Piedras Negras, Coahuila

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Piedras Negras
Seal
Nickname(s): The Safe Border!
Piedras Negras
Coordinates: 28°42′00″N 100°31′23″W / 28.7°N 100.52306°W / 28.7; -100.52306Coordinates: 28°42′00″N 100°31′23″W / 28.7°N 100.52306°W / 28.7; -100.52306
Country	Mexico
State	Coahuila
Municipality	Piedras Negras
Established	15 June 1850
Government
• Mayor	Jose Manuel Maldonado (PRI) 2010 Oscar López Elizondo(PRI) 2010-2013
Area
• City	914.2 km2 (353.0 sq mi)
Elevation	223 m (732 ft)
Population (2010)
• City	460,194
• Density	500/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
• Urban	150,178
• Metro	202,948
Demonym	Nigropetense
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
Postal code	26000
Area code(s)	878
Airport	Piedras Negras Int. Airport
Website	piedrasnegras.gob.mx

Piedras Negras is a city and seat of the surrounding municipality of the same name in the Mexican state of Coahuila. It stands at the northeastern edge of Coahuila on the U.S.-Mexico border, across the Río Bravo (Rio Grande) from Eagle Pass in the U.S. state of Texas. In the 2010 census the city had a population of 150,178 people, which accounted for 98.28 percent of its municipality's total population of 152,806. The municipality's area is relatively small, but does include some outlying minor localities not located inside the city limits. The Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras area is connected by the Eagle Pass-Piedras Negras International Bridge, Camino Real International Bridge, and the Eagle Pass Union Pacific International Railroad Bridge.

The city was founded in 1849. It was renamed Ciudad Porfirio Díaz in 1888, in homage to President Porfirio Díaz, but reverted to its original name following the Mexican Revolution.

In Spanish Piedras Negras translates to "black stones" – a reference to the coal deposits that exist in the area. Across the river, coal was formerly mined on the US side at Dolchburg, near Eagle Pass. This mine closed around 1905, after a fire. Mexico currently operates two large coal-fired power plants named "José López Portillo" and "Carbón 2" located 30 miles (48 km) south of Piedras Negras.

History

On 15 June 1850, a group of 34 men (commanded by Andrés Zapata, Gaspar Salazar and Antonio Ramírez) met with Colonel Juan Manuel Maldonado to give the news that they had created a pass point at Piedras Negras, to the right of the Rio Grande, south of Fort Duncan; and having given it the name of: Nueva Villa de Herrera. Later on it would be renamed Villa de Piedras Negras. In Otto Schober's "Breve historia de Piedras Negras," the local historian points out that the 34 men in in question were repatriates (Mexican Americans) that arrived on June 15, 1850 in what was then called "Colonia Militar de Guerrero en Piedras Negras."^[1]

Due to the discovery of huge deposits of coal at the region, in 1881 a railroad track was begun, finishing in 1883. With this construction, the regional economy flourished and on 1 December 1888, it was granted the status of city; this time with the name of Ciudad Porfirio Díaz. After the fall of Diaz in 1911, the city reverted back to Piedras Negras, Coahuila.

Geography

Demography

In the Northern Region of Coahuila there are approximately 300,000 inhabitants. According to the National Institute of Statistics, Geography and Data Processing (INEGI), in 2005 the population of the municipio of Piedras Negras was of 143,915 inhabitants; this is equal to 5.77% of the population of Coahuila. 17% of the population of Piedras Negras came from other states, 3% are foreigners, and the rest are native-born in Coahuila. Piedras Negras has a high population growth due in part by its status as a border city fueled by US bound exports from several factories and also by persons who hope to cross the border into the United States. It is estimated that in a couple of years it will become the third most populated city of the state of Coahuila, surpassing Monclova. Nowadays Piedras Negras has more than 200,000 inhabitants.

Climate

The climate of the region is semi-arid and hot. During summer the temperatures often surpass 45°C. The hottest months are May through September with a daily average (mean) temperature between 79°F (26°C) and 88°F (31°C).

The high temperatures recorded in Piedras Negras have earned it recognition as one of the hottest cities in the country.^[2]

Highest precipitation months are May, June and September with an average monthly downfall in excess of 3.1 inches (80 mm) but that is highly sporadic lending to frequent drought conditions. The period of lowest precipitation is between December through March, with a monthly average of 1.2 inches (30 mm).

Natural Resources

Coal used in the thermoelectric physical

This region generates a large amount of the national production of coal, one of the most economically important non-metallic minerals in the state.

