Durango, Durango
Encyclopedia
Climate
The city of Durango has a semi-arid climate, classified as Bsk in the Koppen system. The climate is temperate in the western portion (the mountainous region), with the average annual temperature being 15 °C and consisting of an average annual rainfall of 1,600 millimeters. In the eastern region, the average annual temperatureTemperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
is 19 °C and precipitation
Precipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
amounts to 600 millimeters. The wettest month recorded was August 1973 (277.2 mm) and the record rainfall for a single day is 108.5 mm on September 15, 1994. The city's weather data for the years 1971 to 2000 are the following: the extreme temperatures are -14°C the lowest (December 13, 1997) and 39.5°C the highest (May 28, 1980).
Architecture
Durango's architecture is characterized by its eclectic nature, with elements resembling BarcelonaBarcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
. Spanish and French influences increased after the declaration of independence at the beginning of the 19th century, though the academic style persisted until the first decades of the 20th century.
The city was built on a rectangular street grid during the colonial era; during much of the post-independence period until the mid-20th century the lay-out of the city looked the same as it did in the 17th century and, with the invention of cars and buses the city became a complicated maze of tangling and narrow colonial
Colonial
Colonial or The Colonial may refer to:* Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony* Colonial history of the United States, the period of American history from the 17th century to 1776, under the rule of Great Britain, France and Spain...
streets that made the city almost impossible to map. It was not until the 1990s and much of the first decade of the 21st century that the city's government decided to clear some of the narrow colonial-era streets to build parks, plazas, and wider avenues that today continue to act as roads between the city's sprawling "colonias
Colonias
In Spanish, colonia means "Colony". The word has been adopted to refer to colonia rural settlements along the U.S.-Mexican border. Colonias in the U.S.-Mexico border region are often characterized by poor housing stock, inadequate physical infrastructure, and a weak social infrastructure...
" (neighborhoods).
Palacio de Gobierno
Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
-style building built in the late 18th century by order of Spanish miner, Juan Jose Zambrano, the wealthiest man in a province of Nueva Vizcaya
Nueva Vizcaya
Nueva Vizcaya is a province of the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon. Its capital is Bayombong. It is bordered by, clockwise from the north, Ifugao, Isabela, Quirino, Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, and Benguet.-History, people and culture:The name was derived from the...
, New Spain
New Spain
New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...
at the time. Made of quarry the building consists of two levels: the first is a portal with voussoir
Voussoir
A voussoir is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, used in building an arch or vault.Although each unit in an arch or vault is a voussoir, two units are of distinct functional importance: the keystone and the springer. The keystone is the center stone or masonry unit at the apex of an arch. A...
arches, supported by padded ornamental columns. The second level of the portal, showcases the main balcony with a prominent bell; a replica of the "Campana de Dolores". Throughout the interior, paintings by Francisco de la Cruz Montoya, completed on September 15, 1950, as well as works by Esquivel Ernesto Flores completed in April 1981 are on display.
Palacio Municipal
This neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
building was built in 1898 as a private residence of Peter Escárzaga, a wealthy Durangueño miner. Inside the building there is a mural painting, by the Durangueño artist Francisco Montoya, of a cross that represents the city's history from its founding until the present time, for example the conquest of Nueva Vizcaya
Nueva Vizcaya
Nueva Vizcaya is a province of the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon. Its capital is Bayombong. It is bordered by, clockwise from the north, Ifugao, Isabela, Quirino, Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, and Benguet.-History, people and culture:The name was derived from the...
, the discovery of the Cerro del Mercado, the Revolution and the independence movement. This beautiful building is owned by the City of Durango since 1930, when it was purchased to become City Hall.
Casa del Conde de Súchil
Built in the colonial era as a residence of José del Campo Soberón and Larrea,a lieutenant governor of Nueva Vizcaya
Nueva Vizcaya
Nueva Vizcaya is a province of the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon. Its capital is Bayombong. It is bordered by, clockwise from the north, Ifugao, Isabela, Quirino, Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, and Benguet.-History, people and culture:The name was derived from the...
in the late 18th century, it was built between 1763 and 1764 by a master mason
Masonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
named Pedro Huertas, who gave the house an excellent facade and magnificent baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
interior punctuated by Rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
-style detailing. The whole construction was made with duranguense quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
onto which engravings are stamped to give it a touch of distinction above all other buildings of its kind.
