Orizaba
Encyclopedia
Orizaba is a city and municipality
in the Mexican
state of Veracruz
. It is located 20 km west of its sister city Córdoba
, and is adjacent to Río Blanco
and Ixtaczoquitlán
, on Federal Highways 180 and 190
. The city had a 2005 census population of 117,273 and is almost coextensive with its small municipality, with only a few small areas outside the city. The municipality's population was 117,289 and it has an area of 27.97 km² (10.799 sq mi).
name Ahuilizapan [āwil-lis-ā-pan], which means (more or less) "valley of happiness". Another possibility, however, is the word Harish (Jerez de la Frontera
, Andalusia
, in XVI-century Spanish pronunciation), this place being the hometown of the first Spanish settlers (1521) of Orizaba. Harish or—in a simplified form—Ariz, with the addition (under the influence of the Arabic language) of the gentilic "i" and/or with the ending "aba", meaning fortification, would have become Ariziba or Arizaba, from which Orizaba would have derived. (The word Harish—in turn—is, according to some authors, linked to the capital of Tartessus and could refer to the biblical Tarshish. Its Semitic meaning could be "trading post" or "fundry site", since Tartessus was a mayor Phoenician center of tin commerce and bronze production.)
Orizaba<=Ori=Uri+zaba=Sabah=Shebah=Shiva (derived from Torah)
. This location, at the bottom of the ascent into the mountains, is an important transition point along what has been for centuries the main trade route between Mexico City
and Veracruz on the Gulf
Coast. The climate is generally pleasant, though often cloudy and rainy, and the soil of the Orizaba valley is extraordinarily fertile. Overlooking the valley from the north is the Pico de Orizaba
(Citlaltépetl), a volcano that, at 5,636 m. (18,490 ft.), is the highest mountain in Mexico and third highest in North America.
In the town of Ixhuatlancillo north of Orizaba, and in a large mountainous area to the south (the Sierra de Zongolica), live many thousands of people who speak a variant of Nahuatl
which is often called Orizaba Nahuatl
[ ISO
code nlv].
, Hernán Cortés
's interpreter and mistress, was married to the Spanish gentleman Juan Jaramillo. A plaque in Orizaba commemorates this event.
During the colonial period, Orizaba became an important city. On January 27, 1774, the Spanish king Carlos III
conceded town status (villa) to Orizaba, and on November 29, 1830 Orizaba was declared a city.
When Lucas Alamán
established, in 1836, the first textile factory (Cocolapan factory) of Orizaba, the city started its economic life as an industrial city.
In 1839 the newspaper La Luz was created and the Veracruz governor Francisco Hernández y Hernández gave the name of Veracruz-Llave (remembering the General Ignacio de la Llave
, who was born in Orizaba) to this state of Mexico.
On May 8, 1874, Orizaba was declared the capital city of Veracruz
, but in 1878 the status was transferred to Xalapa
.
During the government of Porfirio Díaz
, Orizaba was declared the most educated city in the Mexican province.
In the late years of Porfirio Díaz' Government, two important workers' strikes occurred, those of Cananea and Río Blanco, the latter taking place in Orizaba and being an important prelude to the Mexican Revolution
.
The American WWI and WWII transport ship USS Orizaba (ID-1536) was named after this town.
, Río Blanco
, Nogales
y Cd. Mendoza) economy has grown significantly in the last years due to the safety of the area, being of great confidence for national and foreign investors who wants to establish in a safe place. Another important reason it’s the presence of recognised Universities like Universidad Veracruzana
, Instituto Tecnológico de Orizaba or Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey Campus Central de Veracruz en Córdoba;
The industry it’s mainly focused in the following areas: Bier brewers, paper industry, cement, pharmaceutical, iron and steel sector, soft drinks and food industry, leather and shoemaker companies among others. Also in the last years the commercial area experiments a significant growth due to the opening of new Malls & Major Retailers.