Piedras Negras in film and television

• 1993 Like Water for Chocolate
• 2007 No Country for Old Men (scene in the town square were filmed in Piedras Negras)

Tourism

Church Our Lady of Guadalupe

Piedras Negras' main tourist attractions are:

• The Macro Plaza (Designed and Built by Cesar Dominguez, AIA, LEED AP) a large square surrounded by restaurants, shops and other businesses
• The ruins of San Bernardo Mission (18th century)
• The Handicrafts Museum
• The Culture House
• The Hunting and Fishing Club
• De La Ventana Caverns
• Mercado Zaragoza, known simply as El Mercado ("the Market"), a traditional Mexican market where one is able to buy a variety of hand-made arts and crafts from the state: vases, leatherworked items, clay and ceramic wares, as well as traditional Mexican candy from the region.
• El Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, Built in 1859 of ashlar, cement and wood, this church has survived the battles of the Cristero movement in 1927 and an explosion in 1934, leading to its renovation in 1935. The construction of its current towers began in 1950.
• Plaza de las Culturas (Cultures' Plaza), a new park completed in 2005. The Plaza is a homage to Mexico's three main indigenous cultures: Aztec, Mayan, and Olmec. It features a replica of a pyramid representative of the style of each of the cultures, the biggest one being a replica of the Pyramid of the Sun, located in Teotihuacan, near Mexico City.
• Estadio Piedras Negras
• Estadio Sección 123
• Catedral de Piedras Negras (Diócesis de Piedras Negras)^[4]
• Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Construido en 1859 de cemento y madera, este santuario sobrevivió los movimientos Cristeros en 1927 y una explosión en 1934, se remodeló en 1935. La construcción de sus torres empezó en 1950).
• Presidio militar de Monclova Viejo (1773 ruins)
• Casa Redonda o Maestranza (Donde se constuyeron los cañones constitucionalistas)
• Antiguo Hotel del Ferrocarril (Ruinas)
• Antigua Presidencia Municipal (Próximamente, Museo de la Frontera Norte)
• Plaza de las Culturas
• Plaza de Toros Monumental "Arizpe"
• Monumento a Venustiano Carranza (Blvd. Carranza)
• Monumento al Centenario de la Independencia (Inaugurado el 16 de septiembre de 1910 por el presidente Porfirio Díaz, ubicándolo entre las calles Zaragoza y Fuentes, para ser trasladado posteriormente a la Plaza Central de la Colonia Roma el 15 de julio de 1963)
• Monumento a los Niños Héroes de Chapultepec (Macroplaza I)
• Monumento a las víctimas de la inundación del 04/04/04 y el tornado del 24/04/07 en Villa de Fuente
• Monumento al Venado Cola Blanca
• Monumento '"Héroes de Coahuila"
• Misión de San Bernardo (Guerrero, Coah. / 40km de Piedras Negras)
• Casa de la Cultura
• Edificios de Telégrafos y Correos
• Edificio de la Universidad Autónoma de Piedras Negras
• Antigua Hacienda de San Isidro
• Centro de Desarrollo Comunitario Ejido Piedras Negras
• Centro de Desarrollo Comunitario Col. Presidentes
• Centro de Desarrollo Comunitario Col. Doctores
• Centro de Desarrollo Comunitario Col. Lazaro Cárdenas
• Centro Cultural Multimedia 2000
• Macroplaza I
• Macroplaza II
• Gran Bosque Urbano - El Vergel ^[5]
• Teatro del IMSS (Hospital General de Zona #11)
• Teatro de la Ciudad "José Manuel Maldonado Maldonado"^[6][7]
• Auditorio de Piedras Negras^[8][9]
• La Gran Plaza^[10][11]
• Asta Bandera Monumental "Puente Internacional II" (50 mts.)
• Asta Bandera Monumental " La Gran Plaza"^[12] (120 mts.) ^[13]
• Infoteca^[14][15]
• Museo del Niño "Chapulín" (En Construcción) ^[16]
• Casa de las Artes^[17][18]
• Paseo del Río^[19][20]

Home of the Nacho

Nachos were originated in the city of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, just over the border from Eagle Pass, Texas, (It is said^{[by whom?]} that it was first made in Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico^{[citation needed]}) at a restaurant called the Victory Club, owned by Rodolfo De Los Santos.[1][2][3] One day in 1943, the wives of ten to twelve U.S. soldiers stationed at Fort Duncan in nearby Eagle Pass were in Piedras Negras on a shopping trip, and arrived at the restaurant after it had closed for the day. The maître d', Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya, invented a new snack for them with what little he had available in the kitchen: tortillas and cheese sauce. Anaya cut the tortillas into triangles, added nacho cheese, quickly heated them, and added sliced jalapeño peppers.[Note 1] He served the dish, calling it Nachos especiales[4] - meaning "Special Nachos" in Spanish.

