visitors" to investigate the morality and justice of the kingdoms and to collect taxes. They read heralds through the streets, which enacted good treatment of indigenous people; Despite this they were confined and restricted by their freedom, always being under the rule of the Spaniards, Creoles and mestizos. With this mixture of races he was writing, over the centuries, the history of the capital. As in other parts of northern Mexico, the peregrinos
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
ism greatly influenced the colonial era, and the city became a meeting point for pilgrims on their way to "La Sierra", a mountainous region in which the indigenous people had not yet converted to Catholicism. Also built in the city was a college run by the Society of Jesus, which built a solid building on the east end of the village, later and after the expulsion of the Jesuits, the school building was used as a barracks, prison and mint.


Independence

The information on the beginning of the
Independence of Mexico Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...
movement took a long time to reach the then Villa de Chihuahua, where in practice it had no effect, because of this The Realists decided that the trial of the insurgents apprehended in Acatita de Baján will be held in Chihuahua. On April 23 the prisoners entered Chihuahua to be tried and on June 26 the insurgents
Ignacio Allende Ignacio José de Allende y Unzaga (, , ; January 21, 1769 – June 26, 1811), commonly known as Ignacio Allende, was a captain of the Spanish Army in New Spain who came to sympathize with the Mexican independence movement. He attended the secre ...
, Mariano Jiménez,
Juan Aldama Juan Aldama (January 3, 1774 in San Miguel el Grande, Guanajuato – June 26, 1811 in Chihuahua) was a Mexican revolutionary rebel soldier during the Mexican War of Independence in 1810. Biography He was also the brother of Ignacio Ald ...
and Manuel Santamaría are shot in the convent of San Francisco. On 30 July, don
Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Don Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla Gallaga Mandarte y Villaseñor (8 May 1753 – 30 July 1811), commonly known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or simply Miguel Hidalgo (), was a Catholic priest, leader of the Mexican War ...
was shot in the courtyards of the military hospital, a place formerly the convent of Loreto. During the rest of the war of independence the situation in Chihuahua was practically identical and without any shock. Once independence was consummated through the Treaties of Cordoba, and after the ephemeral
First Mexican Empire The Mexican Empire (, ) was a constitutional monarchy and the first independent government of Mexico. It was also the only former viceroyalty of the Spanish Empire to establish a monarchy after gaining independence. The empire existed from 18 ...
, on 19 July 1823 the Union Congress issued a decree dividing the former province of the New Biscay in two, the Province of Durango and the Province of Chihuahua, and pointed by capital of the latter to the Villa of San Felipe el Real de Chihuahua, which from that moment was erected in city, and was called ''Chihuahua.


Post-Independent time

During the
Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...
, Chihuahua was occupied by a column of the
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
under Alexander Doniphan, who came from ew Mexico had previously occupied Santa Fe and
El Paso El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...
. For the defense of Chihuahua, the Battle of Sacramento, on February 28, 1847, was enlisted with the invaders, with the full defeat of Mexican forces dispersed, the state government moved to Parral and March 1 the U.S. military occupied the city. On March 7, 1848, the second occupation of the Anglo-Americans occurred and Governor Trías evacuated Chihuahua and was occupied by the invading chief
Sterling Price Sterling Price (September 14, 1809 – September 29, 1867) was an American politician and military officer who was a senior General officers in the Confederate States Army, officer of the Confederate States Army, fighting in both the Weste ...
. This situation lasted until 25 July, when the capital was evicted by the invaders. The legitimate authorities resettled in their official residence on 14 August of the same year.


La Reforma

On January 4, 1858, within the War of Reformation, which generally dominated the liberal party with the exception of two short seasons in which the conservatives occupied the capital by armed hands, Lieutenant Colonel Bruno Arriada and Mr. Juan N. Bárcenas seduced the garrison forces, proclaimed the Tacubaya Plan and set a half-hour deadline for the governor, Mr. Antonio Ochoa, to sign his accession. He retired to Aldama, gathered the national guard under the command of Colonel José Esteban crowned and the next 19 recaptured the capital. On May 5, 1862, Don Mariano Sáenz built at his expense the first building specifically intended for theater, was called "Teatro de Zaragoza", was located in the street of La Libertad, near the current Plaza de Merino and premiered with the play "Los French in Mexico." On September 15, 1877, it was inaugurated by the governor of the state, General Angel Trías the "Teatro Betancourt", located in the street of La Libertad, built by the Jalisciense Don Miguel Betancourt, who was located in Chihuahua for more than twenty years. With a celebration of the "Scream of Independence", it lasted until May 27, 1904, when it was destroyed by fire. The "Coronado Theatre" opens, which was in ojinaga street and also disappeared from a fire. Mr. Betancourt built it. On 12 October 1864, the head of the Federal Executive Power, Mr. Benito Juárez, arrived in the city on the occasion of the events of the French intervention and the empire. He was accompanied by his Secretaries of State, dispatched to the official residence of the state government. It remained until August 5, 1865, when it took the northern way; returned to the capital on 20 November and returned to the border on 9 December. The last season remained in Chihuahua from 17 June to 10 December 1866. At this time the 3 ships that overlook the now Victoria Street, part of the Municipal Palace, were sold to support the expenses demanded by the movement of troops on the occasion of the departure of President Juárez and his Ministers in the direction of Paso del Norte. At the time of the Reformation it was in fact, for two years, capital of the Republic and seat of the Federal Powers, as the former Government Palace, today Museo Casa Juárez, became from 1864 to 1866, the National Palace and the residence of President Benito Juáre z and their ministers. On March 25, 1866, a battle was set in the Plaza de Armas, the French imperialists were quartered in the Cathedral and General Terrazas was moving through Victoria and Independence streets, it was practically impossible to enter the cathedral, until it was decided that it would be cannoned and from Coronado and Ocampo streets they did, the 8 kg bullet. weight fell just in the bell breaking it in half, after this fact the French went out to surrender and recovered the city. The bell was declared by the city hall historical monument and still today can be seen inside Cathedral.


