City in the Mexican state of Coahuila
City in Coahuila, Mexico
Torreon, Coahuila
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From top to bottom from left to right:
the Alameda Ignacio Zaragoza, the Cristo de las Noas, the Puerta de Torreon, the Plaza Mayor and the Plaza de Armas in the Historic Center.
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Flag
Coat of arms
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Nickname:
La Ciudad de los Grandes Esfuerzos (The City of the Big Efforts)
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Location in Mexico
Show map of Coahuila
Torreon, Coahuila (Mexico)
Show map of Mexico
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Coordinates:
25°32′31″N
103°24′30″W
/
25.54194°N 103.40833°W
/
25.54194; -103.40833
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Country
|
Mexico
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State
| Coahuila
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Municipality
| Torreon
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Established
| September 25, 1893
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Declared city:
| September 15, 1907
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? Mayor
| Roman Alberto Cepeda
(Institutional Revolution Party PRI) (2022?2024)
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Elevation
| 1,120 m (3,670 ft)
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?
City
| 735,340 (2,021)
[1]
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?
Metro
| 1,497,734 (2,015)
[2]
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? Year
| 2023
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? Total (Metro)
| $54.9 billion
[3]
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? Per capita
| $30,800
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Time zone
| UTC?6
(
CST
)
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? Summer (
DST
)
| UTC?5
(
CDT
)
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Area code
| 871
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Website
| Official site
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Torreon
(
Spanish pronunciation:
[tore?on]
ⓘ
) is a city and seat of
Torreon Municipality
in the
Mexican
state
of
Coahuila
. As of 2021, the city's population was 735,340. The metropolitan population as of 2015 was 1,497,734,
[2]
making it the
ninth-biggest metropolitan area in the country
and the largest metropolitan area in the
state
of
Coahuila
, as well as one of Mexico's most important economic and industrial centers. The cities of Torreon; Gomez Palacio, Durango; Lerdo, Durango; Matamoros; Francisco I. Madero; San Pedro; Bermejillo, Durango; and Tlahualilo, Durango form the area of
La Laguna
or the
Comarca Lagunera
, a basin within the
Chihuahuan Desert
.
The area was originally a center for ranching. With irrigation, the city became an important center for farming and the processing of cotton. In the middle of the 20th century, it became an industrial city. The cities (i.e. the metropolitan area) have industries in textiles, clothing and metals processing. Some important industries and companies have business here, like
Penoles
,
Motores John Deere
,
Grupo Lala
, Yura Corporation, as well as stores like
Soriana
,
Cimaco
, and Extra. There are also several shopping malls in the city, including Galerias Laguna, Almanara, Plaza Cuatro Caminos, and InterMall.
Torreon is served by
Francisco Sarabia International Airport
, an airport with flights to several cities in
Mexico
and the
United States
.
History
[
edit
]
According to archaeological findings, the area of Torreon was populated around the 10th millennium BC.
The first Spanish mission arrived in 1566, led by Fr. Pedro Espinareda. However, the city developed only in the independent Mexican era, around a
Torreon
("Big Tower") built to monitor Rio Nazas's floods, in conjunction with the creation of a railroad connecting to the US border city of
El Paso
, which gave an economic boom to the city and therefore a population boom as well. The population grew from 200 in 1892 to 34,000 in 1910. Torreon received city status in 1907.
During the
Mexican Revolution
(1910?1920), the city was taken more than once; the most prominent character ever to take the city was the revolutionary general
Pancho Villa
. It was also the location of the 1911
Torreon massacre
, where 303 Chinese immigrants were killed by the revolutionaries over a ten-hour period.
[4]
[5]
During the revolution, Torreon was also the site of an important convention that led to a deal between the rebellious armies. The city is 56 km (35 mi) southwest of historic
San Pedro de las Colonias
, where some of the Mexican Revolution battles occurred.
After the Mexican Revolution, the city continued to develop economically; during the first years of the 20th century, the primary industry of the city was farming, although other industries later formed or were established in the area.
On September 15, 2007, Torreon celebrated its first 100 years as a chartered city. It held a series of cultural events from September 15, 2006, to September 15, 2007, culminating on the day that the city turned 100 years old.
Geography
[
edit
]
Torreon is near the southwest border of the state of Coahuila, within the
Laguna
region of the state. The border is delineated by the
Nazas River
that separates it from Gomez Palacio, Durango. The municipality covers 1,947.7 km
2
(752.0 sq mi), including much of the rural area south of the city. The city's elevation is 1,120 m (3,670 ft), which is low for the Mexican interior. The terrain where the urban area is spread is generally flat, with somewhat prominent relief formations (up to 1,600 m (5,249 ft) south and southwest of the city, thus visible at well-nigh any given point in the city. Higher mountains, over 3,000 m (9,843 ft), are on the southern, mostly uninhabited section of the Municipality, the most prominent being El Picacho.
