Overview: Monterrey is the capital city of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León and a municipality of the same name. Also known as the "City of the Mountains" and "Sultana del Norte" (Sultan of the North), the city is a modern industrial and business center. It is the third most populated metropolitan area in the country. The city is ranked in Latin America as having the highest GDP per capita and as being the most secure.

Population: ~ 1 million (there are more than 3.5 million in the metro area)

Elevation: 1469 ft

Temperarture: Average January Temperature: 58 degrees F Average July
Temperature: 84 degrees F

Quick Facts: Electricity: 110 volts; US-style two-pin plugs are standard Time Zone: GMT - 6 Country Dialing Code: 52 Area Code: 81

Did You Know? Monterrey is known as "La Ciudad de Las Montanas" or City of the Mountains. The city has the highest GDP per capita in Latin America.

Orientation: Monterrey is located in northeastern Mexico.

History: Monterrey has a rich historical background that testifies to the fortitude and determination of its rugged inhabitants. The people of Nuevo León, decidedly bent on obtaining fruits from labouring the hard and rough soil, managed to turn this region into one of the nation's most prosperous. There is evidence that the Chichimeca nomadic tribes settled here, leaving cave paintings and petroglyphs in the Cañón de la Huasteca and in the town of Mina. The city was officially founded in 1596 when Don Diego de Montemayor arrived with twelve families and settled in the valley. Construction on the Catedral Metropolitana de Nuestra Señora de Monterrey was begun in 1770 but was not completed until 1833. Some years earlier, in 1824, the Free and Sovereign State of Nueva León was established as part of the Mexican Republic. Bernardo Reyes was named provisional governor in 1885, transforming the region and laying the foundations for industrialisation and economic development. During this period, the Palacio de Gobierno was built, banking institutions were founded, and the Gran Plaza or Macroplaza and the pavilion at the Plaza Zaragoza were erected. Industry and commerce are inseparable players in the history of the modern city and state. So it is that two of the oldest factories, the brewery, Cervecería Cuauhtémoc and the Compañía Fundidora de Fierro y Acero de Monterrey, a foundry for steel and iron, were established at the end of the 18th century. The concern for education has been a constant and in 1870 the first Escuela Normal (primary school) was established. It was not until 1933, however that the Universidad de Nueva León was founded and soon after, in 1943, the prestigious Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey. Both the Universidad Regiomontana and the Universidad de Monterrey followed later in 1969.


Scenes from Monterrey (click on the Play button to see the video):