Anaya went on to work at the Moderno Restaurant in Piedras Negras, which still uses the original recipe. He also opened his own restaurant, "Nacho's Restaurant", in Piedras Negras. Anaya's original recipe was printed in the 1954 St. Anne's Cookbook.[1][2]

The popularity of the dish swiftly spread throughout Texas. The first known appearance of the word "nachos" in English dates to 1949, from the book A Taste of Texas.[1] According to El Cholo restaurant history, waitress Carmen Rocha is credited with making nachos in San Antonio, Texas before introducing the dish to Los Angeles at El Cholo Mexican restaurant in 1959.[5]

A modified version of the dish, with permanently soft cheese and pre-made tortilla chips was marketed in 1976 by a man named Frank Liberto, owner of Ricos Products, during sporting events at Arlington Stadium in Arlington, Texas this version of nachos became known as "Ball Park Nachos". During a Monday Night Football game, sportscaster Howard Cosell enjoyed the name "nachos", and made a point of mentioning the dish in his broadcasts over the following weeks, further popularizing it and introducing it to a whole new audience.[6][7][8]

Ignacio Anaya died in 1975. In his honor, a bronze plaque was erected in Piedras Negras, and October 21 was declared the International Day of the Nacho. Anaya's son Ignacio Anaya Jr. serves as a judge at the annual nacho competition.[1][2]

International Day of the Nacho

The International Day of the Nacho takes place every October 21. It was initiated in the 1990s in the United States and Mexico to commemorate the invention of nachos by Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya in 1943 at El Moderno restaurant in the border town of Piedras Negras, Coahuila.

The International Nacho Festival is held on between October 13 and 15 at Piedras Negras and features a "biggest nacho of the world" contest which is registered with the Guinness Book of World Records. [9]

Local media

Newspapers

• Periódico Zócalo (Zócalo News)
• Periódico La Voz (La Voz News)
• Periódico El Día (El Día News)
• Revista Bravo!
• El Tranchete (Tabloid)

Radio

• EXA FM 105.5
• Di-94.5 FM Dinámica Auditiva
• K93 FM (Eagle Pass,TX)
• Súper Estelar 107.9 FM
• Amor 107 FM
• Romántica 99.9
• Ke Buena 99.1 FM XHSL
• Radio Gente FM 102.5 XHPNC
• La Consentida 104.4 FM
• Fiesta Mexicana 106.3 FM XHPSP
• La Mexicana 1320 AM
• La Norteñita 830 AM XEIK
• Radio Popular Fronteriza S.A. 920 AM XEMJ [3]
• La Rancherita del Aire 580 AM XEMU

Local Television

• Televisa Piedras Negras (XHPN)
• TV Azteca Piedras Negras
• Visión 10 (XHPNW)
• RCG Piedras Negras
• Multimedios TV Piedras Negras / Eagle Pass (XHAW)
• International Bridges Channel

Internet

• Internet Cablecom – Internet / Cable
• Prodigy by Telmex – Internet / Telephone

Internet Local News

• Periódico Zócalo Sitio Web
• Agencia de Noticias INFONOR
• Agencia de Noticias SIP
• Coahuila en Línea
• Territorio de Coahuila y Texas

Sports

• Baseball – Astros Piedras Negras
• Basketball – Águilas de Piedras Negras

Recent events

• On 4 April 2004, the Río Escondido (a tributary of the Río Bravo) broke its banks and some 36 residents of the Piedras Negras area were killed or vanished after the resulting flash floods.^[21]
• In 2007, a tornado hit both Piedras Negras and Eagle Pass on April 24, killing three people in Piedras Negras and seven people in Eagle Pass. Several others were injured and homeless in both communities. See also Piedras Negras-Eagle Pass Tornadoes

Sister cities

Piedras Negras has two sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:

• Sandy, Utah, USA
• Monterrey, Mexico

References

• Link to tables of population data from Census of 2005 INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática

External links

• Municipio de Piedras Negras Official website
• Asociacion de Agentes Aduanales de Piedras Negras

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