Porfirian era

In 1875, the images began to be reproduced on paper or cardboard, based on the daguerreotype, and because in 1863 the Anglo-American Henry W. Barquer was established and on March 2, 1876, the telegraph was inaugurated in the short stretch between the government house (J street) not uarez. 321) and the stage station called "La Despedida" (Bolívar and 10a walk) On April 23, the service between Chihuahua and Rosales was inaugurated and in August 1877 with Mexico City. The city's first telegraphist was named Francisco Hernández. On June 2, 1876, Colonel Angel Trías rebelled in favor of the Tuxtepec Plan, seize the capital and take the constitutional governor, Lic. Antonio Ochoa, prisoner. The term-appointed surrogate, Manuel de Herrera, dispatched successively in Cusihuiriachi, Guerrero and Camargo, raised the national guard and joined the government troops. Defeated by the Porphyrists at the Avalos ranch on 19 September, the legitimate authorities resumed the exercise of their duties in the capital. On February 6, 1877, General Juan B. Camaño, at the head of a Tuxtepecana brigade, occupied the capital, deposed the constitutional authorities, assumed the political and military command of the state and began the new era. On May 5, 1881, the first telephone line was inaugurated by Félix Francisco Maceyra, manager of Banco Mexicano. This line was between the bank offices, corner of Independencia Avenue and Victoria Street and the address of the mint, located where the Federal Palace is located. Three years later there were a hundred and fifty urban service aircraft and the long-distance aircraft began operating on 1 April 1930. On March 24, 1883, the first telephone communication of two populations was established, were Chihuahua and Aldama. In 1884, the Chihuahua telephone company was founded. In 1882, as governor, General Luis Terrazas, the installation of the metal pipe was started, which gradually spread and branched. Auxiliary lime and singing ditches and piles and fountains were disappearing from the city grounds. On September 16, 1882, the first section of the railway line, from Juárez to Chihuahua, built by Ferrocarril Central Mexicano, was inaugurated, which since 1909 belonged to the system of the National Railways of Mexico. On March 8, 1884, communication was opened to Mexico City and on the 23rd passenger and freight trains began to run. In 1883, the first typewriters were established by the main commercial houses. They began to be used in public offices in 1891, during the local administration of Colonel Lauro Carrillo. At the end of 1884, the first line of urban trams was inaugurated between Plaza de la Constitución and the primitive station of the National Railways. They moved by shooting beasts, then, in August 1908, they moved with electric force. They disappeared in early 1922. On September 11, 1891, the Government Palace of Chihuahua was completed by Governor Carrillo. However, the official inauguration was on 1 June 1892 by the same governor. The report published by the Directorate General of Statistics gave the city of Chihuahua, in 1895, the number of 19,520 people. At the end of the 19th century, Tomás Alva Edison's phonographs arrived in the city, which had numerous extension lines and had to be applied to people's ears to perceive sound reproductions. In the second half of 1902, the first car arrived in the city of Chihuahua, brought by Don Mauricio Calderón, and the second was introduced by Colonel Miguel Ahumada, governor of the state. In the early years of the twentieth century, in Chihuahua there was more foreign investment in non-railway enterprises than in any other region of the country, which allowed foreigners to infiltrate at all levels of local social and economic. The population growth of the city creates the need to look for new sources to provide it with water and on September 16, 1908, the Chuvíscar dam was inaugurated, with a capacity of five million cubic meters of water, the cost was one million pesos. The preliminary study of Ing. Aguilar was taken advantage of, the final project and specifications were entrusted to the Ing. Manual Marroquín and Rivera and the construction was contracted with engineers Sheperd and Mac Quatters. From this year the landscape of industrial boom began to blur, presenting the first signs of the economic and social crisis that was exacerbated in 1910, on the occasion of the first revolutionary outbursts. In 1911, the city was held by the "rises" under the command of Pascual Orozco.