Catedral Basílica Menor
Widely known as "Catedral Basílica de Durango", it is situated in the heart of the city of Durango and is considered the most important architectural representation of the state, and one of the most beautiful buildings in northern Mexico. The original construction began under the leadership of Bishop Garcia Legazpi in the 1695, and designed by architect Mateo Nuñez. The main façade is baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
-style, and includes Corinthian
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
columns and niches built to protect the image of St. Peter and St. Paul. The choir stage, built in the early 18th century is gilded and made of carved mahogany with polychrome
Polychrome
Polychrome is one of the terms used to describe the use of multiple colors in one entity. It has also been defined as "The practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." Polychromatic light is composed of a number of different wavelengths...
styling. The cathedral boasts the second most beautiful richly carved choir stage the country; second only to that preserved in the Metropolitan Cathedral
Metropolitan Cathedral
A metropolitan cathedral is a cathedral to which other cathedrals in a province are suffragan. See metropolitan bishop.Examples of use as a proper name:-Americas:*Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral*Metropolitan Cathedral of La Paz...
in Mexico City. The altar formed by a Neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
style cypress, guards the image of the Purisima Concepcion; a polychrome and gilded carving of the 18th century. On the altar there are paintings by duranguense artists Miguel Cabrera and Juan Correa.
Entertainment and performing arts
The city of Durango attracts close to one million visitors each summer for its annual month-long Feria Nacional De Durango (Durango's National Festival) which has taken place since 1929. It is the most important festivalFestival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
in the history of the state and the city itself, in which Durango celebrates the anniversary of the founding of the city which occurred on July 8, 1563.
Durango also offers various cultural venues to host events such as conferences, concerts, theatrical performances, among many others. Such venues include, Teatro Ricardo Castro (Ricardo Castro Theatre) and Auditorio Mercedes Mendoza (Mercedes Mendoza Auditorium).
Museums
El Parque Guadiana
El Parque Guadiana (Guadiana Park), is considered an urban forest that provides environmentalEcosystem services
Humankind benefits from a multitude of resources and processes that are supplied by natural ecosystems. Collectively, these benefits are known as ecosystem services and include products like clean drinking water and processes such as the decomposition of wastes...
services to the city such as the carbon cycle
Carbon cycle
The carbon cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged among the biosphere, pedosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere of the Earth...
, temperature control, and psychological benefits to those whom visit the park. Parque Guadiana is also the habitat for many fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
species, especially the avifauna species that are found within the park.
El Parque Guadiana also offers kid-friendly infrastructure where children can play, a specialized trail for runners and walkers, fountains, an Olympic pool, and a town hall that was inaugurated in 1960. It also has a small train that goes around the Lago de los Patos "lake of the ducks", and until recently, a recreational bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
path, ( it currently is being remodeled) in a wooded area that serves as a source of cool air to cyclists.
Media
The city has various local radioRadio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and television stations. Los 40 Principales
Los 40 Principales
Los 40 Principales is the main musical radio station in Spain with more than 4,000,000 listeners. The station was founded in 1966 and in 2006 the station celebrated its 40th anniversary...
Durango, La Tremenda, and Radio X are a few of the numerous local radio stations on air.
The following television stations operate locally in Durango: Channel 2: XHDRG-TV - TV Azteca
TV Azteca
Azteca, is the second largest Mexican television entertainment. It was established in 1983 as the state-owned Instituto Mexicano de la Televisión , a holding of the national TV networks channel 13 and 7 and was privatized under its current name in 1993 and now is part of Grupo Salinas...
, Durango XH Durango Channel 5: XHDI-TV - Televisa
Televisa
Televisa is a Mexican multimedia conglomerate, the largest mass media company in Latin America and in the Spanish-speaking world. It is a major international entertainment business, with much of its programming airing in the United States on Univision, with which it has an exclusive contract...
, Durango, Channel 7: XHDB-TV
XHDB-TV
XHDB-TV is a television station in Durango, in the state of Durango, Mexico. The station broadcasts on channel 7 in the NTSC television standard, and is an affiliate of Azteca 13....
- TV Azteca
TV Azteca
Azteca, is the second largest Mexican television entertainment. It was established in 1983 as the state-owned Instituto Mexicano de la Televisión , a holding of the national TV networks channel 13 and 7 and was privatized under its current name in 1993 and now is part of Grupo Salinas...
, Durango, Channel 10: XHA-TV - Televisa
Televisa
Televisa is a Mexican multimedia conglomerate, the largest mass media company in Latin America and in the Spanish-speaking world. It is a major international entertainment business, with much of its programming airing in the United States on Univision, with which it has an exclusive contract...
