Zamora, Michoacán
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zamora de Hidalgo, (after Miguel Hidalgo) is a city in the Mexican state of Michoacán. It is located in the Tziróndaro Valley (P'urhépecha for "Swamp place" ), part of the Tarascan Plateau in the northwestern part of the state, at an altitude of 1,567 m. The 2005 census population was 127,606. The city is the municipal seat of Zamora municipality, which has an area of 330.97 km² (127.79 sq mi) and includes many other smaller communities, the largest of which is Ario de Rayón (Ario Santa Mónica). The municipality's population was 170,748.
Contents |
[edit] History
The area was first settled around 1500 BC. The modern-day city was founded in 1574, on the orders of Viceroy Martín Enríquez de Almanza, by Spanish settlers from the Spanish city of Zamora.
Zamora was awarded city status by the Constitutional Congress in 1825, ratifying a decision made in 1810 by the insurgent leader Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla.
[edit] Education
Universities
Zamora has six institutes of higher education:
- Centro de Estudios Universitarios Veracruz “Univer”.
- Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Zamora
- Universidad de Zamora
- Universidad del Valle de Atemajac
- UPN Unidad 162 Zamora
- Colegio de Michoacán.
A school that has been recognized since 1950 for all the support and education given to the city is the "Instituto Cristóbal Colón".
[edit] Births
Policy and diplomacy
- José Sixto Verduzco, insurgent leader in the War of Independence senator for Michoacán.
- Alfonso García Robles, Nobel Peace Prize 1982 and Secretary of Foreign Affairs
- Martha Sahagun Jiménez de Fox, wife of former president Vicente Fox
- María Elena Álvarez, doctor in political science (UNAM), federal deputy and executive secretary of the National Women's Instiute.
Arts and culture
- Eduardo del Río , writer and cartoonist.
- Enrique Marín, actor.
- Edgar Gonzalez renowned blogger and architect based in Madrid, Spain.
- Carlos Ruvalcaba Acclaimed Writter and Journalist, published his first novel "Vida Crónica" by Alfaguara in Madrid, Spain; "La Mariposa Bailarina" by Santillana-Alfaguara in Miami, Florida, and "Los Novenarios" by La Secretaria de Cultura de Michoacán in Morelia, Mexico. He is part of Telemundo-NBC writers staff in Los Angeles, California. Ruvalcaba publishes weekly opinion articles for magazines and newspapers in USA, Spain and Mexico.
Sports
- Rafael Márquez, current player for FC Barcelona
- Juan Carlos Chavez, former soccer player
- Luis Ángel Landín, current player for Monarcas Morelia
Religion
- Francisco Plancarte y Navarrete, bishop of Campeche and Cuernavaca.
[edit] Tourism
The historical helmet of the city lodges a great amount of buildings with historical value, getting up during the virreinato and century XIX. Some of these monuments are the temple of San Francisco, the Our Lady of Guadalupe Unfinished Cathedral of Zamora, the great and high church but of Mexico; The church of the Purest one, the church of the Calvary, the Public Library and the Federal Palace.
The main tourist point to visit is the Our Lady of Guadalupe Unfinished Cathedral, located in av. 5 de Mayo; it is a neon-gothic architectural wonder that dates from 1988, this enormous cathedral which to the concluded being it will count with more than 105 meters of height, sera the neogotica but high and great church of the continent.
Zamora offers to the visitor several alternatives to entertain itself and to spend moments pleasant, periodically Theater of the City of Zamora offers events, like recitales of piano, theater concerts of camera and works, similarly the School of Michoacán A.C. with soothes in Zamora tries to offer to the citizenship diverse cultural events like cycles of art cinema, recitales, concerts and presentations folkloric, carried out in its elegant audience around the best ones of the country.
Annually in Zamora the Festival of the Chongos Zamoranos takes place, where the visitor can appreciate gastronomical samples, musical dances and interpretations, as well as the “Encounter of Poets” and the 12 of December in Our Lady of Guadalupe Unfinished Cathedral and in diverse districts of the city.
[edit] References
- Link to tables of population data from Census of 2005 INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática
- Michoacán Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México
[edit] External links
- Ayuntamiento de Zamora Official website
- El Sol de Zamora (newspaper)
- Instituto Cristobal Colon de Zamora Michoacán
- Santuario Guadalupano (Spanish)
- Zamora Michoacan by Omar Marrón Zuno (Spanish)