Mexican Revolution

During the stage of the Revolution, Chihuahua was the scene of the wood movement and, later, the development of Constitutionalism and Villismo, highlighting the heroic figures of Praxedis G. Guerrero, Abraham González, Toribio Ortega, Pascual Orozco, Francisco Villa and many others. On 30 and 31 October 1911, the President-elect of the Republic. Francisco I. Madero, visits for the second time the city, having made the trip expressly to invite the Chihuahuenses revolutionary chiefs Abraham González, Pascual Orozco, José de la Luz Blanco, José de la Luz Soto, Máximo Castillo and others, to accompany at the event of their protest as the holder of the Federal Executive. The constitutional reform of October 28, 1911 abolished political headquarters in the state and created the free municipality. This provision began to govern from 1 January 1912, and since then, each municipality is administered by a popularly elected municipality, without any dependence on the others, whose presidents are directly understood with the governor of the state, there should be no intermediate authority among them. On December 8, 1913, Francisco Villa arrived at the place, accepting the appointment of Provisional Governor of the State, which granted him a Board of Generals; in its new role, on the 12th of the same month, it decreed the creation of the Bank of the State of Chihuahua, with guarantee of the properties confiscated from the enemies of the revolutionary cause and empowered to issue banknotes, it would close definitively in 1915. The state capital was the center of operations of the Northern Division. On April 13, 1914, Don Venustiano Carranza arrived in the city of Chihuahua, from Juarez, during his crusade against the military dictatorship of General Victoriano Huerta. He was enthusiastically welcomed by the Chihuahua people, whom he greeted from the central balcony of the Government Palace announcing the social reforms demanded by the revolution and was housed in the Fifth Gameros. The next day he received the report of the governor of the state, General Manuel Chao, on the state of the public administration and the following March 3 he moved to the city of Torreón. In 1914, General Francisco Villa had a radiotelegraph station set up in the city of Chihuahua, which was the first to work. The facilities were made in the Municipal Palace and the antennae were placed in the towers of the cathedral. At the end of January 1915, General Francisco Villa, supreme head of military operations, was incommunicado with the convention government, which had had to withdraw from Mexico City towards Cuernavaca. For this reason, the expressed general issued a decree authorizing himself to assume the management of public business in the territory dominated by his forces and created three departments of state for their attention, namely the Relationships Ministry, Government and Communications, and Treasury and Development. Through these departments General Villa executed all the acts of a head of state until the end of 1915. At the end of 1915, the villist regime in the capital ended. ''Revolutionary's'' From 1920 onwards the reconstruction of the economy began, re-emerging some important factories of the porphyriate era that had closed on the occasion of the revolution. Such was the case for the brewing industry, foundries, flours and textiles, where machinery driven by steam, electric power or gasoline was worked on, which continued with an advanced technological level. The districts continued to be maintained but exclusively as districts with judicial functions, in October 1921 the Iturbide district changed its name to aragon In December 1923, the first radio-telephone station was installed that operated in the city, by agreement of the governor of the state, General Ignacio C. Enríquez and had the official record "XICE". At the same time, radio-receiver devices, which were popularly referred to as "radiolas", began to be installed in homes. On November 1, 1929, the first vitáfono or spoken cinema in the "Alcázar cinema" was adapted to the cinematographer, was with the film "The Jazz Singer". In early 1931, the first lines of urban and semi-urban trucks began to circulate through the streets of the city. At this time the city had 45,595 inhabitants. On June 21, 1941, the Palace of Government, this fire begins in the General Archive of the Executive Branch at 1 p.m. on Saturday and the Municipal Palace became the official residence of the supreme Legislative and Executive powers, until September 15, 1944, when they went back to their own building. In 1946, the Reforma Market was set on fire, during the municipal administration presided over by Mr. Alberto de la Peña Borja. As president, Esteban Uranga built another market building, with the same title and farther from the city center. On September 26, 1947, the sports city was inaugurated by the President of the Republic, Mr. Miguel Alemán, being governor of the state, Dr. Fernando Foglio Miramontes; at the time it had a stadium with capacity for eight thousand people, monumental gym, eight pediments, tennis courts, basketball, volleyball, park and baseball stands, Olympic pool, an artificial forest of ten and seven thousand trees, electrification for night service in all sports sections and transformers in the baseball field, sports court for athletic events, boxing fields, dressing rooms, toilets, etc. Except for mining, industrial activity had not been a substance in the local economy, but from 1947, with the opening of Cementos de Chihuahua, a significant change was initiated in the industry, which was accentuated in 1960 with the establishment of maquiladoras export in the cities of Juarez and Tijuana first, and then in Chihuahua. 47 floors are installed with 24,500 workers, especially women. On November 9, 1947, the Government Palace by the then President of the Republic, Mr. Miguel Alemán. The Instituto Tecnológico de Chihuahua, known as ITCH, was the first technology institute in Mexico. The first stone was laid on September 26, 1948, by the Secretary of Public Education, Mr. Manuel Guel Vidal and by the constitutional governor of the State of Chihuahua, Mr. Fernando Foglio Miramontes.


