Monclova
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| Santiago de la Monclova | |||
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| Nickname: The Steel Capital (La Capital del Acero, in Spanish) | |||
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| Founded | 25 July 1577 | ||
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| Government | |||
| - Type | Municipio | ||
| - Presidente Municipal | Pablo González (PRI) | ||
| Elevation | 620 m (2,034 ft) | ||
| Population (2005) | |||
| - Municipio | 200,160 | ||
| - Metro | 294,191 | ||
| - Metro Density | 29.88/km² (77.4/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CST (UTC-5) | ||
| Codigo Postal | 25700 | ||
| Area code(s) | +52-866 | ||
| Airport: Aeropuerto Internacional Venustiano Carranza (LOV) | |||
| Website: [www.monclova.gob.mx] | |||
Santiago de la Monclova, more commonly known as just Monclova in everyday speech, is a city as well as the surrounding municipality in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila. The city serves as the municipal seat of the municipality. According to the 2005 INEGI census there were 198,819 inhabitants in the city and 200,160 in the municipality. Its metropolitan area (Monclova, Frontera, Castaños) had 294,191 inhabitants and has a population density of 29.88 inhabitants per square kilometers. Monclova is the third-largest city in Coahuila (after Saltillo and Torreón).
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[edit] History
Established in 25 July 1577, become the first Ville in the region known as Coahuila, and later known as State of Coahuila.
During the colonial period and the first years of the 19th century, Monclova served as the capital of Nueva Extremadura. It remained the capital during the early years of Mexico's independence.
With the adoption of the 1824 Constitution, which created the state of Coahuila y Tejas, the capital was transferred to Saltillo. In 1828, this decision was overturned when Monclova was declared the capital of the new state; the following year, however, the state legislature continued to convene in Saltillo. On 9 March 1833, the state legislature settled the dispute in Monclova's favour, and this decision was ratified by President Antonio López de Santa Anna on 2 December 1834. However, with the enactment of the 1836 Constitutional Laws (whereby the federal republic was converted into a centralised one), the state of Coahuila y Tejas was divided into two departments – Coahuila and Tejas (or Texas, as it would later become) – and Saltillo was settled as Coahuila's capital.
[edit] Geography
It has an altitude of 600m above sea level, but the sand sediments of the city have sunk it 8 meters below the original level thanks to the weight of construction. It is located at , in the state's central region (Región Centro), in the east-central part of the state.
[edit] Climate
Monclova experiences a warm semi arid climate. The median yearly temperature is 21.8°C (71°F). The median temperature of the coolest month, January, is 11.6°C (53°F), although the temperature can climb as high as 30°C during some evenings but remain below 0°C (32°F) some nights and mornings. In the 1970s the coolest temperature recorded was -4.2°C (24°F) on February 9, 1973. In the 1990s the same value was recorded on January 13, 1997 and -2°C (28°F) is the coolest so far in the 2000s (January 17,2007). Probably the coldest snap in recent history took place on Christmas Day 1983, when the city's temperature plunged to -9.5°C (14°F).
On the other hand, temperatures during late spring and summer can have bouts of extreme heat, with evenings above 40°C (104°F) for many consecutive days. In recent decades the hottest records have climbed as high as 43°C (111°F, July 13, 2005) and 45°C (113°F, May 4, 1984). However nighttime low temperatures are typically 15 degrees cooler than daytime highs, due to the very arid conditions; thus even in July ,the warmest month, lows have gotten as cool as 10.6°C (51°F, in 1975). The median temperature for such a month is 28.6°C (82°F).A typical summer day has a low around 21°C (70°F) and a high near 35°C (95°F). In 1976 the recorded wettest month took place in July, with 287.3 mm of rain, more than half the median yearly value of 411.3 mm; the average wettest month is, however, September with 74 mm. The warmer months of the year are typically wetter than the cooler ones. Cold fronts in winter have the possibility of drastically reducing temperatures in the area, and are responsible for the little rainfall of such period. Even snowfall has occurred in Monclova some winters, although most years it is phenomena reserved only to the nearby mountains. Precipitation occurs at an average of 47 days, out of which 6 will be thunderstorms and there is at least one day with hail.
| Climate chart for Monclova | |||||||||||
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| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
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13
18
5
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11
22
7
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4
28
13
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24
31
16
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29
34
20
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58
35
22
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64
35
22
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55
35
21
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74
31
20
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44
27
16
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17
25
11
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20
21
8
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| temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm source: [1] |
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Imperial conversion
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[edit] Economy
The city stands out for the highest production of steel in Mexico, that is why it is known as the capital of steel. In 1942, Altos Hornos de Mexico (AHMSA), the steel factory, was founded; it originated the great industrial development of Monclova.
[edit] Tourism
[edit] Buildings and monuments
- The Santiago Apostol Parish Church, Construction of this beautiful building, headquarters to the area’s religious passion, began in the second half of the eighteenth century. Its façade consists of carved cantera stone.
- The San Francisco de Asis Parish Church (XVII century, St. Francis of Assisi Church)
- Ermita de Zapopan Church, Due to damage caused during the revolution and to conserve original details like its bells parts of its walls, restoration of this sober construction from 1700 was carried out at the beginning of the nineteenth century.
- El Polvorin (The Powder Magazine) Museum with collections of anthropology, biology, sociology, watercolor art, geology, mathematics, communications, archery, guns, Mexican sexual culture, and other weapons.
- Pape Museum Library, For 28 years, this cultural and recreational center, promoted by the Pape Foundation, has given us seasonal expositions with artistic works of an international scale. Its permanent exhibit chronologically illustrates the life and work of the couple Harold and Lou Pape. It also has an auditorium for 300 people where plays and musical concerts are performed.
Bordering the museum is the Harold R. Pape Library. This contemporary, recreational and interactive concept offers, primarily children and young people, a bibliographic heritage of more than 110,000 books complemented with modern internet services, a newspaper library, a children’s area, and a cultural video library.
- Meteorological Observatory, Recently inaugurated, this observatory is the largest in the state, and 39,459th largest in the world with a 16-inch opening and capable of magnifying the brightness of any star up to 3,000 times. Controlled by a computer, it integrates a highly sophisticated video system that projects live images of the sun, the moon, and the planets onto a black and white screen. This observatory was constructed by the government to educate the people about the difference between astronomy and astrology.
[edit] Parks and gardens
- The Zoo Really more a type of park, there are several dogs and some raccoons living there. People gather to see the animals from afar. This has caused controversy since it is the main source of rabies in Monclova.
- Xochipilli Park I and II, More than 20 hectares (49 acres) intended for relaxation and recreational activities form this original concept from the Popes. Its complete facilities include large sports and cultural spaces surrounded by green areas, lakes, rivers, fountains, and waterfalls.
- The Main Square
[edit] Notable People from Monclova
- Joakim Soria, relief pitcher for the Kansas City Royals
- Cynthia, pop singer from the Mexican TV Show La academia
- Susana Zabaleta, actress on many movies, opera singer and judge on popular Tv contests Televisa
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Link to tables of population data from Census of 2005 INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática
[edit] External links
- (Spanish) Official webpage
- (Spanish) Municipal information on Coahuila state website
