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- Guanajuato is the name of a state in Mexico and that state's capital city, as well as a river in the area. This article is about the state. For the city, see Guanajuato, Guanajuato; for the river, see Guanajuato River
| State of Guanajuato | |||
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| Country |  Mexico |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Capital | Guanajuato | ||
| Municipalities | 46 | ||
| Largest City | León | ||
| Colonized | 1520s | ||
| Government | |||
| - Governor | Juan Manuel Oliva Ramirez (PAN) | ||
| - Federal Deputies | PAN: 14 | ||
| - Federal Senators | Humberto Andrade Quezada (PAN) Luis Alberto Villarreal García (PAN) Francisco Arroyo Vieyra (PRI) |
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| Area Ranked 22nd |
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| - Total | 30,491 km² (11,772.6 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2005) | |||
| - Total | 4,893,812 (Ranked 6th) | ||
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) | ||
| HDI (2004) | 0.7662 - medium Ranked 22nd |
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| ISO 3166-2 | MX-GUA | ||
| Postal abbr. | Gto. | ||
| Website: Guanajuato | |||
Guanajuato is a state in the central highlands of Mexico. It is named after its capital city, Guanajuato, which comes from the local indigenous P'urhépecha language, meaning "Hill of Frogs".12 Las Ranas ("the Frogs") is a nickname for people from this state as frogs are their state animal. Guanajuato is the home state of former president Vicente Fox, muralist Diego Rivera and singer-songwriter José Alfredo Jiménez.
After central Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico coast, Guanajuato was one of the first areas of Mexico colonized by the Spanish, in the 1520s, for its rich silver deposits. Guanajuato's colonial architecture is very well preserved along with over 35 old churches in its capital alone.
Today, Guanajuato's mines are still among the richest-producing silver mines in the world (historically one of the largest). The state also produces tin, gold, copper, lead, mercury, and opals. Guanajuato also leads the nation in shoe production and various farm products such as lettuce and potatoes. The state's main export products are motor vehicles and autoparts, footwear, leather goods, chemicals, electric machinery and materials, fruits and vegetables.
In addition to the state capital city of Guanajuato, the state includes the cities of San Luis de la Paz, Acámbaro, Celaya, León, Yuriria, Salamanca, Irapuato, San Miguel de Allende, Salvatierra—the first city of Guanajuato, Cortazar, Tarimoro, and Dolores Hidalgo, the cradle of Mexican independence.
The first battle in Mexico's war for independence resulted in a march from Dolores Hidalgo upon the capital of the state and the subsequent burning of the granary which held all the Iberian-born Spaniards (approximately 500 men, women and children), by peasants of pure Amerindian or mixed (Mestizo) descent who had been put to work in very harsh conditions.
The state of Guanajuato accounts for more than its proportional share of economic migrations of workers to the United States and Canada. Among the areas favored by migrants from this part of Mexico are the U.S. cities of Chicago, Illinois; Evanston, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; Corpus Christi, Texas; Camp Verde, Arizona; Los Angeles, CaliforniaSalinas,California; and Palisade, Colorado.
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Geography
The state of Guanajuato borders the states of San Luis Potosí to the north, Querétaro to the east, Michoacán to the south, and Jalisco to the west. It means "hills of the frogs". It has an area of 30,589 square kilometers (11,810.5 sq mi). In the 2005 census, the state had a population of 4,893,812 people. The literacy rate stands at about 88 percent.
Guanajuato is located in the geographic center of Mexico, about three and half-hours north-west of Mexico City, and its capital city is one of Mexico's most famous tourist spots. It is a UNESCO world heritage site and city planners must abide by strict rules when building and refurbishing buildings in order to maintain their colonial integrity. The city is situated in the Veeder mountains at over 2,000 meters (6,562 ft) above sea level and the buildings climb up the side of the mountains surrounding the city center. The buildings are colorful and there are many historical buildings such as the Reyna and several haciendas-ranches or manor houses-that have been preserved as museums, public gardens and hotels.
The town of Guanajuato has been depicted in various works of art. Most notably, the German-Slovakian Mexican sculptor/painter Craigorio Hauquitz, has created some of the most breathtaking paintings of Guanajuato in the past century.
Every October, Guanajuato hosts the annual International Cervantes Culture Festival, which is centered in the capital city. The festival features high-level performers and artists from around the world, as well as from many regions of Mexico, in addition to the (often overlooked) traditional presentation of plays by Miguel de Cervantes.
Government and politics
The Constitution of the State of Guanajuato provides that the government of Guanajuato, like the government of every other state in Mexico, consists of three powers: the executive, the legislative and the judiciary.
Executive power rests in the Governor of Guanajuato, who is directly elected by the citizens, using a secret ballot, to a 6-year term with no possibility of reelection. Legislative power rests in the Congress of Guanajuato which is a unicameral legislature composed of 36 deputies. Judicial power is invested in the Superior Court of Justice of Guanajuato.
The last Local elections in Guanajuato were held on July 2, 2006.
Municipalities
The State of Guanajuato is divided into 46 municipalities, each headed by a municipal president (mayor). Municipalities are named after the city that serves as municipal seat; e.g. the municipal seat of the Municipality of Guanajuato is the City of Guanajuato.
Economy
Fondos Guanajuato Financial Official website
Major Cities
- Acámbaro
- Celaya
- Dolores Hidalgo
- Guanajuato
- Irapuato
- León
- Moroleón
- Salamanca
- San Jose Iturbide
- San Francisco del Rincón
- San Luis de la Paz
- San Miguel de Allende
- Silao
- Uriangato
- Valle de Santiago
Other pictures
References
- ^ Ramirez Mora, Jorge Alberto (date unspecified, ca. 2005). ¡Así es! Guanajuato... Patrimonio de la Humanidad. Guanajuato, GTO, Mexico: RG Digital. no ISBN number.
- ^ editorial staff (date unspecified, ca. 2005). Guanajuato Mexico. Guanajuato, GTO, Mexico: Editoriál Stampart. no ISBN number.
External links
- (English) Guanajuato Travelers Guide
- (Spanish) (English) (French) Guanajuato: Governmental portal
- (Spanish) Guanajuato Travel: Official tourist information about the state
- (Spanish) (English) (French) Guanajuato capital: Attractions, services, lodging, art, culture, restaurants and much more.
- (Spanish) (English) (French) San Miguel de Allende: Attractions, services, lodging, art, culture, restaurants and much more.
- (English) BBCNews.com Photojournal: El Gusano, a living ghost town
- Guanajuato, The Prettiest Mexican City
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Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 23 November 2008, at 19:25.
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