Contemporary history

In 1956, television was installed in the city, with the foundation of XERA-TV by Telesistema Mexicano. In 1960, the construction of the Chihuahua Dam was completed, which would contribute to the supply of water and prevent flooding in a large area of the city. On that year, there were 150,430 inhabitants. On April 5, 1964, political acts were banished in the city's Plaza de Armas, following an act by the PRI candidate for the presidency of the republic, Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, which ends in the burning of the temple by protesters. On October 18, 1968, the University of Chihuahua was granted full autonomy. Earlier this year, ''XHCH-TV channel 2'' is installed, the first television station to be totally local. In coordination with the private initiative, through the newly created Economic Development of Chihuahua, A.D., on September 12, 1980, the state government created the promoter of the Chihuahuense Industry that immediately proceeds to the construction of the Complex Industrial Chihuahua with the Ford plant as an anchor industry; which would subsequently attract new foreign investment and strengthen confidence to establish itself in the region. On the afternoon of July 27, 1981, Aeromexico's DC-9 "Yucatan" aircraft, covering regular flight 230 between Monterrey and Tijuana, went off the runway when landing at Chihuahua airport, for the force of wind and rain. As a result, the aircraft broke and caught fire causing the greatest misgiving in the history of state aviation; 32 passengers arrived alive, but another 32 died. In September 1981, the Palace of Justice of the State was inaugurated in the city by Mr.
José López Portillo José Guillermo Abel López Portillo y Pacheco (; 16 June 1920 – 17 February 2004) was a Mexican writer, lawyer, and politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) who served as the 58th president of Mexico from 1976 ...
, President of Mexico. On July 6, 1983, for the first time the National Action Party, with Luis H. Alvarez, won the elections for the Chihuahua City Council. It is in this year that the state is in the crosshairs of the whole country. From this moment Chihuahua became the obligatory reference for elections in the other northern states and then the entire republic. By 1984, the metropolitan area of the city of Chihuahua had 29 maquiladora plants in the Las Américas Industrial Park, of which those dedicated to the production of electrical and electronic components for export stood out. In 1986, the year of the hot summer in Chihuahua, due to state, municipal and deputies elections that were lived. The interference of the Catholic Church in political activity as in 1983 caused the spirits to be increased and the Chihuahuanian families divided. The bishop was Don Adalberto Almeida and Merino and threatened not to officiate Mass due to the alleged electoral fraud. On December 27, 1988, the Pope appointed Archbishop José Fernández Arteaga, Coadjutor Archbishop of Chihuahua with the right to succession. He took office on 25 January 1989, and in April of that year most diocesan and religious priests sent the Pope a letter of support to Don Adalberto on the occasion of his 20 years of bishop in Chihuahua. On May 24, 1988, the city of Chihuahua was about to experience a catastrophe of incalculable dimensions when, at 10:10 a.m., the No. 14 tank of the Pemex Plant, which contained more than four million liters of diaphanous, was burned and kept on fire or for more than eight hours, with flames reaching more than 50 meters in height and at 50 meters was a similar tank containing Nova gasoline. About 200,000 people living in ten surrounding colonies were evacuated and the area was cordoned off by the Army and police forces. The fire was stifled shortly after six o't, thanks to the coordinated action of the firefighters of Chihuahua, Delicias, Camargo, Parral, Cuauhtémoc, Aldama and Ciudad Juárez. In 1990, construction began on the Children's Complex called Chihuahua 2000, which houses nearly 10,000 families. In 1998, construction began on the new UACh campus north of the city. By 2008, the South Sports Is inaugurated, in the area of Avalos.


Demographics

, the city of Chihuahua had a population of 809,232. up from 748,551 in 2005. The literacy rate in the city is among the highest in the country at 98%; 35% of the population is aged 14 or below, 60% between 15 and 65 and 5% over 65.
The growth rate is 2.4%. The life expectancy for males is 72 years and for women is 79 years. The city of Chihuahua has achieved several advances in human and social development. According to a report about competitiveness from the CIDE organization ranks Chihuahua as the second most competitive city in the country just behind Monterrey and ahead of Mexico City. This report also ranks Chihuahua as the most Social Competitive city in the country.


Tallest buildings

An equal sign (=) following a rank indicates the same height between two or more buildings. Freestanding observation and telecommunication towers, while not habitable buildings, are included for comparison purposes; however, they are not ranked. 37 Chihuahua tower 27 floors


Landmarks

Even though Chihuahua suffered a massive destruction of colonial buildings during the 1970s in order to widen the main streets and avenues in the downtown, it stills preserves some valuable monuments from the 19th and 20th centuries. Some of the more interesting sites in the city are listed below: * San Francisco Temple, Temple of San Francisco, commenced 1717 and completed in 1789-The original burial place of Miguel Hidalgo * Federal Palace of Chihuahua, now a museum, and the jail cell of Miguel Hidalgo * Museo Casa Juarez, also called ''The Museum of the Republican Loyalty'', is the house where President Juarez lived during his time at Chihuahua City. *Central Park "El Palomar"-Once one of the worst slums in the city, now the largest city park. *Mansion Creel *Mansion Terrazas *Mansion 'Quinta Carolina' (Former summer estate of Don Luis Terrazas; see Creel-Terrazas Family.)-Now in semi-ruined condition, in process of restoration. *Torre Legislativa de Chihuahua (Legislative tower of Chihuahua-state legislators office building) - Fronts on the
Plaza de Armas ''Plaza de armas'' (pl. ; literally ''arms square'' or ''place-of-arms'') is a Spanish language, Spanish term commonly used to refer to town square, town squares in Latin America, Spain and the Philippines, as well as a name commonly given to th ...
* The Government Palace (The State House) *
City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...
*Dancing Fountains north of the Federal Palace *Mansion 'Quinta Gameros' (City Museum for the Decorative Arts) *Church of Santa Rita (1731). St Rita of Cascia is the patroness of the city. *Ave. Zarco Residential Area (Some of the most impressive pre-revolutionary residences in the city are situated along this street) *Colonial Aqueduct-lengths still exist of this monument which was built to transport water from mountain springs to the villa.


Neighborhoods

The City of Chihuahua is subdivided into ''Colonias'' (neighborhoods). The primary function of the colonias range between residential, commercial, industrial, and educational. In recent years, gated residential zones called "fraccionamientos", along with ''colonias'', have been erected. The fraccionamientos function in the same way as residential developments in the U.S. The growing construction industry is creating many new fraccionamientos in order to try to solve the overwhelming demand for new homes in the city, extending them at an ever-increasing rate every year.


Malls

*Fashion Mall *Paseo Central *Plaza Galerías *Plaza Sendero *Distrito 1 *Cantera Cinco *Tres vias shopping center *Plaza San Felipe *La Liber *Plaza Hollywood *Plaza Victoria *Plaza Vallarta *Plaza Providencia *Plaza Tolsa


Parks

*El Palomar *Ciudad Deportiva *Deportiva Sur *Parque Metropolitano El Rejon *Parque Lerdo There are three country clubs in the city: San Francisco Country Club, Campestre Chihuahua and Altozano.


