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Saltillo, Coahuila
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Saltillo Santiago del Saltillo |
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| Nickname: The Athens of Mexico | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country |  Mexico |
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| State | Coahuila | ||
| Municipality | Saltillo | ||
| Founded | 1577 (Alberto del Canto) | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Fernando de las Fuentes Hernández | ||
| Elevation | 1,600 m (5,249 ft) | ||
| Population (2005) | |||
| - Total | 648,929 | ||
| - Demonym | Saltillense | ||
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) | ||
| Postal code | 25000 | ||
| Area code(s) | 844 | ||
| Website: www.saltillo.gob.mx | |||
Saltillo is the capital city of the northeastern Mexican state of Coahuila and the municipal seat of the municipality of the same name.
As of the 2005 census, Saltillo had a population of 633,667 people, rising to 725,259 if the full Metropolitan Area is considered, making it the 20th biggest metro area in the country. The metro area comprises the municipalities of Saltillo, Ramos Arizpe, and Arteaga. The municipality of Saltillo had a population of 648,929.
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El Cerro del Pueblo (The People's Hill) and its 4 metres (13 ft) cross overlook the city. The city's elevation is 1,600 metres (5,200 ft), making it cooler and windier than its neighbor city, Monterrey. Saltillo lies near the city of Arteaga and near the Chihuahan Desert.
The city of Saltillo is the municipal seat of the municipality of Saltillo. The current municipal president is Fernando de las Fuentes from the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) who will remain in office until 2009.
Saltillo was founded in 1577 by Spanish colonists. Tlaxcaltecas also colonized there. It is the oldest city in northern Mexico. In 1824, Saltillo was made the capital of the State of Coahuila and included the area which is now the US State of Texas until the war of Texas Independence and the founding of the independent Texas Republic. The city is flanked by the Zapalinamé mountains, which are part of the Sierra Madre Oriental. There is a legend that says that the leader of the native Indians, whose name was Zapalinamé, can be seen in the shape of the mountains.
Saltillo's most famous exports are Saltillo tile and the locally woven multi-coloured sarapes. There is a General Motors assembly plant and DaimlerChrysler's Saltillo Truck Assembly plant, two engine facilities and a car transmissions plant. 37.4% of cars and 62.6% of trucks produced in Mexico are assembled in Saltillo.[1] Saltillo is home to the Grupo Industrial Saltillo, an important manufacturing conglomerate that makes home appliances, silverware, and auto parts. Some criticism has been made of this new urbanization and the lack of conservation and planning.
During the early 20th Century, Saltillo was called the Athens of Mexico because of its number of famous intellectuals. Nowadays, it is considered the Detroit of Mexico because of the importance of its automotive industry, including the huge Daimler-Chrysler, General Motors, and Delphi plants.
Saltillo is a sister city of Austin, Texas, as well as of other 15 cities in several countries.
Alameda Zaragoza is the largest park in the city and has an artificial lake in the shape of the Mexican Republic. The park is located just west of the downtown plaza.
The old core of the city is built in pink marble, giving Saltillo's architecture a distinctive flavour. Prominent buildings are the cathedral, the Palacio de Gobierno (state government building), the Ateneo Fuente and the Instituto Tecnológico de Saltillo. The large cathedral is the best example of colonial religious architecture in northeastern Mexico; its facade is mainly Spanish Baroque, with less exuberant areas.
The city has two world-class museums. The Museo de las Aves de México (Bird Museum),[2] featuring a collection of bird specimens from all over Mexico in realistic displays. The Museo del Desierto (Desert Museum)[3] focuses on the geography, geology, paleontology (with dinosaur fossils) and biodiversity of the Chihuahuan desert, and the history and culture of the local people through time. It includes a cactus greenhouse and exhibits, with dozens of species.
Saltillo's main universities are the Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila, the Instituto Tecnológico de Saltillo, the Tec de Monterrey Saltillo Campus, El Instituto de Filologia Hispanica, and the Universidad Autonoma Agraria Antonio Narro.
Saltillo Metropolitan Area air traffic is served by Plan de Guadalupe International Airport. It takes 15 minutes to get from downtown Saltillo to the airport. It has several flights per day to Mexico City and a daily flight to Houston, Texas. There is a comprehensive bus system in Saltillo along with many taxis.
Austin, Texas and Lansing, Michigan are sister cities of Saltillo.[4]
- Fernando Soler (1896 - 1979) Film actor and director
- Saltillo has underground tunnels, starting in the Catedral de Santiago and ending in the city's limits
- ^ COAHUILA, PRIMER LUGAR NACIONAL EN PRODUCCIÓN AUTOMOTRIZ. Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
- ^ Museo de las Aves de México. Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
- ^ Museo del Desierto. Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
- ^ Online Directory: Mexico, Americas. Sister Cities International. Retrieved on 2007-11-23.
- Link to tables of population data from Census of 2005 INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática
- Ayuntamiento de Saltillo Official website
- Saltillo, Coahuila is at coordinates Coordinates:
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