MEXICO
The country of Mexico is located in North
America, south west to the United States. Mexico’s population is the 11th largest in the world and is home to approximately
109 million people. The country’s capital, Mexico City, also called Mexico D.F. (Distrito Federal), is the largest city
in Mexico and with approximately 20 million people in the Great Mexico City area; it is also one of the most populated cities
in the world.
Before achieving its independence in 1810, Mexico was under Spanish domination for a period of almost
3 centuries, a fact that lead to the formal language of Spanish that is spoken in Mexico to this day. However, there are 62
indigenous peoples in Mexico that speak 62 different languages.
Mexico is divided into 31 states and one federal
district. Each state has its own constitution and its citizens elect a governor as well as representatives to their state
congresses.
PUEBLA
The city
of Puebla is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of the same name. Puebla is located in the Puebla Valley, also known as the Valley of Cuetlaxcoapan, surrounded by volcanoes and snow-capped mountains, slightly over 68 miles south-east of Mexico City.
The city itself has a population of over 1.4 million people,
while its metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million. This makes it the 4th most populated metropolitan
area in Mexico.
The city of Puebla was founded on April 16, 1531 as 'La Puebla de Los Angeles'
and is one of the oldest colonial cities on the continent. It was the first city in central Mexico founded by the Spanish
conquistadors that was not built upon the ruins of a conquered Amerindian settlement. Its strategic location, half-way between
the port of Veracruz and Mexico City, made it the second most important city during the colonial period.
The
ceramic and textile industries were developed soon after the founding of the city and by the end of the 17th century,
the population had grown from 50 settlers to over 70,000. With the growth in population climbing, so did the number of churches
and their influence and by the 1800’s, the clergy owned half the buildings in the city. The
cathedral, built between 1552 and 1649, is one of the finest in Mexico; the theater, constructed in 1790, is said to be the
oldest on the continent.
During the century of wars, its strategic position made
it an important center from both a military and economic stronghold. In 1847, it was taken by U.S. General
Winfield Scott during the Mexican War. By 1862, the city was controlled by the French who were defeated
by General Ignacio Zaragoza in the Battle of Puebla that is now celebrated as Cinco de Mayo. The city name was changed to
“Heróica Puebla de Zaragoza” to honor the General. French troops later captured the city in 1863 but were
driven out by Porfirio Díaz in 1867. On September 16th, 1869, President Benito Juárez
rode into the city on the first train from Mexico.
In the late nineteenth and twentieth century, a number
of European immigrants came to the city of Puebla. Most of these immigrants came from Spain, Italy and
Germany and even today, it is possible to see their European influence in the Colonia Humboldt neighborhood.
Today, travelers to Puebla will find a vibrant city were the old and new meet: high-tech industries and Talavera artisans' handicraft shops; recently built skyscrapers and majestic 400-year
old colonial architecture.