Media

Internet *Public Internet: **Chihuahua Mobile (Digital Chihuahua) via Wi-Fi. Private Fixed Internet: ** Alestra-
AT&T AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for its predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the w ...
. **
Axtel Axtel S.A.B. de C.V., known as Axtel, is a Mexican telecommunications company headquartered in San Pedro, near Monterrey. It offers telephone, internet, and television services through FTTH in 45 cities of Mexico as well as IT Services. It is t ...
. **Infinitum de
Telmex Teléfonos de México, S.A.B. de C.V., known as Telmex is a Mexican telecommunications company headquartered in Mexico City that provides telecommunications products and services in Mexico. In 2014, Telmex was the dominant fixed-line phone carri ...
. **
Izzi Telecom izzi is a Mexican telecommunications company owned by Grupo Televisa and operated by ''Televisión Internacional, S.A. de C.V.'' It is listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange under the code CABLE. izzi provides telephone, Internet, cable TV and mob ...
. ** Totalplay Telecomunicaciones. **Cp Comunicaciones Públicas. Private Mobile Internet: **
AT&T AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for its predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the w ...
**
Movistar Movistar () is a major telecommunications provider owned by Telefónica, operating in Spain and Hispanic American countries. It is the largest provider of landline, broadband, Mobile telephony, mobile services, and pay television (Movistar Plus+ ...
. **
Telcel RADIOMÓVIL DIPSA, S.A. DE C.V., doing business as Telcel, is a Mexican wireless telecommunications company, owned by América Móvil, founded in 1984 and based in Mexico City. Telcel holds concessions to operate a wireless network in all nine g ...
. ** Unefon. **Virgin **Altan


Local TV channels


Cable and private televisión

The state capital features cable television with the name " zzi Telecom, which offers Digital triple play and High definition (H.D) service along with Totalplay Telecommunications offering
IPTV Internet Protocol television (IPTV), also called TV over broadband, is the service delivery of television over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. Usually sold and run by a Telephone company, telecom provider, it consists of broadcast live telev ...
via fiber optics in addition to the systems satellite television " SKY Mexico' SKY", " SKY Mexico VeTV", " Dish Mexico" and "Star TV Mexico".


Radio stations

Modulated Amplitude'' Frequency modulation ND: No disponible


City newspapers

*''El Ágora''. *''El Diario de Chihuahua''. *''El Heraldo de Chihuahua'' by
Organización Editorial Mexicana Organización Editorial Mexicana, also known as OEM, is the largest Mexican print media company and the largest newspaper company in Latin America. The company owns a large newswire service, it includes 70 Mexican daily newspapers, 24 radio statio ...
. *''El Heraldo de la Tarde'' by
Organización Editorial Mexicana Organización Editorial Mexicana, also known as OEM, is the largest Mexican print media company and the largest newspaper company in Latin America. The company owns a large newswire service, it includes 70 Mexican daily newspapers, 24 radio statio ...
. *''El Observador''. *''El Peso''. *''El Pueblo''. *''La Crónica Hoy Chihuahua''. *''NotiBús''.


Digital newspapers of the city

*
Acento Noticias
'' *
Al Contacto
'' *
Al Instante Noticias
'' *
ChihuahuaDigital
'' *
eldigital.com.mx
' *
entrelíneas
'' *
Información Total
'' *
La Crónica de Chihuahua
'' *
La Jirafa / e-magazine
'' *
La Parada Digital
'' *
La Polaka
'' *
La Opción de Chihuahua
'' *
OMNIA
'' *
Péndulo
'' *
Periódico Causa Chihuahua
'' *
Segundo a Segundo
'' *
Tiempo
'' *
Vocero Digital
.''


Economy

Chihuahua is the twelfth largest city in Mexico, and one of the most industrialized. Manufacturing is very important, and there are nine major industrial parks and 79 maquila manufacturing plants, which employ about 45,000 people. The city serves as an alternative destination for
maquiladora A (), or (), is a factory that is largely duty (economics), duty free and tariff free. These factories take raw materials and assemble, manufacture, or process them and export the finished product. These factories and systems are present thro ...
operators who require quick access to the border but wish to avoid both the higher costs and higher turnover rates of employment of the immediate border area. Of all interior (non-border) locations in Mexico, Chihuahua has the largest maquiladora presence in Mexico. Some of the larger companies include Ford Motor Co., Sumitomo Electrical, Honeywell, Hallmark, and LG Electronics. The entire state of Chihuahua is also a thriving economic center. Chihuahua's annual Gross State Product (GSP) is about $6.2 billion. There are more than 350 established manufacturing and assembly plants in the state; manufacturing accounts for a third of the total GSP, while trade and other services amount to 53.5%. Chihuahua has the largest amount of forested land in all of Mexico. Forty-four percent of Chihuahua's workers are employed in commerce and services, while a little over a third of the workforce is employed in mining and industry. In mining, Chihuahua state is the leading producer in the republic of non-ferrous minerals and zinc, and is second nationwide in silver extraction. Agricultural production makes up only 6% of the total GSP; however, the state is the leading producer of apples, nuts, cattle and sheep raising nationally, and second in pine and oak trees harvested.