, Durango, and Channel 12: XHND-TV
XHND-TV
XHND-TV is a television station in Durango, in the state of Durango, Mexico. The station broadcasts on channel 12 in the NTSC television standard, and is a Televisa local station....
- Televisora de Durango, Durango.
Retail markets
The city of Durango has numerous shops and boutiques that offer a variety products and goods.The city houses stand-alone supermarkets from chains including Soriana
Soriana
Organización Soriana is a Mexican public company and Mexico's largest retailer. Soriana is a grocery and department store retail chain headquartered in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. The company is 100% capitalized in Mexico and is publicly traded on the Mexican stock exchange the Bolsa Mexicana...
, Casa Ley
Casa Ley
Casa Ley is a Mexican grocery store chain. Most of its stores are located in the western Mexico states of Baja California, Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Durango, Guanajuato and Baja California Sur, it's the Mexico's largest privately-held supermarket...
, Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
, Sam's Club
Sam's Club
Sam's Club is a chain of membership-only retail warehouse clubs owned and operated by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., founded in 1983 and named after Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton. , the Sam's Club chain serves more than 47 million U.S. members...
, Gigante
Gigante
Gigante or Gigantes may refer to:In people:*Evelyn Gigantes , Canadian politician and journalist*Giacinto Gigante , Italian painter*Louis Gigante, retired Catholic priest and a brother of mobsters Mario and Vincent...
and Oxxo
OXXO
OXXO is a primarily-franchised chain of convenience stores from Mexico, with over 7,000 stores across Latin America. It is the largest chain of this kind of store in Mexico. It is wholly owned by the beverage company FEMSA...
.
Durango’s main and first official shopping mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
is Paseo Durango
Paseo Durango
Paseo Durango is a two-story shopping mall in the city of Victoria de Durango, capital of the state of Durango, Mexico. The mall is one of many projects that have been built throughout the city's construction boom which begun in the year 2000....
with anchor stores such as Liverpool
Liverpool (store)
Liverpool is mid-to-high biggest chain of department stores in Mexico, operating 79 stores and one luxury shopping center Galerías Insurgentes, throughout Mexico and continuing to grow...
, Suburbia
Suburbia (department store)
Suburbia is a chain of department stores founded in 1970, operating more than 80 stores all over Mexico....
and eateries such as Applebee's
Applebee's
Applebee’s International, Inc., is an American company which develops, franchises, and operates the Applebee's Neighborhood Grill and Bar restaurant chain. As of September 2011, there were 2,010 restaurants operating system-wide in the United States, one U.S. territory and 14 other countries...
, Subway
Subway (restaurant)
Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...
, Italian Coffee Company, and Musashi. Paseo Durango also includes a movie theatre, and offers banking services, and various recreational activities.
The main market of the city is the eclectic Mercado de Abastos Francisco Villa located on the Southern-Central portion of the city which houses candy shops, Mesoamerican pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
, jewelry, haberdasheries, and it is the city's largest supplier of whole-sale produce, dairy, and meats.
Mercado Gomez Palacio is the oldest market in the city, which dates back to over 200 years and continues to sell the typical green produce as well as candles, typical clothing, sombreros, keys, hardware, flowers, jewelry, and bicycle-repair-services.
Demographics
According to the 2005 census, there were 526,629 people in the city and the surrounding communities of the municipality; INEGI projects a population of 631,712 by the 2010 census. The ethnic composition of the city is 51% European, 45% mestizoMestizo
Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...
, 4% Arabs & East Asians, and less than 1% Indigenous.
Two-thirds of the city's residents live in single-family homes and 25% in apartment buildings; 9% live in sub-standard housing. Measured in terms of income, the city's poverty rate was 10.9% in 2003 and, including the municipality, 20.6%. Other studies estimate that 200,000 in the metropolitan Durango area live in poverty.
The majority of Duranguenses, like the majority rest of Northern Mexicans, have Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an origins, with most of them being criollos
Criollo people
The Criollo class ranked below that of the Iberian Peninsulares, the high-born permanent residence colonists born in Spain. But Criollos were higher status/rank than all other castes—people of mixed descent, Amerindians, and enslaved Africans...
, meaning that they are descendants of the colonial-era Spaniard settlers.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there were small immigration waves to Northern and Central Mexico from Europe and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, many of which reached Durango. Most immigrants to the city arrived from Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
(mainly from the Basque Country
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
, Galicia, and Asturias
Asturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
) and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(mainly from Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, and Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
) but also from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
There were also immigration waves from Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
, (mainly Russians
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
and Poles
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
) and from the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
(especially from Macedonia
Macedonia (region)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...
and Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
). Romanians
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
, and Ukrainians
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
arrived during the 1990s and most of them reside in immigrant ghettos in El Centro (downtown) of the city.
