León, Guanajuato
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| Image:Escudo leon.jpg Coat of arms | |
| Motto: LABOR OMNIA VINCIT El trabajo todo lo vence ("Work defeats everything") | |
| Foundation date | January 20, 1576 |
| Population | 1,134,842 (Municipality) |
| Altitude | 1,800 meters (5,905 ft) |
| Latitude | 21° 07' North |
| Longitude | 101° 41' West |
| Extension | 1,183 km² (292.37 Acres) |
| UTC | –6 GMT (Central Time) |
| Telephone area code | +52 (Country) 477 (City) |
| Airport Name and Code | Aereopuerto Internacional del Bajío (Del Bajío International Airport) (BJX) |
| Mayor (alcalde) | Ricardo Alanís (2002-2006) |
| Sources: INEGI | |
The city of León – officially named León de los Aldama – is the fifth most populous city in Mexico and the largest city in the state of Guanajuato; it is also the seat of León municipality. Also known as the The Shoe Capital, it features large factories that not only produce shoes, but also boots, belts, jackets, and other leather accessories, serving both national and international markets.
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[edit] General Data
[edit] Population
The population of León is mainly mestizo (about 70 percent), white (15 percent), indigenous (10 percent), and other, largely the fast-growing Asian – mainly Korean population (5 percent).
There is a large Argentinian community as well, and one formed by Lebanese descendants. In the 2005 census the INEGI reported 1,278,000 people living in the municipality of León and 1,420,000 in the metropolitan area (which includes neighbouring municipalities of Purísima del Rincón, San Francisco del Rincón and Silao).
[edit] Public Transportation system
The city has a new bus rapid transit system called Optibus know also as "La Oruga". This system transportation began on September 27 2003; León was the first city in Mexico using this class of transportation, moreover this system includes the payment system called Pagobus which began about four years before the beginning of the system Optibus. León is one of the few Mexican cities with a modern municipally operated bus transit system rather than independent pesero style collective buses.
[edit] Sports
[edit] Soccer
León has a soccer team named Club León, one of the foremost teams in Mexico (Five-time Champion of the league), now playing in the Primera División A. The team's home is the legendary Estadio León -also known as Nou Camp-, where Soccer World Cup games have taken place (1970 and 1986). World-class stars, such as Diego Armando Maradona, Pelé, Franz Beckenbauer and Michel Platini have played in both official and exhibition games.
The city had once another two soccer teams, which also played in the Primera División de México: San Sebastián, which participated in the league in the early 1950s – and was the first team in México to get relegated to the Segunda División – and Unión de Curtidores, that disappeared in the middle 1980s.
A new franchise with the name of Curtidores appeared in the Primera División A in the mid-1990s, but, after being champion in 1999 and earning the right to play in the Primera División, was sold and moved to Puebla to become Puebla, F.C.
Nowadays, there are several soccer teams in the city playing in the Tercera División: Atlético ECCA, Juventud Cuerera and Conmudaj, among some others.
[edit] Basketball
Since 2004, León has a basketball team named Lechugueros which plays in the LNBP (Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional). They play in the Domo de la Feria (formerly known as Auditorio Municipal). Before this team, the city had other professional basketball teams: Lechugueros (original franchise), Zapateros, Pony-León and Atléticos. These teams participated in the CIMEBA (Circuito Mexicano de Básquetbol), which was the main basketball league of Mexico in the 1970s and 1980s.
[edit] Baseball
León had two baseball teams in the Liga Mexicana de Béisbol: Cachorros de León, in the late 1970s, and Bravos de León, in the late 80's. Bravos, after becoming champions of the league in 1992, and due to financial problems, were sold and moved to Minatitlán, Veracruz. Since then, attempts to bring a new baseball team to the city have failed.
[edit] External links
[edit] Government
[edit] Universities and institutions
- Ibero-American University, Leon campus
- Leon Technological Institute
- Leon University
- Leon Technological University
- Monterrey Technological and Superior Studies Institute, Leon campus
- De La Salle Bajio University
- Valle de Atemajac University, Leon campus
- Optical Investigation Center
[edit] References
- Most of the content comes from translating an independent compilation, work of Roberto Ruelas. The following are references listed by him.
- Andanzas. Biannual Magazine, published by the Human Sciences Department, Universidad Iberoamericana Plantel León. 1994-
- Enciclopedia de México. Secretaría de Educación Pública. 1987.
- "León. Trayectoria y Destino". González Leal, Mariano. Gonzalo Andrade Ed. H. Ayuntamiento de León, Guanajuato. 1990.
- "León... Pueblo Accidentado". Rivera Tafoya, Antonio. 1983.
- "Recordatorios Públicos y Privados, León". 1864-1908. Esquivel Obregón, Toribio. Consejo para la Cultura de León AC 1992.
- "Remembranzas Leonesas de mi niñez". Torres Madrazo, Manuel. Imprenta Lumen, León, Gto. 1993
- "Sitios Arqueológicos del Municipio de León". Ramos de la Vega, Jorge. Ramírez Garayzar, Amalia. #3 Colección Entornos. Universidad Iberoamericana. Plantel León. 1993.ca:León
da:Leon Guanajuato(by) de:León (Mexiko) es:León (Guanajuato) fr:León (Mexique) ja:レオン (メキシコ) nl:León de los Aldamas pl:León (miasto w Meksyku) pt:León (México) sv:León de los Aldama