Contemporary life

The city's most important feature is its collection of industrial zones, in which foreign companies have manufacturing facilities, called ''
maquiladora A (), or (), is a factory that is largely duty (economics), duty free and tariff free. These factories take raw materials and assemble, manufacture, or process them and export the finished product. These factories and systems are present thro ...
s'', which employ thousands of people. This
light industry Light industry are Industry (economics), industries that usually are less Capital intensity, capital-intensive than heavy industry, heavy industries and are more consumer-oriented than business-oriented, as they typically produce smaller consum ...
also requires professionals, both for manufacturing and for management; this training is provided by universities such as the Universidád Autónoma de Chihuahua, the Instituto Tecnológico de Chihuahua and Instituto Tecnológico de Chihuahua II. A number of private universities also exist, to include the Chihuahua campus of
ITESM Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM; ), also known as Technological Institute of Monterrey () or just Tec, is aresearch university based in Monterrey, Mexico, which has grown to include 35 campuses located across 25 cit ...
. The city's commercial sector has also been boosted by the growth of the middle class. The wages paid by industries to management and high-level technical employees provide a cash flow unlike that of most Mexican cities. The nightlife is lively, especially in the downtown, where some of the large, pre-revolutionary estate houses have been turned into nightclubs and dance halls, many featuring the best of Chihuahua's live bands. Most U.S. franchise restaurants and fast-food establishments will be found in Chihuahua, mostly on the Periferico de la Juventud, north of downtown on Universidad Avenue, or on Libertad Street Pedestrian Way in the downtown, and are patronised by the city's youth and young professionals.


Climate

Chihuahua lies on the western side of the Chihuahuan Desert ecoregion and as such has a
hot semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...
(
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
''BSh''). ''(direct
Final Revised Paper
)''
However, it is not as hot as most of the lower elevated portions of the desert to the east owing to an altitude of almost above sea level. Winters are mild with an average daytime temperature of and an average minimum temperature of in January, the coldest month. Occasionally, temperatures can exceed while cold fronts can push it below . Frosts are common during winter nights. During this time of the year, the climate is dry, with an average humidity around 46% and many days are sunny, averaging 15–18 clear days. Precipitation is rare, with only 1 or 3 days with measureable precipitation from December to March. Snowfall is somewhat uncommon in the city, normally with 2 snowfalls a year, although the surrounding area may receive three or four snowfalls. Summers are hot with June being the hottest month, averaging during the day and during the night. Temperatures can easily exceed on most days and it can occasionally exceed . Most of the precipitation falls during the summer months, when the
monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...
moves up northwards, causing moist air from the Gulf of California and the Gulf of Mexico to move into the city. Afternoon storms are common during the monsoon season and they can be accompanied with hail and thunderstorms. The days are still warm to hot in July and August, though slightly cooler due to the presence of the rain, with an average high of . Humidity is also higher during this time, averaging 53%. March, April, October and November are transitional months that are unpredictable. Temperatures can reach up to in April while cold fronts can push it below freezing. Usually, these months have warm days, averaging to and cool nights (around to ). During the months of March and April, there can be strong winds that cause dusts and sandstorms. The National Weather Service of Mexico (Servicio Meteorologico Nacional) reported that the warmest temperature ever recorded in the city is , while the coldest is on February 4, 2011. July 1973 is the record wettest month, with . For a single day the record rainfall is on August 24, 1966. Chihuahua averages 3,081 hours of sunshine per year, ranging from a low of 217 hours in December (about 7 hours of sunshine per day) to a high of 305 hours in May (about 9.8 hours of sunshine per day).


Geography

Chihuahua is best described as shaped as a large letter ''L'', with plains to the north and hills on both sides, as well as the south; it is crossed east-and-west by Teofilo Borunda Avenue, which follows the natural flow of the Chuviscar River. Borunda is crossed in the west by the Periferico de la Juventud, a major limited-access highway running north-and-south. The main entrance to the city from the north (from the direction of Ciudad Juárez) is Tecnológico Avenue, part of the
Pan-American Highway The Pan-American Highway is a vast network of roads that stretches about 30,000 kilometers (about 19,000 miles) from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, in the northernmost part of North America to Ushuaia, Argentina, at the southern tip of South America. I ...
. The geography of the city is dominated by three hills that appear in the coat of arms: Cerro Grande, Cerro Coronel and Santa Rosa, the last of which is fully covered by the city. The Cerro Grande has a monumental cross that is lighted each Christmas. To the east and northeast, is the Sierra Nombre de Dios, across the Sacramento River from the city. Contained therein, off of Heroico Colegio Militar Ave, are the Nombre de Dios Caverns, a natural display of minerals and underground formations. To the far east and south is General Roberto Fierro Villalobos International Airport and the highway to the US-Mexican border crossing at
Presidio, Texas Presidio is a city in Presidio County, Texas, United States. It is situated on the Rio Grande (''Río Bravo del Norte'') River, on the opposite side of the U.S.–Mexico border from Ojinaga, Chihuahua. The name originates from Spanish and mean ...
and Ojinaga, Chihuahua.


