Fresnillo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Fresnillo | |
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| Official Name | Fresnillo de González Echeverría |
| Country - State: - Municipality |
 MexicoZacatecas Fresnillo |
| Population (2005) | 183 236 hab |
| Altitude | 2210 msl |
| Coordinates - Latitude: - Longitude: |
23° 36' N 102° 29' W |
| Foundation - Foundation: |
September 2, 1554 |
| Major | Rodolfo Monreal Ávila |
| Political party | PRD |
| Time zone: | UTC -6 |
| Demonym | Fresnillense |
| Postal code | 99000 |
| Area code | 493 |
| Website: www.fresnillo.gob.mx | |
Fresnillo [frAsnE´yO] (2000 pop. 183,296) is the second largest and most populated city in Zacatecas state, north central Mexico. Fresnillo was founded in 1554 by Francisco de Ibarra. The city, a rail and highway junction, is the center of a rich mining area known especially for silver. Fresnillo is the location of one of the world's richest silver mines, the Mina Proaño or Fresnillo Mine, which belongs to the Peñoles mining company. It has a mining school, and agriculture (cereals, beans) and cattle raising are other important economic activities.
It is the location of religious pilgrimages to see the famous Santo Niño de Atocha ("Holy Child of Atocha"), a Roman Catholic devotional statue brought to Mexico from Spain.
[edit] History
Diego Fernandez de Proaño was searching for a legendary hill in the Zacatecas region, which supposedly contained great mineral wealth, when he encountered a hill they named "Cerro de Proaño" ("Proaño's Hill"). Though it did not match the description of the legendary hill, he discovered evidence of rich mineral deposits. He returned to Zacatecas to report to the Virrey (governor) his findings, but apparently there was not much interest in his discovery and Proaño's Hill was forgotten over the years.
A second expedition, headed by 15-year-old Francisco de Ibarra, arrived on September 2, 1554 at a place where there was a freshwater spring, in whose border was a "Pequeño Fresno" (small ash). They decided to spend the night, and Francisco de Ibarra wrote his name for the place in his daily journal: "Ojo de Agua del Fresnillo (spring of the small ash)".
In the early years after its foundation, the town suffered incursions by Guachichil Indians who were nomadic and bellicose. Due to the heavy losses suffered by the settlers in those early years, the Viceroy, Martín Enríquez de Almanza, ordered the construction of a presidio in the town. Captain Rodrigo Río de Loza was assigned to lead the garrison of eight soldiers. The military outpost was built where the current municipal palace stands today. Among the first mayors of Fresnillo were Captain Diego Núñez de Miranda, Cristóbal Caldera and Juan de Avellaneda.
Between 1682 and 1757, the mines were worked constantly. There were several mines, mostly on the foothills of Proaño's Hill. In 1757, the mine shafts had reached fifty meters in depth and flooding began to be a major problem. The mines were abandoned as it was economically unviable to mitigate the flooding and the area went into an economic crisis. The mine owners lost their mines as a result of seizure by the Spanish Crown for failure to repay loans. The Crown named a new administrator for the mines, but they continues to lay idle.
[edit] The Coat of Arms of Fresnillo
In the high part of the trimming it says in Latin: "Orat Atque Ab Condita Large city", That translated in English means: "a Town that Works and Pray from its Foundation", in the low part say, "Real de Minas del Fresnillo (Royal Mine of Fresnillo)", and to the center, In one bar says: "2nd September 1554".
The coat of arms is divided in three boxes: first in the left superior part, appears the virgin of the Candlemas, Pattern of Fresnillo, that is identified to have a candle in the right hand. In the other box, in the right superior part, rodela or shield is one, and the arms used by the natives and the Spaniards during the Conquista. In the inferior part, in the third box, it appears a spring, in whose margin there is an Ash, having like bottom the Hill of Proaño and some clouds, symbolizing the rainy month of September. "2 of September of 1554".