There are roughly 7,000 Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
-speaking Mennonites living in the municipality of Durango. Durango also has small immigrant-communities from Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Many post-colonial Spanish immigrants were from Galicia, and Spaniards are still generically referred to in Mexico as gallegos (Galicians
Galician people
The Galicians are an ethnic group, a nationality whose historical homeland is Galicia in north-western Spain. Most Galicians are bilingual, speaking both their historic language, Galician, and Castilian Spanish.-Political and administrative divisions:...
). Galician language
Galician language
Galician is a language of the Western Ibero-Romance branch, spoken in Galicia, an autonomous community located in northwestern Spain, where it is co-official with Castilian Spanish, as well as in border zones of the neighbouring territories of Asturias and Castile and León.Modern Galician and...
, cuisine and culture had a major presence in the city for most of the 20th century. In recent years, descendants of Galician immigrants have led a mini-boom in Celtic music
Celtic music
Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic people of Western Europe...
.
The Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
, Lebanese
Lebanese people
The Lebanese people are a nation and ethnic group of Levantine people originating in what is today the country of Lebanon, including those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon prior to the creation of the modern Lebanese state....
and Syrian/Arabs communities have had a significant presence in commerce and civic life since the beginning of the 20th century. Asians represent smaller communities and number about 1-2% of the city's population; most of them are Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
while smaller numbers are Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
and Koreans, the latter known in the city for owning family-style supermarkets.
Religion
The majority of the city, like the rest of Mexico is predominantly Roman Catholic. Protestants make-up less than 10% of the population, and most of them are Pentecostals, Charismatics, Jehovah's WitnessesJehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
and Mormons
Mormons
The Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, a religion started by Joseph Smith during the American Second Great Awakening. A vast majority of Mormons are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while a minority are members of other independent churches....
. Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
and Orthodox Christians represent smaller communities of about 1,000 each. Muslims in the state number about 5,000-7,000 with most of them living in Victoria de Durango.
Transportation
General Guadalupe Victoria International AirportGeneral Guadalupe Victoria International Airport
Guadalupe Victoria Durango International Airport or Durango International Airport is located northeast of Durango, Durango, Mexico and is named after the first President of Mexico, Guadalupe Victoria.-Airlines and destinations:...
is Durango's main airport.
There are several bus lines available, these include Omnibus de Mexico, Mexico Omnibus Plus, Tourists Luxury, Executive Senda AVE, North Transport, Transport North Premier, Futura, Transport Chihuahuenses, Mexico Interstate Bus (ELITE), including local lines, are all located at the city's bus terminal, General Domingo Arrieta.
Within the city taxis are available. Durango is also one of the cities with the lowest taxi rates in the country.
The Baluarte Bridge
Baluarte Bridge
The Baluarte Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge currently under construction in Mexico. It is located between the municipalities of Concordia in Sinaloa and Pueblo Nuevo in Durango, along the Durango-Mazatlan highway. Once it is complete, the bridge will span in length, with a cable-stayed span of...
(El Puente Baluarte) is a cable-stayed bridge
Cable-stayed bridge
A cable-stayed bridge is a bridge that consists of one or more columns , with cables supporting the bridge deck....
under construction in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It is located over the border between the states of Sinaloa
Sinaloa
Sinaloa officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 18 municipalities and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales....
and Durango
Durango
Durango officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is located in Northwest Mexico. With a population of 1,632,934, it has Mexico's second-lowest population density, after Baja...
, along the Durango-Mazatlan highway
Mexican Federal Highway 40
Mexican Federal Highway 40, also called the "Carretera Interoceánica" is a road beginning at Reynosa, Tamaulipas, and ending at Mazatlán, Sinaloa, at the Pacific coast...
. It will have a length of 1124 m (3,687.7 ft), and a cable-stayed span of 520 m (1,706 ft). It will have a height above the valley of up to 390 m (1,279.5 ft), one of the tallest bridges in the world. The construction start was February 21, 2008, and the bridge is expected to be finished in year 2010.
Education
The municipality has adequate facilities to provide preschool, elementary, middle, and upper secondary, undergraduate and graduate education. The higher education institutions within the city are:- Universidad Autónoma de Durango
- Universidad TecMilenio (TecMilenio UniversityTecMilenio UniversityThe Universidad TecMilenio is a private institution of higher education is part of Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education Tec Milenio University ITESM System, an educational system with national and international levels, through 40 campus and a campus in line with a unique and...
