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Mexico Travel :: The North Mexican States

State of Coahuila

The high plateau of Coahuila was occupied by little-known Desert Culture tribes before the arrival of the Spanish. Missionaries were the first explorers of the territory but Indian resistance slowed the process of colonization. Saltillo was founded in 1575 and became the economic center for the state's cattle ranches. Saltillo's annual fair, still active today, was the most important trade fair for northern Mexico and attracted goods from Europe and Asia as well as other parts of Mexico. During the early 19th century, Saltillo became the capital of the merged territories of Coahuila and Texas, which led to political friction between American settlers and Spanish authorities. After the US invasion in 1846, in which Saltillo was occupied, and the Treaty of 1848, Texas was separated for good from Coahuila.

In 1909, a Coahuila politician, Francisco I Madero, published a book called The Presidential Succession of 1910, which heralded the imminent collapse of Diaz' dictatorship. The shock waves from this book led to an armed rebellion and Diaz' defeat and exile. Madero went on to become president. After he was assassinated by Victoriano Huerta, Coahuila's governor, Venustiano Carranza, proclaimed the beginning of an armed struggle to overthrow Huerta. In 1914, the cotton and industrial town of Torreon was the site of Pancho Villa's greatest victory at the head of Carranza's forces. For five days Villa's men attacked Huerta's strongly entrenched troops and finally, through sheer bravery and savage fighting, forced them to withdraw. Later, Villa and Carranza became mortal enemies, and Villa relied on the people of Coahuila, particularly Torreon, to provide the money and supplies to furnish his army. During the presidency of Lazaro Cardenas, the cotton fields around Torreon were the site of the most ambitious of Carde-nas's land redistribution programs; over 8 million acres of prime farmland along with new schools and hospitals were given to the peasants.

Coahuila is one of the least populous states in Mexico. Cudad Acuna and Piedras Negras, the state's two border towns, are opposite Del Rio and Eagle Pass, Texas, respectively, and offer numerous cantinas, restaurants, motels and gift shops. Monclova, 250 kilometers (154 miles) south, possesses the enormous Altos Hornos iron- and steel-making complex, one of the largest in Mexico. In 1811, Miguel Hidalgo and the other leaders of the Insurgency against the Spanish were captured nearby.

In the south of Coahuila and one to two hours west of Monterrey, Saltillo (pop 650,000) is a popular weekend destination for regiomontanos (Monterrey residents) seeking to escape pollution and traffic jams. The air is clear and the city has a relaxed pace, even though it is the state capital. The Cathedral, constructed between 1746 and 1800, is a masterpiece of the churrigueresque style. The facade is ornately carved and above it rise twin towers with fluted columns. Across the street is the red stone Palacio del Gobierno (1808), with copious murals by Tarazona, a Spanish painter. Avenida Allende, which turns into Boulevard Venustiano Carranza, is Saltillo's main street and leads to the Alameda, a large park shaded by many trees. Saltillo's most famous craft items are serapes, which are for sale at the Mercado Juarez, two blocks south of the Cathedral. The 9 bus leaves from the side of the market to the Central Bus Station (good roast goat restaurant across the street), northwest of town. The mid-range hotels are downtown, while the expensive ones are on the Paseo de la Reforma, heading east to¬ward the fairgrounds (the fair is in August). El Tapanco at 225, Allende Sur, near the Cathedral, has the best local cuisine.

Torreon, in the southwest comer of Coahuila, is an overgrown farm town, which also has the largest copper refinery in Mexico. It is in the middle of the La Laguna agri¬cultural district on the banks of the Rio Nazas, opposite the twin cities of Gomez Palacio and Ciudad Lerdo in the state of Durango. On a hill above the cities stands a 15-meter (50-foot) concrete Christ embracing the scene with outstretched arms. Torreon's broad streets are laid out on a widely spaced grid, giving it the feel of a city in the American Midwest. There are no particular tourist sights in Torreon, although the tree-lined Alameda is a nice place to stroll on hot days. The most charming hotel in town is the Rio Nazas, a highrise whose decor hasn't changed since the 1950s. Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch was filmed around Torreon and in Parras, halfway to Saltillo.

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