Climate
[
edit
]
The city features a
desert
climate (in the
Koppen climate classification
BWh
). Rainfall is scarce but more prominent in the summer, whilst temperatures are very hot by day and cool at night, although the
urban heat island
effect causes temperatures on summer nights to be considerably warmer than nearby areas. Flora and fauna are those common to
semidesert
habitats.
Climate data for Torreon (1951?2010)
|
Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
Record high °C (°F)
|
35.0
(95.0)
|
35.0
(95.0)
|
40.6
(105.1)
|
41.2
(106.2)
|
42.2
(108.0)
|
43.0
(109.4)
|
40.5
(104.9)
|
39.2
(102.6)
|
38.4
(101.1)
|
36.0
(96.8)
|
34.8
(94.6)
|
34.5
(94.1)
|
43.0
(109.4)
|
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
|
22.3
(72.1)
|
25.3
(77.5)
|
26.0
(78.8)
|
32.5
(90.5)
|
35.3
(95.5)
|
35.4
(95.7)
|
34.3
(93.7)
|
33.7
(92.7)
|
31.8
(89.2)
|
29.5
(85.1)
|
26.1
(79.0)
|
22.8
(73.0)
|
29.6
(85.3)
|
Daily mean °C (°F)
|
14.5
(58.1)
|
17.0
(62.6)
|
19.0
(66.2)
|
24.1
(75.4)
|
27.2
(81.0)
|
28.1
(82.6)
|
27.4
(81.3)
|
27.0
(80.6)
|
25.2
(77.4)
|
22.4
(72.3)
|
18.2
(64.8)
|
15.1
(59.2)
|
22.1
(71.8)
|
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
|
6.8
(44.2)
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8.6
(47.5)
|
11.9
(53.4)
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15.6
(60.1)
|
19.0
(66.2)
|
20.8
(69.4)
|
20.5
(68.9)
|
20.3
(68.5)
|
18.6
(65.5)
|
15.2
(59.4)
|
10.3
(50.5)
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7.4
(45.3)
|
14.6
(58.3)
|
Record low °C (°F)
|
?7.0
(19.4)
|
?5.0
(23.0)
|
?5.5
(22.1)
|
1.8
(35.2)
|
4.0
(39.2)
|
10.0
(50.0)
|
11.0
(51.8)
|
10.0
(50.0)
|
7.5
(45.5)
|
4.0
(39.2)
|
?2.8
(27.0)
|
?8.0
(17.6)
|
?8.0
(17.6)
|
Average
precipitation
mm (inches)
|
20.1
(0.79)
|
6.5
(0.26)
|
6.5
(0.26)
|
14.1
(0.56)
|
18.8
(0.74)
|
34.9
(1.37)
|
24.2
(0.95)
|
26.5
(1.04)
|
18.1
(0.71)
|
11.8
(0.46)
|
7.9
(0.31)
|
16.3
(0.64)
|
205.8
(8.10)
|
Average precipitation days
(≥ 0.1 mm)
|
2.5
|
1.1
|
0.7
|
1.7
|
3.3
|
4.3
|
5.7
|
5.0
|
4.7
|
2.7
|
1.5
|
1.8
|
34.9
|
Average
relative humidity
(%)
|
55
|
46
|
39
|
39
|
42
|
50
|
53
|
54
|
57
|
55
|
53
|
56
|
50
|
Mean monthly
sunshine hours
|
176
|
176
|
227
|
239
|
271
|
286
|
293
|
264
|
211
|
237
|
214
|
176
|
2,770
|
Source 1: Servicio Meteorologico Nacional (humidity 1981?2000)
[6]
[7]
|
Source 2: Ogimet (sun 1981?2010)
[8]
[9]
[10]
|
Main sights
[
edit
]
Cristo de las Noas
, at 21.80 m (71.5 ft), is the third tallest statue of Christ in
Latin America
, only smaller than the statue of
Christ The Redeemer
in
Brazil
and
Cristo de la Concordia
in
Cochabamba
,
Bolivia
. Situated on the top of a hill, this image of Jesus with extended arms symbolises protection for the inhabitants of Torreon.
[11]
The hilltop has a Catholic church and offers a view of the entire city.
[12]
There are also several shopping centers in the city, including Galerias Laguna, Plaza Cuatro Caminos, and Intermall.
The "Canal de la Perla" (the Pearl Watercourse), an underground watercourse built in the 19th century to drive the Nazas' river water to the fields near the city, was re-discovered in 2003 and re-opened in 2014. It now passes under the oldest part of the city and it can be visited and walked through. It is also used for cultural and artistic exhibitions.
In 2006, the "Museo Arocena" (Arocena Museum) that holds art collections from the pre-Hispanic times to the present, was opened; it also has a section dedicated to Mexico's and Torreon's history. There are also temporal expositions, conferences, book fairs, movies, and activities for children.