Durango Campus) - Universidad España de Durango
- Universidad Del Valle de Guadiana
- Universidad Juarez del Estado de Durango
- Universidad José Vasconcelos
- Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara
- Instituto Universitario Anglo Español
- Instituto Alejandría
- Instituto Tecnológico Forestal
- Instituto Tecnológico de Durango
- Centro Pedagógico de Durango, A.C.
- Centro Universitario Promedac
- Escuela de Odontología
- Escuela de Ciencias Químicas
- Escuela Superior de Música
- Facultad de Medicina
- Facultad de Medicina, Veterinaria y Zootecnia
- Facultad de Enfermería y Obstetricia
- Facultad de Contaduría y Administración
- Facultad de Derecho
The municipality also offers CONALEP, a technical institution. The city also houses numerous foreign and international educational institutions for the children of immigrants, including:
- Alianza Francesa de Durango
- Colegio Alemán Alexander von HumboldtColegio Alemán Alexander von HumboldtColegio Alemán Alexander von Humbolt, A. C. is a German school with bi-cultural fundamentals based in Mexico. Its history begins in the 19th century, with the already large German community living in Mexico, believing in establishing a school with standards similar to those of Germany. The first...
- American School of Durango
- Assured English Academy
- Academia Griega de Durango- Ελληνική Ακαδημία
- Liceo de Rusia-Русский лицей
Notable duranguenses
- Dolores del RioDolores del RíoDolores del Río was a Mexican film actress. She was a star of Hollywood films during the silent era and in the Golden Age of Hollywood...
- Francisco Castillo NájeraFrancisco Castillo NájeraFrancisco Castillo Nájera was a Mexican diplomat and politician. He was president of the Assembly of League of Nations from 1934 to 1935, ambassador to China and the United States, and Secretary of Foreign Affairs from 1945 to 1946.-References:...
- René Elizondo, Jr.
- Ramón NovarroRamón NovarroRamón Novarro was a Mexican leading man actor in Hollywood in the early 20th century. He was the next male "Sex Symbol" after the death of Rudolph Valentino...
- Andrea Palma (actress)Andrea Palma (Actress)Andrea Palma was a Mexican film actress. She was considered The First Diva of Mexican and Latin American Cinema after her role in the Mexican film La Mujer del Puerto.-Early life:...
- The Revueltas family-José RevueltasJosé RevueltasJosé Revueltas Sánchez was a Mexican writer, essayist, and political activist. He was part of an important artistic family that included his siblings Silvestre , Fermín and Rosaura .-Life:He was often imprisoned for his political activism, almost from the time he was a boy...
, Rosaura RevueltasRosaura RevueltasRosaura Revueltas Sánchez was a Mexican star of screen and stage, and a dancer, author and teacher.-Early life:...
, Silvestre RevueltasSilvestre RevueltasSilvestre Revueltas Sánchez was a Mexican composer of classical music, a violinist and a conductor.-Life:...
, Fermín Revueltas SánchezFermín Revueltas SánchezFermín Revueltas Sánchez was a Mexican painter.- Biography :Fermín Revueltas was son of Gregorio Revueltas Gutiérrez and his wife Romana Sánchez Arias. The Revueltas Sánchez family came from the North of Mexico, and lived in Guadalajara, Jalisco, from 1910 to 1913... - Marlene FavelaMarlene FavelaSilvia Marlene Favela Meraz is a Mexican actress. She studied at "Centro de Educación Artística de Televisa in Mexico City and is also a model...
- Guadalupe VictoriaGuadalupe VictoriaGuadalupe Victoria born José Miguel Ramón Adaucto Fernández y Félix, was a Mexican politician and military man who fought for independence against the Spanish Empire in the Mexican War of Independence. He was a deputy for Durango and a member of the Supreme Executive Power...
- Pancho VillaPancho VillaJosé Doroteo Arango Arámbula – better known by his pseudonym Francisco Villa or its hypocorism Pancho Villa – was one of the most prominent Mexican Revolutionary generals....
Sister cities
Durango, ColoradoDurango, Colorado
The City of Durango is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of La Plata County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau said that the city population was 16,887 in 2010 census.-History:...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Melrose Park, Illinois
Melrose Park, Illinois
Melrose Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a "near-in" suburb of Chicago. The population was 23,171 at the 2000 census. Melrose Park has long been home to a large Italian-American population, though now it is majority Mexican-American. It was the home of Kiddieland...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Durango, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...