Matamoros is a city in the north of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. Matamoros is located at 25°52′N 97°30′W, across the Rio Grande|Media:the U.S. state of Texas]]. In 2003, Matamoros had an estimated population of 405,300. Baltazar Hinojosa Ochoa is the current mayor for the period 2005-2007. The United Mexican States or Mexico (Estados Unidos Mexicanos or México) is a federal republic made up of 31 states (estados) and one Federal District, (Distrito Federal), which contains the capital, Mexico City. ... Tamaulipas is a state in the northeast of Mexico. ... The Rio Grande flowing in Big Bend National Park The Rio Grande in its lower course, between Matamoros and Brownsville Known as the Rio Grande in the United States and as the Río Bravo (or, more formally, the Río Bravo del Norte) in Mexico, the river, 3,034... A state of the United States (a U.S. state) is any one of the fifty states (four of which officially favor the term commonwealth) which, along with the District of Columbia, form the United States of America. ... Official language(s) See: Languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 695,622 km²  (268,581 sq. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Baltazar Hinojosa Ochoa was born in Tampico, Tamaulipas in 1930. ... A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning larger,greater) is the politician who serves as chief executive official of some types of municipalities. ...

Matamoros is about 1000 km away from Mexico City and 571 km from Houston, Texas. The city was renamed for Independence War hero Mariano Matamoros in the early 19th century. The city also holds the "H" for "Heroic" or "Heroica" before the name because the city was defended from invaders trying to take over it over. A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ... Mexico City (Spanish: Ciudad de México, México D.F. or simply México, pronounced /mexiko/ in IPA) is the capital and largest city of the nation of Mexico. ... Nickname: Space City Official website: www. ... The Mexican War of Independence (1810-1821) was Mexicos struggle for independence from Spanish colonial rule. ... Mariano Matamoros y Guridi (August 14, 1770 – February 3, 1814) was a Mexican liberal priest and insurgent active during the Mexican War of Independence. ...

The city had its first-ever white Christmas in December 2004 - first measurable snow to fall there since 1895. White Christmas A white Christmas, to most people in the Northern Hemisphere, refers to snowy weather at Christmas, a phenomenon which is far more common in some countries than in others. ... ← - 2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Deaths in December • 30 Artie Shaw • 29 Julius Axelrod • 28 Jacques Dupuis • 28 Jerry Orbach • 28 Susan Sontag • 26 Reggie White • 26 Sir Angus Ogilvy • 23 P. V. Narasimha Rao • 23 Doug Ault • 19 Renata Tebaldi • 16... 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

The city is in an important geographical location and acts as U.S.-Mexico border town. There are several international bridges which cross the Rio Grande into the United States of America, each of which has a toll of around USD $2 or MXN $20. Unsurprisingly, the crossing is easier coming from the US to Mexico, where car searches aren't as frequent as in the opposite direction. The international border between Mexico and the United States runs a total of 3,141 km (1,951 miles) from San Diego, California, and Tijuana, Baja California, in the west to Matamoros, Tamaulipas, and Brownsville, Texas, in the east. ... The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Matamoros is described in vivid detail in the popular song Mi Matamoros Querido (My Beloved Matamoros), the large selling single by singer Rigo Tovar who was born there. It is also the subject of Matamoros Banks by Bruce Springsteen. Rigoberto Tovar García (March 29, 1946 – March 27, 2005). ... Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American rock and folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist. ...

History

Few facts are known about the Indian tribes that predated the area's settlers.

During a brief expedition in 1519, Capitan Alonso Alvarez baptized the currently named Rio Brave as Rio de las Palmas (Palms River). Events March 4 - Hernán Cortés lands in Mexico. ...

No known events follow in the area until 1686 when Capitan Alonso de León "el mozo" is commissioned to explore the area's river. The Capitan informs the river is deep enough to sail its entire length until it ends in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Place of the Beautiful Marshes

Capitan Juan José de Hinojosa explores the region in 1706. He was amazed by the number and beauty of the marshes that characterized the area. As a result, the Capitan named the area "Paraje de los Esteros Hermosos" (Place of the Beautiful Marshes).

In 1749 don Matías de los Santos Coy established a cattle ranch called "San Juan de los Esteros Hermosos" (San Juan of the Beautiful Marshes). This ranch was located in an area currently occupied by the northeast corner of 5th and Matamoros streets. don Matias was forced to abandon his ranch due to the frequent Indian attacks he suffered.

The Thirteen Families

The area was plagued by frequent floods caused by the Rio Grande. In 1747 don José de Escandón and Capitan Blas María de la Garza categorized the area as poor for future development. This act did not stop 13 enterprising families from establishing themselves there. In 1774 the 13 families founded a congregation also named "San Juan de los Esteros Hermosos". The site of the congregation was the same previously occupied by don Matías de los Santos Coy.