. Built with 600 tons of Belgian steel, its parts were shipped from Austria
during El Porfiriato (the government of Porfirio Díaz
), to be assembled in Orizaba. The palace cost 100,000 pesos (sterling Silver) a very large sum at the time, and it was Don Manuel Carrillo Tablas who not only loaned the money to the city, but also had to pay the additional cost of unloading the palace from the port and having it reassembled at its present location, the Plaza de Armas. Unfortunately, Don Manuel Carrillo Tablas
died New Year's Eve of 1899 without ever having received a cent from the city for his loan. He was a very charitable man, though, having donated the land where the present Cathedral of Orizaba now stands, as well as the adjacent shopping center known as "El Mercado." El Palacio de Hierro served as the City Hall until the city felt it was not large enough for the growing needs of the local government and therefore moved to its present location.
Orizaba has an important industrial life. There is, for example, the Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma company (a brewery
), which was established in 1896 in Orizaba.
Municipalities of Mexico
Municipalities are the second-level administrative division in Mexico . There are 2,438 municipalities in Mexico, making the average municipality population 45,616...
in the Mexican
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...
state of Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
. It is located 20 km west of its sister city Córdoba
Córdoba, Veracruz
Córdoba, officially known as Heroica Córdoba, is a city and the seat of the municipality of the same name in the Mexican state of Veracruz. It was founded in 1618....
, and is adjacent to Río Blanco
Río Blanco, Veracruz
Río Blanco is a municipality located in the montane central zone of the State of Veracruz, about 140 km from the state capital Xalapa. It has an area of 24.68 km2. It is located at...
and Ixtaczoquitlán
Ixtaczoquitlán
Ixtaczoquitlán is a city in the Mexican state of Veracruz. It is located 2 kilometres. from Orizaba. It is close to the Fortín–Orizaba railroad and stands on Federal Highways 180 & 190.....
, on Federal Highways 180 and 190
Mexican Federal Highway
Mexican Federal Highways, are roads maintained and built by the federal government of Mexico, through the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation ....
. The city had a 2005 census population of 117,273 and is almost coextensive with its small municipality, with only a few small areas outside the city. The municipality's population was 117,289 and it has an area of 27.97 km² (10.799 sq mi).
Naming
It is generally understood that the name Orizaba comes from a Hispanicized pronunciation of the NahuatlNahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
name Ahuilizapan [āwil-lis-ā-pan], which means (more or less) "valley of happiness". Another possibility, however, is the word Harish (Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera is a municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain, situated midway between the sea and the mountains. , the city, the largest in the province, had 208,896 inhabitants; it is the fifth largest in Andalusia...
, Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
, in XVI-century Spanish pronunciation), this place being the hometown of the first Spanish settlers (1521) of Orizaba. Harish or—in a simplified form—Ariz, with the addition (under the influence of the Arabic language) of the gentilic "i" and/or with the ending "aba", meaning fortification, would have become Ariziba or Arizaba, from which Orizaba would have derived. (The word Harish—in turn—is, according to some authors, linked to the capital of Tartessus and could refer to the biblical Tarshish. Its Semitic meaning could be "trading post" or "fundry site", since Tartessus was a mayor Phoenician center of tin commerce and bronze production.)
Orizaba<=Ori=Uri+zaba=Sabah=Shebah=Shiva (derived from Torah)
Geography and inhabitants
The town lies at 1,200 m. (4000 ft.), at the confluence of the Río Blanco with several tributaries, including the Río Orizaba, near the mouth of a large valley heading westward into the eastern Sierra Madre OrientalSierra Madre Oriental
The Sierra Madre Oriental is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico.-Setting:Spanning the Sierra Madre Oriental runs from Coahuila south through Nuevo León, southwest Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, and Hidalgo to northern Puebla, where it joins with the east-west running Eje Volcánico...
. This location, at the bottom of the ascent into the mountains, is an important transition point along what has been for centuries the main trade route between Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
and Veracruz on the Gulf
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
Coast. The climate is generally pleasant, though often cloudy and rainy, and the soil of the Orizaba valley is extraordinarily fertile. Overlooking the valley from the north is the Pico de Orizaba
Pico de Orizaba
The Pico de Orizaba, or Citlaltépetl , is a stratovolcano, the highest mountain in Mexico and the third highest in North America. It rises above sea level in the eastern end of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, on the border between the states of Veracruz and Puebla...
