Ciudad Juárez
Elevation: 1,120 m (3,675 ft)
Ciudad Juárez is a city in the Mexican state of Chihuahua.
Juárez has an estimated population of 1,800,000.
It stands on the Rio Grande, across the border from El Paso,
Texas. The two cities form a metropolitan area of more than
2.5 million people. More than 60,000 people cross the border
daily, a major port of entry and transportation in Mexico.
The city has a growing industrial center with more than 300
maquiladoras (manufacturing facilities) located throughout the city.
A Brief History
Ciudad Juárez was founded as El Paso del Norte (North
Pass) in 1659 by Spanish explorers, seeking a route
through the southern Rocky Mountains. The 1848 Treaty of
Guadalupe Hidalgo established the Rio Grande as the border
between Mexico and the United States. During the French
intervention in Mexico (1862-1867), El Paso del Norte served
as a temporary stop for Benito Juárez's republican forces
until he established his government-in-exile in Chihuahua. In
1888, El Paso del Norte was renamed in his honor.
Ciudad Juárez again served as a provisional Mexican capital
during the initial phase of the Mexican Revolution, when
forces loyal to opposition candidate Francisco I. Madero,
led by Pancho Villa, seized the city on November 20,
1910. The scene of intense fighting for a decade, Juárez
recovered during the U.S. Prohibition era (1919-1933) as an
entertainment center. Juárez continued to attract tourists
from the southwest USA during the 1940's and 1950's, with its
bars, nightclubs, brothels, bullfighting, and shopping. Juárez
has grown substantially in recent decades due to a large
influx of people rapidly moving into the city in search of jobs
with the maquiladoras.
Education
Juárez has three public universities: Instituto Tecnolgico de
Ciudad Juárez (ITCJ) and Universidad Autnoma de Ciudad
Juárez (UACJ) which is ranked among the best universities
of the country with several locations inside of the city. The ITESM (Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey) is considered the best school system in Latin America. The city has the highest literacy rating of the country with about 99% of people above 15 years old able to read and write, many of them in two or three languages.
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Places of Interest
- Auditorio Civico Benito Juárez: A theater for the arts.
- Auditorio Municipal: A state-of-the-art theater.
- Zona Pronaf: Bars, museums, shops, restaurants, and entertainment.
- Estadio Olmpico Benito Juárez: Home of the local soccer team Los Indios (The Indians).
- Avenida Juárez; Bars and shops.
- Parque Chamizal: a park of over 40 acres (16 ha) with jogging trails, swings and recreational areas, which was once shared by El Paso and Juárez, was given back to Mexico by John F. Kennedy in the 1960's.
- Museo del Concorde: A place to see original parts of the airliner.
- Centro Cvico Paso del Norte
- Misiones, Galerias Tec, Plaza Juárez and Rio Grande shopping malls.
- Parque Central: (Central Park) A family-oriented recreational area
- Parque Xtremo: The largest extreme park in Latin America.
A Word about Crime in Juárez
Major crime incidents have been isolated to two areas.
Over the past 10 years Juárez has seen over 400 Mexican
women fall victims to sexual homicides and parts of the city
have been plagued by violence as Mexico's crackdown on
powerful drug cartels stokes turf wars among traffickers
linked to hundreds of killings. Although serious, the general
public, tourists, and Americans working in Mexico have not
been hurt by these internal crime waves.
Nevertheless, Tecma provides our visitors with extra security
when traveling through the streets of Juárez and any stops
along the way. It is strictly a measure to provide peace of
mind.
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