Ciudad Juárez

Ciudad Juárez
Coordinates: 31°44′22″N 106°29′13″W / 31.73944, -106.48694
Founded	1659
Government
- Municipal president	Jose Reyes Ferriz ( PRI)
Elevation	ft ( m)
Population (2005)
- City
- Density	/sq mi (/km²)
Time zone	Mountain Standard Time (UTC-7)
- Summer (DST)	Mountain Daylight Time (UTC-6)
Website: http://www.juarez.gob.mx

Ciudad Juárez Coat-of-Arms

Ciudad Juárez, or simply Juárez, is a city in the Mexican state of Chihuahua formerly known as El Paso del Norte. Juárez has an estimated population of 1,301,452 as of 2005 (the municipality, 1,313,338). It stands on the Rio Grande (Río Bravo del Norte), across the border from El Paso, Texas. The two cities form a metropolitan area of 2,280,782.^{[citation needed]} More than 60,000 people ^{[citation needed]} cross the CJZ-ELP border every day. It is the major port of entry and transportation center of north central Mexico, its surrounding municipality is the fourth largest in Mexico ^{[citation needed]}(Nezahualcoyotl, Guadalajara, Puebla).

It is a growing industrial center with more than 300 maquiladoras (assembly plants) and is now the main logistic center in Mexico.

It is the third largest industrial location in North America, (Los Angeles, Chicago)^{[citation needed]}. Factories in Juárez employ more than 396,100 people (57.5% Chihuahua state), fourth in Mexico. The primary employers in the city are assembly plants.

History

Cathedral and Mission Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in the Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México.

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 Mission of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe was one of the first permanent developments in the area. The wood for the bridge across the Rio Grande first came from Santa Fe, New Mexico in the 1700s. The 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo established the Rio Grande as the border between Mexico and the United States, separating the settlements on the north bank of the river from the rest of the town. The portion of the city allotted to the United States would later become El Paso, Texas. Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, Texas are one of the 14 pairs of Cross-border town naming along the U.S.–Mexico border. During the French intervention in Mexico (1862–1867), El Paso del Norte served as a temporary capital of Benito Juárez's republican forces. In 1888, El Paso del Norte was renamed in honor of Juárez.

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 20 November 1910. The scene of intense fighting for a decade, Juárez recovered during the US Prohibition era (1919–33) as an entertainment center. Juárez continued to attract tourists from the southwest USA during the 1940s and 1950s, 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. Now, more technological firms have been attracted like the largest Delphi Corporation Technical Center in the Western Hemisphere, which is located in Ciudad Juárez and employs more than 2,000 engineers. Large slum housing communities called colonias have become extensive.

Ciudad Juárez at sunset.

Juárez has gained further notoriety as a major center of narcotics trafficking linked to the powerful Juárez Cartel, and for hundreds of unsolved murders of young women since 1993. Unfortunately, because of widely alleged police complicity (and perhaps even participation on the part of police and government officials and local elites), the serial murders continue and most of them remain "unsolved" despite the years that have gone by, though homicides have dropped a bit since 2004 despite the increase of population. As a result of the murders, Juárez (along with the capital of the state, Chihuahua City) has become a center for protest against sexual violence throughout Mexico.^[1] Meanwhile, many continue working to maintain a positive image of Ciudad Juárez. Songs 'Juarez' by the singer song-writer Tori Amos and 'Invalid Litter Dept.' by At the Drive-In refer to Ciudad Juárez and the murders of women therein. A giant Mexican flag, banderas monumentales, was erected in Chamizal Park on June 26, 1997.

Education

Juárez has three public universities -one of them being one of the most important universities in Mexico- and 2 private. They are: Instituto Tecnológico de Ciudad Juárez (ITCJ), Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez (UACJ), Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua (UACH), ITESM Campus Ciudad Juárez and " Universidad Autonoma de Durango Campus Ciudad Juarez" (UAD).

Sports

Like in most of Mexico, soccer is the most popular sport in Juárez. The local soccer team is Indios de Ciudad Juárez. Baseball, basketball, tennis and American football are also popular, most of these being practiced in high schools and universities. A soccer team named Los Indios resides in this city is part of the Primera A division(second) they rent the stadium Estadio Olímpico Benito Juárez. Juarez has 2 large stadiums: Estadio Olímpico Benito Juárez and Estadio 20 de Noviembre. also the mountain bike is a popular sport here in Juárez, we have one of the most important race in the world the chupacabras www.chupacabras100km.com

Broadcasting and media

There are 16 over the air TV channel signals in the city: [1]

Juárez has 4 local newspapers: El Diario and PM (both owned by the same company)(El Diario concentrates on serious news while the PM is a lower-class paper, and it is also the best selling paper in the city with an average of 75,000 papers sold each day) El Norte (the smallest newspaper in town it has been predicted that it will go out of business in 2008)and El Mexicano . Also, there are 24 radio station signals in AM and 21 in FM. There are 3 different paid television signals available.(Cablemas with the most subscribers in town)

