This article is about the city in Mexico. For the state of Chihuahua, see State of Chihuahua. For other meanings of Chihuahua, see Chihuahua (disambiguation).

Chihuahua is the capital of the state of Chihuahua in Mexico. It has a population of about 721,000. The predominant activity is ligth industry, in the form of manufacturing facilities whish work for foreign companies.

History

The name derives form Nahuatl Xicuahua, meaning "dry, sandy place". The name it self is older than Spanish conquest of Mexico, how ever the city was founded on October 12 1709 by Antonio Deza y Ulloa, a Spanish explorer. The location was chosen because it is the intersection of the rivers Chuviscar and Sacramento. It is also a middle point between the Rio Grande and, then, important mining city Hidalgo del Parral.

Just as other parts of Northen Mexico, catholic misionaries had an important influence during an the colonial era, and the city became a meeting point for missionaries heading to and from the 'sierra' region, a mountanious region, in whish natives are yet to be converted to catholisism.

During the independence war, the city saw little action. How ever it is notorious that it was in Chihuahua where Miguel Hidalgo was held prisoner and executed in the city in 1811.

During the French invasion, Benito Juárez briefly made the city his seat of government, while running form the enemy.

The city was more involved during the Revolution War (1910-1917), for it became at times an operations base for the Division del Norte, the army led by Pancho Villa. Many sites and memories remain of the revolution era, the most important of them the is the Pancho Villa museum, at his former house, near downtown Chihuahua. The house, or rather mansion, whish could very well fit into 'western' movie scenarios, was turned into a museum by his widow, and is currently managed by the Mexican army.

Through the twentieth century, the city grew in poupulation, and learned to take advantage of its proximity with the US border. Until the stablishment of foreign manufacturing plants in the 70's the city was solely a trade post for cattle and agricultural products such as apples and lumber. With the increase of illegal drug comsumption in the United States in the 70's, the city became and important trade post for mariguana, and home to serval drug bosses.

Transportation

Chihuahua is served by the Roberto Fierro International Airport (IATA Airport Code: CUU). It is also the starting point for the Chihuahua-Pacifico Railroad. In-city transportation is provided by an inefficient network of buses.

Present Time Chihuahua

The city's most important feature is it's collection of industrial zones, in whish foreing companies have manufacturing facilities, called maquilas, whish give employment to thousands of people. This light industries also require professionals, both for the manufacturing process and for managment; this trainig is provided by Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Chihuahua (Autonomous University of Chihuahua State) and by two Technological Institutes. A number of private colleges also exist, amog them the ITESM, whish is greatly prefered by middle and upper clases, despite its poor academic level, for it's links with powerfull industrialists of northen mexican state of Nuevo Leon.

The city's comercial sector has also been boosted by the increment of middle-class population. The wages paid by industries to managment and high-level technical employees, as well as the ever-increasing drug-dealing community, provide a cash flow unlike that of most Mexican cities.

Despite the sensibility of manufacturing industry to world wide economics, the city's economy is protected by the drug traffic activity, whish is responsible for the perpetual flow of cash that mantains the middle-class. This has led to a great adoption of drug-traffic culture among the bourgeoise, whish has in turn isolated Chihuahua culturaly from the rest of Mexico and the World. Regionalism is perhaps the most severe social problem, for it affects almost every aspect of life in Chihuahua.