(Citlaltépetl), a volcano that, at 5,636 m. (18,490 ft.), is the highest mountain in Mexico and third highest in North America.
Nahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
which is often called Orizaba Nahuatl
Orizaba Nahuatl
Orizaba Nahuatl is a native American language spoken in the southeastern Mexican state of Veracruz mostly in the area to the south of the city of Orizaba. It is also known as Orizaba Aztec and Náhuatl de la Sierra de Zongolica. It has 79 percent intelligibility with Morelos Nahuatl. There is a...
[ ISO
International Organization for Standardization
The International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO, is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on February 23, 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial...
code nlv].
History
Orizaba was already an important town at the time of the Spanish conquest, and it was in Orizaba that La MalincheLa Malinche
La Malinche , known also as Malintzin, Malinalli or Doña Marina, was a Nahua woman from the Mexican Gulf Coast, who played a role in the Spanish conquest of Mexico, acting as interpreter, advisor, lover and intermediary for Hernán Cortés...
, Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century...
's interpreter and mistress, was married to the Spanish gentleman Juan Jaramillo. A plaque in Orizaba commemorates this event.
During the colonial period, Orizaba became an important city. On January 27, 1774, the Spanish king Carlos III
Charles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
conceded town status (villa) to Orizaba, and on November 29, 1830 Orizaba was declared a city.
When Lucas Alamán
Lucas Alamán
Lucas Ignacio Alamán y Escalada was a Mexican scientist, politician, historian and writer. He studied at the Real Colegio de Minas de la Nueva España. He frequently traveled on his credentials as a scientist and diplomat, becoming one of the most educated men in Mexico...
established, in 1836, the first textile factory (Cocolapan factory) of Orizaba, the city started its economic life as an industrial city.
In 1839 the newspaper La Luz was created and the Veracruz governor Francisco Hernández y Hernández gave the name of Veracruz-Llave (remembering the General Ignacio de la Llave
Ignacio de la Llave
Ignacio de la Llave y Segura Zevallos was a general and the governor of the Mexican state of Veracruz from 1861 to 1862. He was born in Orizaba, Veracruz, a nephew of Dr. Pablo de la Llave...
, who was born in Orizaba) to this state of Mexico.
On May 8, 1874, Orizaba was declared the capital city of Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
, but in 1878 the status was transferred to Xalapa
Xalapa
Xalapa-Enríquez, commonly Xalapa or Jalapa, is the capital city of the Mexican state of Veracruz and the name of the surrounding municipality. In the year 2005 census the city reported a population of 387,879 and the municipality of which it serves as municipal seat reported a population of...
.
During the government of Porfirio Díaz
Porfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican-American War volunteer and French intervention hero, an accomplished general and the President of Mexico continuously from 1876 to 1911, with the exception of a brief term in 1876 when he left Juan N...
, Orizaba was declared the most educated city in the Mexican province.
In the late years of Porfirio Díaz' Government, two important workers' strikes occurred, those of Cananea and Río Blanco, the latter taking place in Orizaba and being an important prelude to the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
.
The American WWI and WWII transport ship USS Orizaba (ID-1536) was named after this town.
Economy
The Orizaba’s area ( including the municipalities of IxtaczoquitlánIxtaczoquitlán
Ixtaczoquitlán is a city in the Mexican state of Veracruz. It is located 2 kilometres. from Orizaba. It is close to the Fortín–Orizaba railroad and stands on Federal Highways 180 & 190.....
, Río Blanco
Río Blanco
-United States:*Rio Blanco & Rio Blanco County, Colorado**Rio Blanco Oil Shale Company*Rio Blanco, Puerto Rico*Blanco River -Uruguay:...
, Nogales
Nogales
Nogales is a Spanish word meaning "walnut trees".As a geographical name, it is shared by several places:*Chile**Nogales, Chile*Mexico**Nogales, Chihuahua**Nogales, Durango**Nogales, Sonora**Nogales, Tamaulipas**Nogales, Veracruz*Spain...
y Cd. Mendoza) economy has grown significantly in the last years due to the safety of the area, being of great confidence for national and foreign investors who wants to establish in a safe place. Another important reason it’s the presence of recognised Universities like Universidad Veracruzana
Universidad Veracruzana
Universidad Veracruzana a public autonomous university located in the Mexican state of Veracruz. Established in 1944, the university is one of the most important in the south-east region of México and has a good projection in all México...