Transportation

Chihuahua is served by Roberto Fierro Villalobos International Airport (
IATA Airport code An IATA airport code, also known as an IATA location identifier, IATA station code, or simply a location identifier, is a unique three-letter geocode designating many airports, cities (with one or more airports) and metropolitan areas (citie ...
: CUU) with connections to major Mexican cities and international destinations to Denver, Dallas, Houston, and Phoenix (Dec 2019). The airport serves as the state's largest in both cargo volume and passengers and is currently being expanded accordingly. Chihuahua is also the starting point for the Chihuahua–Pacific Railroad with a terminus in
Los Mochis Los Mochis () is a coastal city in northern Sinaloa, Mexico. It serves as the municipal seat of the municipality of Ahome. As of the 2010 census, the population was 362,613, which was 61 percent of the municipality's population. Los Mochis is th ...
, Sinaloa, and is also served by Ferromex, a private Mexican railroad. There is a large central depot for intercity buses in the south side of the city serving as a hub for the county's main bus companies as well as regional, state, and international bus companies. The city has established a BRT bus rapid-transit system known as , which currently serves the city with 1 line running 12.7 miles and 44 stations as well as dozens supplementary lines that extend into suburbs. The city's government, in cooperation with the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation, has started construction for two more central bus lines running the length of the Periférico de la Juventud and the Avenida 20 de Noviembre/Avenida Flores Magon, with several more stations that will be completed in 2019. Metrobus Chihuahua payment has been upgraded to be charged electronically through special swipe cards sold at each station. In 2018, the city government announced plans to provide free Wifi to all 44 stations, as part of an initiative to make Internet access more equitable. The system of avenues and main streets in the city is being constantly revamped, with the construction of new roads and bridges to handle the ever-increasing traffic. Alongside numerous taxi companies, Chihuahua is host to both
Uber Uber Technologies, Inc. is an American multinational transportation company that provides Ridesharing company, ride-hailing services, courier services, food delivery, and freight transport. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California, a ...
and
DiDi Didi Chuxing Technology Company is a Chinese vehicle for hire company headquartered in Beijing with over 550 million users and tens of millions of drivers. The company provides app-based transportation services, including taxi hailing, private ...
, private on-demand ride-sharing car services. Important highways that run through Chihuahua are Highway 45, which connects Chihuahua to
Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Juárez ( , ; "Juárez City"), commonly referred to as just Juárez (Lipan language, Lipan: ''Tsé Táhú'ayá''), is the most populous city in the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Mexican state of Chihuahua (state), Chihuahua. It was k ...
to the north and Delicias to the south, and highway 16, which connects Chihuahua to
Hermosillo Hermosillo (), formerly called Pitic (as in ''Santísima Trinidad del Pitic'' and ''Presidio del Pitic''), is a city in the center of the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is the municipal seat of the Hermosillo municipality, the state's ...
to the west and to the border town of
Ojinaga Ojinaga (Manuel Ojinaga) is a town and seat of the Ojinaga (municipality), municipality of Ojinaga, in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua (state), Chihuahua. As of 2015, the town had a total population of 28,040. It is a rural border town ...
to the east.


Crime

The city had a serious problem with property crime, especially theft and graffiti by taggers. Also, drug-related murders, including murders of law-enforcement officers (38 in 2007 according to a March 2008 issue of the newspaper ''Diario de Chihuahua'') by traffickers led by
Joaquín Guzmán Loera Joaquín or Joaquin is a male given name, the Spanish version of Joachim. Given name * Joaquín (footballer, born 1956) (Joaquín Alonso González), Spanish football midfielder * Joaquín (footballer, born 1981) (Joaquín Sánchez Rodrígue ...
("el Chapo", or "Shorty"), have been on the rise. The federal police and the army have moved into the city to conduct anti-drug operations; it seems that their activity may have a positive effect; the indices of property crime and murder have fallen since 2010, with the result that Chihuahua is safer now than in years past.


Sports

The city is home of the Dorados de Chihuahua of the
Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional The National Professional Basketball League ( or LNBP), officially known as the Liga Grupo Caliente, Caliente LNBP for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball sports league, league in Mexico. The league was founded in 2000 with 1 ...
, or National Professional Basketball League of Mexico. The city formerly had a baseball franchise in the
Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...
(AAA), also known as the
Dorados Club Deportivo Dorados de Sinaloa, simply known as Dorados, is a Mexican professional football club based in Culiacán, Sinaloa. It plays in the Liga de Expansión MX, the second level division of Mexican football. History Dorados de Sinaloa ...
. On May 15 & 16, 2010 the city also hosted the 24th IAAF World Race Walking Cup with $122,500 in prize money awarded in the team and individual competitions to the world's fastest walkers at distances ranging from , plus a race for juniors, aged 16 to 19 years of age. In 2019, the team Caudillos de Chihuahua was founded to play in the New American Football League of Mexico named
Fútbol Americano de México Mexican American Football ('', FAM'') was a professional American football minor league in Mexico, founded in 2018. Due to sponsorship reasons, the league was also known as FAM-YOX for the 2022 season. Starting with five teams, the FAM expanded ...
. The team plays in the Olympic Stadium of Chihuahua. The city also hosts the
Chihuahua Savage The Chihuahua Savage, also known as Savage CUU, are a Mexican professional indoor soccer team based in Chihuahua City, Chihuahua, that competes in the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL). Founded in 2019, the team made its debut in the Major Arena S ...
, a team in the United States-based
Major Arena Soccer League The Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) is a professional indoor soccer league in North America. The MASL features teams playing coast-to-coast in the United States and Mexico. The league is the highest level of arena soccer in North America. The le ...
. The team was founded in 2019 and originally played in the minor league
Major Arena Soccer League 2 The Major Arena Soccer League 2 (MASL 2) is a North American indoor soccer league that serves as the Minor league, developmental league of the Major Arena Soccer League. History MASL 2 launched in 2017 to "provide an outlet for teams to either r ...
.


