Rayones
Encyclopedia
Rayones is a municipality 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 Nuevo León
Nuevo León
Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...

. It is named after the Rayón brothers, who were insurgent heroes of the country's independence achieved in 1821. The town was founded in 1852.

It is a small village consisting of fourteen streets, lying in the middle of the Sierra Madre Oriental
Sierra 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...

 mountain range, in the northeast of Mexico. In the area near Rayones are the municipalities of Galeana
Galeana, Nuevo León
Galeana is both a municipality and a city in the Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is named after Hermenegildo Galeana, a lieutenant involved in the country's movement towards independence...

 (due south), Santiago (due north), and the state of Coahuila
Coahuila
Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico...

, due west. Rayones marks the beginning of the Zona Ixtlera, the southernmost region of the state of Nuevo León.

Access to Rayones is difficult. The main highway, coming from Montemorelos
Montemorelos
Montemorelos is a city and surrounding municipality of 53,854 inhabitants located in the Northern Mexican state of Nuevo León, in the valley of the Pilon River...

, is a challenge for most drivers. The unpaved highway coming from Galeana is even more risky, as it is a two-way road where only one vehicle fits; it is rocky, lined by a dangerous cliff and has no guard rail.

Rayones, however, is a touristic delight for offroad enthusiasts who travel long distances from the state's capital, Monterrey
Monterrey
Monterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...

, crossing the Pilón river, the town's primary water source. Several lodging places surround the town, and the local hotel accommodates the convoys. The municipality has some interesting landmarks such as La Cebolla (the Onion), a hilltop with a pleasurable scenic overview.

Extensive pecan
Pecan
The pecan , Carya illinoinensis, is a species of hickory, native to south-central North America, in Mexico from Coahuila south to Jalisco and Veracruz, in the United States from southern Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Indiana east to western Kentucky, southwestern Ohio, North Carolina, South...

tree plantations in the region bring prosperity to Rayones; pecans being the main product commercialized by locals. The traditional 'Feria de la Nuez' or Pecan Fair is held annually as a tourist attraction and a merchant exchange, with traditional dances and exhibitions also offered.
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