Economy
[
edit
]
The area was originally a center for ranching. With irrigation the city became an important center for support for farming and processing of cotton. In the middle of the 20th century, it became an industrial city. The city has industries in textiles, clothing and metals processing. Some important industries and companies that have business here, like
Penoles
, an important Mexican mining group, and
Motores John Deere
, Lala, an important dairy products company, Yura Corporation, stores like Soriana, Cimaco, Extra, among others.
Education
[
edit
]
Torreon and the surrounding
comarca
are served by several public and private universities. Some of the most recognized institutions in the area are:
Sports
[
edit
]
Torreon has a
football
team in the
Liga MX
named
Santos Laguna
. The team won championships in 1996, 2001, 2008, 2012, 2015, and 2018. It used to play in
Estadio Corona
, until 2009 when it moved to the
Territorio Santos Modelo
to meet the growing demands of its fan base.
The city is also home to a
baseball
team called "
Vaqueros Laguna
" (Laguna Cowboys) of the
Mexican League
. They play at
Estadio Revolucion
.
Torreon's professional basketball team,
Jefes de Fuerza Lagunera
, play in the Municipal Auditorium, which seats approximately 3,000 people. They are members of the LNBP (
Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional
) which is considered to be the top basketball league in Mexico.
Former
NFL
placekicker and
Super Bowl XXI
champion,
Raul Allegre
, is a Torreon native.
Events
[
edit
]
Cotton and Grape Fair
[
edit
]
The main annual festival in Torreon is the Cotton and Grape Fair (Feria del Algodon y La Uva) which takes place in September. It contains cultural events, music, food and amusement rides.
Independence Day
[
edit
]
It takes place on September 15 and 16. There are celebrations all around the city, but the most important is the one celebrated in the Plaza Mayor. People wear traditional Mexican clothes, eat traditional dishes and "Antojitos". At night the city mayor makes the traditional celebration of "El Grito". The next day (September 16) there is a parade on the Morelos Avenue.
Twin towns ? sister cities
[
edit
]
Notable people
[
edit
]
- Carlos Acevedo
, footballer
- Raul Allegre
, former NFL Placekicker
- William Andrew Archer
, American botanist
- Bandido
, professional wrestler
- Mariana Bayon
, winner of the first cycle of
Mexico's Next Top Model
- Demian Bichir
, actor
- Odiseo Bichir
, actor
- Black Warrior
, wrestler
- Ronaldo Cisneros
, footballer
- Carlos Ferro
, actor
- Raul Mendez
, actor
- Ricardo Montalban
, actor
- Pablo Montero
, singer
- Oribe Peralta
, footballer
- Pilar Rioja
, dancer
- Carmen Salinas
, actress
- Jorge Sanchez
, footballer
- Alberto Vazquez
, singer
- Sergio Villarreal Barragan
, Mexican
drug lord
and former leader of
Beltran-Leyva Cartel
- Dr. Wagner Jr.
, wrestler
- Humberto Zurita
, actor
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Torreon · Population"
.
population.city
.
- ^
a
b
"Numero de habitantes. Coahuila de Zaragoza"
.
www.cuentame.inegi.org.mx
.
- ^
"TelluBase?Mexico Fact Sheet (Tellusant Public Service Series)"
(PDF)
. Tellusant
. Retrieved
2024-01-11
.
- ^
Jacques, Leo M. Dambourges (Autumn 1974). "The Chinese Massacre in Torreon (Coahuila) in 1911".
Arizona and the West
.
16
(3).
University of Arizona Press
: 233?246.
JSTOR
40168453
.
- ^
Mexico faces up to uneasy anniversary of Chinese massacre
, theguardian.com, 16 May 2021
- ^
"NORMALES CLIMATOLOGICAS 1951?2010"
(in Spanish). Servicio Meteorologico Nacional. Archived from
the original
on April 22, 2014
. Retrieved
February 19,
2013
.
- ^
"NORMALES CLIMATOLOGICAS 1981?2000"
(PDF)
(in Spanish). Comision Nacional Del Agua. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on May 2, 2014
. Retrieved
February 19,
2013
.
- ^
"CLIMAT summary for 76382: Torreon, Coah. (Mexico) ? Section 2: Monthly Normals"
.
CLIMAT monthly weather summaries
. Ogimet
. Retrieved
20 January
2019
.
- ^
"76382: Torreon, Coah. (Mexico)"
.
ogimet.com
.
OGIMET
. 27 December 2021
. Retrieved
28 December
2021
.
- ^
"76382: Torreon, Coah. (Mexico)"
.
ogimet.com
. OGIMET. 29 March 2022
. Retrieved
30 March
2022
.
- ^
Travel Torreon.
"Cristo de las Noas"
. Archived from
the original
on 2011-07-17
. Retrieved
28 July
2010
.
- ^
[
dead link
]
"Cristo de las Noas"
. Archived from
the original
on August 14, 2007
. Retrieved
2007-09-17
.
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Torreon
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