| Durango Information:
Durango is one of the constituent
states of Mexico. Its estimated population in 2003 was about 1,450,000
people. The city of Durango is the capital. The Sierra Madre Occidental
is a mountain range located in the western portion of the state. This mountain
range contains a plentiful supply of mineral deposits, including the silver
that encouraged Spanish occupation of the territory after it was discovered.
These mines extend north into Chihuahua and south into the state of Zacatecas.
Culturally, Durango is famous
for a type of musical style known as duranguense.
The major occupations in
Durango are farming, lumbering and ranching. Vast desert basins in the
Laguna District are irrigated by the Río Nazas. Major crops grown
in the area include cotton, wheat, sugarcane, tobacco, corn, and other
vegetables. |
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| Francisco de
Ibarra, the first to colonize Durango, settled this part of the vast northern
province of Nueva Vizcaya in 1563, when he founded the capital city and
named it Durango for his native town in Biscay, Spain; the foundation was
just one in his larger program of initiating settlements through the province.
This was a late colonization for the Spanish, mostly due to heavy resistance
to Spanish occupation by the indigenous population living there, from first
contact to modern times, in attempts to gain some autonomy, address grievances,
or maintain traditional land ownership. Spanish colonists became highly
attracted to the Durango area for its mining and grazing capabilities.
In 1823, shortly after the Mexican revolutionary victory over Spain, Durango
earned the right to be a separate state. |