, Instituto Tecnológico de Orizaba or Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey Campus Central de Veracruz en Córdoba;
The industry it’s mainly focused in the following areas: Bier brewers, paper industry, cement, pharmaceutical, iron and steel sector, soft drinks and food industry, leather and shoemaker companies among others. Also in the last years the commercial area experiments a significant growth due to the opening of new Malls & Major Retailers.
Main sights
The old City Hall El Palacio de Hierro (The Iron Palace) in the centre of the city was designed by EiffelGustave Eiffel
Alexandre Gustave Eiffel was a French structural engineer from the École Centrale Paris, an architect, an entrepreneur and a specialist of metallic structures...
. Built with 600 tons of Belgian steel, its parts were shipped from Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
during El Porfiriato (the government of Porfirio Díaz
Porfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican-American War volunteer and French intervention hero, an accomplished general and the President of Mexico continuously from 1876 to 1911, with the exception of a brief term in 1876 when he left Juan N...
), to be assembled in Orizaba. The palace cost 100,000 pesos (sterling Silver) a very large sum at the time, and it was Don Manuel Carrillo Tablas who not only loaned the money to the city, but also had to pay the additional cost of unloading the palace from the port and having it reassembled at its present location, the Plaza de Armas. Unfortunately, Don Manuel Carrillo Tablas
Manuel Carrillo Tablas
Don Manuel Carrillo Tablas was a philanthropist and served as mayor of Orizaba, Veracruz, Mexico. He was a descendant from the Carrillo family, a Spanish noble house. He served as the mayor several times .-Early life:Don Manuel Carrillo Tablas was born into one of the Grandes families of Spain...
died New Year's Eve of 1899 without ever having received a cent from the city for his loan. He was a very charitable man, though, having donated the land where the present Cathedral of Orizaba now stands, as well as the adjacent shopping center known as "El Mercado." El Palacio de Hierro served as the City Hall until the city felt it was not large enough for the growing needs of the local government and therefore moved to its present location.
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
), which was established in 1896 in Orizaba.
Monuments and buildings
- The Iron Palace
- El Palacio Municipal (The City Hall)
- The Church of Nuestra Señora Del Carmen
- The Church of La Concordia
- State Art Museum
Notable Orizabeños (people from Orizaba)
- Sara GarcíaSara GarcíaSara García was a Mexican actress who made her biggest mark during the "Golden Age of Mexican cinema". During the 1940s and 1950s, she often played the part of a no-nonsense but lovable grandmother in numerous Mexican films...
- Ignacio de la LlaveIgnacio de la LlaveIgnacio de la Llave y Segura Zevallos was a general and the governor of the Mexican state of Veracruz from 1861 to 1862. He was born in Orizaba, Veracruz, a nephew of Dr. Pablo de la Llave...
- Francisco Gabilondo SolerFrancisco Gabilondo SolerFrancisco Gabilondo Soler was a Mexican composer and performer of children's songs. He recorded and performed those songs under the name of Cri-Cri: El Grillito Cantor .-Biography:Gabilondo was born in the city of Orizaba, Veracruz...
- Humberto VélezHumberto VélezHumberto Vélez is a Mexican voice actor. He is most widely known for dubbing the voice of Homer Simpson in the Latin American version of The Simpsons.-Animation:*Homero Simpson in the Latin American dub of The Simpsons...
- Evita Muñoz "Chachita"
- Fernando Etienne (Actor)
- Oscar Tarrago, classical pianist
External links
- Ayuntamiento Constitucional de Orizaba Official website
- Orizaba Nahuatl
- Pico de Orizaba on Bivouac
- Orizaba Regional Portal Culture, Tourism, Pictures, Maps & More.
- Museo de Arte del Estado de Veracruz Art Museum of the State of Veracruz (Only in Spanish)