Monterrey, Mexico

Introduction

Monterrey is the third largest city in Mexico. The capital of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Monterrey is situated in a valley between mountain chains. At an altitude of 530 m on the eastern slope of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is surrounded by the Cerro de la Silla (1,740 m) and Cerro de las Mitras (2,380 m) mountain ranges. Embedded between these mountains, the city has been called a city ‘de perfiles’, or of silhouettes, and is situated in the flood plain of the Río Santa Catarina.

History

The history of the area began in 1579. Don Luis Carvajal y de la Cueva was ordered to discover, pacify and populate an area of approximately 200 leagues in the north of the new territory. This area would eventually contain Monterrey. Maltreatment of the indigenous population resulted in an Indian rebellion that forced the surviving Spanish to retreat from the area. Years later Diego de Montemayor, along with a few colleagues, returned to the area and managed a more...