Tourism

The city of Chihuahua has a number of tourist sites, including the museums in Chihuahua, the baroque Metropolitan Cathedral, seat of the
Archdiocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...
(and the resting place of St Peter of Jesus Maldonado, a Cristero martyr of the 1930s), dating from the 18th century, the Government Palace from the early 19th century, and the
City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...
from the turn of the 20th century, on the
Plaza de Armas ''Plaza de armas'' (pl. ; literally ''arms square'' or ''place-of-arms'') is a Spanish language, Spanish term commonly used to refer to town square, town squares in Latin America, Spain and the Philippines, as well as a name commonly given to th ...
across from the cathedral. During the French invasion and the Second Empire, which ended with the execution of the
Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...
Emperor Maximilian in 1867, the constitutional president,
Benito Juárez Benito Pablo Juárez García (; 21 March 1806 – 18 July 1872) was a Mexican politician, military commander, and lawyer who served as the 26th president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in office in 1872. A Zapotec peoples, Zapotec, he w ...
García traveled the country, searching for support wherever he could. He found it in 1864 when he settled his cabinet and
government-in-exile A government-in-exile (GiE) is a political group that claims to be the legitimate government of a sovereign state or semi-sovereign state, but is unable to exercise legal power and instead resides in a foreign country. Governments in exile usu ...
here in the city at the address now known as Ave. Juárez 321, and incidentally, making Chihuahua the only city, aside from Mexico City, to be the capital of the Republic. The Museo Casa Juarez, now known as ''The Museum of Republican Loyalty'', has been faithfully restored to the appearance it had when President Juárez lived here from 1864 through 1866. The city offers the service of the touristic "Trolley el Tarahumara" which is a tourist bus that goes around to all the main museums and monuments in the downtown (starting its route at the Plaza de Armas), including parks like the ''Central Park "El Palomar"'', a large park that has a collection of sculptures, including one depicting three doves (palomas, hence the park's name) and a monumental flagpole, flying one of the largest flags in the Republic, as well as a statue of one of Chihuahua's favourite sons, actor
Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known as Anthony Quinn, was an American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental virility" in over 100 ...
, in his role as '
Zorba the Greek ''Zorba the Greek'' (, , Life and Times of Alexis Zorbas) is a novel written by Nikos Kazantzakis, first published in 1946. It is the tale of a young Greek intellectual who ventures to escape his bookish life with the aid of the boisterous and m ...
', as well as many others. The city is known for its classical and modern sculpture, as seen on any main boulevard or avenue. Included are works by Espino, Baltazar, Ponzanelli and Sebastian, the latter being a native of Chihuahua. Particularly noteworthy are the
murals A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spanish ...
in the Government Palace and the ''Paraninfo'', or University Auditorium (in the Literary and Scientific Institute building) both depicting the history of the State of Chihuahua, and both fronting upon the ''Plaza Hidalgo'' in the downtown, and catter-cornered from the Plaza Mayor. Also of note is the ''Quinta Gameros'', one of the largest estate houses in pre-revolutionary Chihuahua City, now the state museum for the decorative arts, and the former Federal Palace of Chihuahua on
Venustiano Carranza José Venustiano Carranza de la Garza (; 29 December 1859 – 21 May 1920), known as Venustiano Carranza, was a Mexican land owner and politician who served as President of Mexico from 1917 until his assassination in 1920, during the Mexican Re ...
Street, north of the Government Palace, which is now a museum and contains the cell in which
Miguel Hidalgo Don Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla Gallaga Mandarte y Villaseñor (8 May 1753 – 30 July 1811), commonly known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or simply Miguel Hidalgo (), was a Catholic priest, leader of the Mexican Wa ...
spent his final days, and is a national shrine. The ''Mammoth Museum'', at Gomez Morin (also Calle 27a) and Ave. Juarez, is the city natural history museum and contains 13 halls detailing prehistoric life from the
dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic Geological period, period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the #Evolutio ...
s through the reign of the
mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...
s, or the
Cenozoic The Cenozoic Era ( ; ) is Earth's current geological era, representing the last 66million years of Earth's history. It is characterized by the dominance of mammals, insects, birds and angiosperms (flowering plants). It is the latest of three g ...
Era. It also has exhibits of prehistoric art. The ''Semilla'' Museo Centro de Ciencia y Tecnología, or ''Seed Centre Museum of Science and Technology'', on Teofilo Borunda and Lisboa in the downtown, is a creative learning centre and interactive science museum for children. The Feria (
Fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Fairs showcase a wide range of go ...
) of Santa Rita, known throughout the Republic, is held during the last two weeks of May and features internationally known recording artists in concert. The fair has been held annually for decades. In addition, the university
symphony A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning c ...
performs at the Paraninfo weekly during the summer months, and features international guest artists in classical and pop concerts. The Plaza de Toros "La Esperanza", or bull ring, 'La Esperanza' is located on Teofilo Borunda on the north side of the river, and features corridas (
bullfight Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations. There are several variations, including some forms wh ...
s) during the summer and fall. The Plaza Mayor is an important square in the downtown that displays fountains, green spaces and a collection of monuments depicting local heroes. The main monument in the Plaza Mayor is the "Ángel de la Libertad" that was built in 2003 representing the freedom of all Mexicans, especially Chihuahua's people. It was inaugurated during the Independence Day festivities on September 15 of that same year. The angel has a sword with a
laser A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word ''laser'' originated as an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radi ...
light at the tip, and is capable of rotating 360° over its axis.


Twin towns and sister cities



Notes


References


Bibliography


External links

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Official City of Chihuahua website
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Economic Development OfficeChihuahua videoChihuahuan Frontier
{{authority control Chihuahua City, 1700s establishments in Mexico 1709 establishments in New Spain 1709 in New Spain Capitals of states of Mexico Populated places established in 1709 *