Capitan Ignacio Anastacio de Ayala, who was given authority over said congregation, procured the deeds to 113 mayor cattle sites in favor of the founding families. These families were the city of Matamoros' origins. To this day, their descendents are prominent families in the area.

La Villa del Refugio (Town of Shelter/Refuge)

In 1793 Franciscan friars from the Apostólico de Guadalupe Zacatecas college arrived to the congregation and proposed a new name for the community. Keeping in mind the patron saint of the missionaries, the area was renamed "Nuestra Señora del Refugio de los Esteros" (Our Lady of the Refuge of the Beautiful Marshes).

The inhabitants came to know the area as "El Refugio" (The Refuge) o "Villa del Refugio" (Town of Refuge). As a result of the frequent flooding, the original site of "Villa del Refugio" was changed. In 1814 it was relocated to the main plaza which was considered the highest area in the township.

Villa de Matamoros (Town of Matamoros)

In 1826 governor Lucas Fernández issues a decreed assigning a new name to "Villa del Refugio". The governor baptized the city as "Villa de Matamoros" in honor of the independence hero don Mariano Matamoros.

The name has remained until modern times. In 1834 the area raised to city status.

In 1851 the city is heroically defended against aggressors who had recently signed the "Plan de la Loba". General Francisco Avalos' troops and civilians under local president Macedonio Capistrán's command fended off the enemy.

Thank to this victory, state congress grants the city the "Invicta" (undefeated) and "Heroica" (Heroic) titles. The federal government also grants the city the title of "Leal" (Loyal) thanks to its inhabitants protection. Hence, the "H" before the city's name refers to the title of "Heroica"

The Cotton Era

The so called Cotton Era took place between 1948 and 1962. During this time, Matamoros experienced an economic peak. The economy flourished and the quality of the cotton made in the city was recognized globally. However, with time cotton prices dropped as the popularity of synthetic fibers used in clothing increased. Currently, the area is a leading farm producer of zorghum.

The "Maquiladora" Industry

Currently, Matamoros' main economic activity is the maquiladora industry. This industry has steadily developed since the sixties. Currently, the city boasts of approximately 150 plants. The Maquiladora industry is a source of employment for many "Matamorenses" as well as many people from outside of the city who establish there. The industry has become a growth and development factor for the entire region.

The city is 1,779 miles from Washington D.C. Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United...

The American Consulate

Matamoros is home to what some believe to be the oldest American Consulate in continuous service, having opened in the 1850's. The only diplomatic mission in Matamoros, it has played an important and historic role in the region's development. The Consulate was slated for closure in 1995 after a round of Congressional budghet cuts identified several smaller U.S. diplomatic missions as likely candidates for termination; however, high demand for business and tourist visas to the United States in the wake of NAFTA led the U.S. Department of State to remove Matamoros from the "closure list." In 1999, the Consulate was actually expanded. In 1998, Consulate Matamoros was the first U.S. diplomatic post in the world to begin issuing "Laser Visas," new "high-tech" visas with digitally-recorded biometric information about the applicant. George Kopf, a career Foreign Service Officer, was the Consul-general at the time of the "Laser Visa" program's implementation; David Schlaefer, another career officer originally from nearby McAllen Texas, was the Visa Chief that oversaw the implementation. Nafta or NAFTA may refer to: an acronym for the North American Free Trade Agreement an acronym for the New Zealand Australia Free Trade Agreement the town/Tokyo of Nafta, Tunisia This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ... The United States Department of State, often referred to as the State Department, is the Cabinet-level foreign affairs agency of the United States government, equivalent to foreign ministries in other countries. ... McAllen is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. ... Official language(s) See: Languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 695,622 km²  (268,581 sq. ...

Famous people

Famous people from Matamoros include:

• Rigo Tovar, Mexican singer and composer.

Rigoberto Tovar García (March 29, 1946 – March 27, 2005). ...

Photos

Juarez Market ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x1536, 355 KB) Summary Juarez Market is always bustling with vendors. ...	From the Dragon Club ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x1536, 379 KB) Summary Looking north from the Dragon Club chinese restaraunt. ...	Nightime on the Rio Grande ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1536x1024, 172 KB) Summary Nightime on the Rio Grande. ...	Sunset ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1536x1024, 138 KB) Summary Sunset over the floodplains just west of Bagdad beach. ...
Rio Grande ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1536x1024, 401 KB) Summary The Rio rRande river as seen from Matamoros. ...	Restaurant Ceiling ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (3076x2052, 3848 KB) Summary Colorful umbrellas decorate the ceiling at Blanca Whites restaraunt near the border. ...	Juarez Market ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1536x1024, 277 KB) Summary Fresh Fruit on a cart at the Market Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Matamoros ...

External links

• http://www.matamoros.gob.mx/ : Official site
• http://www.matamoros.com/ : another site about the city