• If you want to place a call to a Telephone Number in Juarez from United States you need to dial as follow:

011 + 52 to reach Mexico + 656 that's the Area Code 656 for Juarez + 7 Digits Number

• Or if is a Cellphone:

011 + 52 to reach Mexico+ 1 + 656 that is the Area code for Juarez + 7 Digits Number

Films and other media

• Brokeback Mountain (2005)
• Conan, The Barbarian (1980s)
• The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
• Man on Fire (2004)
• The Virgin of Juarez (2006)
• Bordertown (2007) (The film was not actually filmed in Juárez).
• In Cocaine Blues by Johnny Cash, the song states that, "they overtook me down in Juárez, Mexico."
• In Bob Dylan's song Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues, there is a lyric "lost in the rain in Juárez."
• Juárez was where the first divorce for Marilyn Monroe occurred.
• Many Hollywood stars went there during the prohibition law.
• At Juarez Avenue Brad Pitt bought his boots, hand made.
• In the single "Cd. Juárez" by Mexican singer María Barracuda.
• "Juarez" on the album To Venus and Back by Tori Amos makes reference to homicides committed on the border of Mexico and the United States, near Cuidad Juarez.
• The At the Drive-In music video for "Invalid Litter Dept." features articles and captions about the hundreds of unsolved homicides and rapes in Juarez.
• Juárez was featured as the setting of a Mexican rebellion in the video game Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2.
• The final portion of the video game Call of Juarez takes place in the desert outside of the city sometime between the American Old West era of 1865 through 1890.
• Two novels by Chilean-born novelist Roberto Bolaño, The Savage Detectives and 2666, take place in Juárez, named Santa Teresa in the novels.

Places of Interest

• Auditorio civico Benito Juarez: The local theater for the arts.
• Auditorio Municipal: The new state of the art theater built behind the UACJ Med School.
• Zona Pronaf: Bars, museums, shops, restaurants, entertainment.
• Estadio Olímpico Benito Juárez: Home of the local soccer team Los Indios (The Indians).
• Avenida Juárez; Bars and shops.
• Parque Chamizal: Green area of the city, once shared by El Paso and Juarez.
• Museo del Concorde: A place to see original parts of the airliner.
• Centro Cívico Paso del Norte (Just opened December 2006).
• Misiones, Galerias Tec, Plaza Juárez and Rio Grande shopping malls.
• Parque Central: (Central Park) A family-oriented recreational area located 10 miles south of the US-Mexico border.
• Parque Xtremo: The largest extreme park in Latin America.

Famous People from Juárez

• Miguel Aceves Mejía (El rey del falsete 1916- 2006. Charro, singer, actor)
• Vanessa Guzmán (Nuestra Belleza Mexico 1996 -finished 6th on Miss Universe- and actress)
• Elizabeth Alvarez (actress, known for her role as Marcia in La Fea Mas Bella)
• Ramón Valdes* (El Chavo del 8 actor)
• Germán "TinTan" Valdes* (comedian)
• Manuel "El Loco" Valdes* (comedian)
• Fernando Ramos* (Actor)
• Juan Gabriel* (singer and song writer)
• Liliana Domínguez (super model)
• María Barracuda* (singer and song writer)
• Blanca López (community activist)
• Armando López (drummer for No Justice)
• Paulo Quevedo (actor)
• Eddie Guerrero (wrestler)
• Lince Dorado (wrestler)

* Not actually born in Juárez, but are known for living there for a long period of time and/or starting their careers there.

Gallery

La Catedral in downtown Ciudad Juárez

Mercado Reforma

References

See also

• Female homicides in Ciudad Juárez

External links

• (Spanish) [2] mountain bike race here in Juárez*(Spanish) Official webpage of Juárez
• (Spanish) Secretariat of Industrial Development of Chihuahua State Government
• Juárez Tour Guide — A look at the positive side of Juárez from an American who has lived there among the people.
• CdJuarez.net
• International Family Missions: Ministry and Outreach programs in Juárez
• NPR article about the murders of Juarez women
• At the drive-in - Invalid Litter Dept. exposes human rights abuses in Juarez
• NUESTRA SEÑORA DE GUADALUPE MISSION
• Juarez Bomfim Tavares
• Volkswagen Car Club in Juarez
• redempleos.com.mx

• Maps and aerial photos for 31°′″N 106°′″W / 31.7378, -106.4836Coordinates: 31°′″N 106°′″W / 31.7378, -106.4836
  • Maps from MapQuest, Multimap and Yahoo! Maps
  • Satellite images and maps from Google Maps and Live Search
  • Other mapping from GlobalGuide and WikiMapiacbk-zam:Ciudad Juárez

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