Durango

Mexican State

Area: 123,520sq.km/47,678sq.mi

Population: 1,431,700

The large, sparsely populated state of Durango borders on Chihuahua in the north, Sinaloa in the west, Nayarit in the south, and Zacatecas and Coahuila in the east. Extending as far as the western slopes of the Sierra Madre, it consists primarily of dry plateaux covered with lava rock and deeply fissured by ravines. Its inhabitants are mestizos and Creoles, with Tepehuano Indians still living in remote areas.

History

The region now making up the state was populated in pre-Hispanic times by semi-nomadic tribes, in particular the Tepehuano and Acaxe. The first Spaniard to penetrate the area is thought to have been the conquistador Ginés Vásquez del Mercado, who arrived in 1551 to search for precious metals. He was followed by a Basque, Francisco de Ibarra, who established the first settlements, among which were Nombre de Dios (1555) and Durango (1563). A state of almost permanent war with the Indians lasted until 1616 when the Tepehuano finally suffered decisive defeat. Even then Indian uprisings were still common right up until the late 19th c. Prior to becoming separate federal states in 1823, Durango and Chihuahua together made up the province of Nueva Vizcaya.

Economy

Durango has great mineral wealth including gold, silver, copper, iron, zinc, sulphur and antimony. In fertile areas watered by rivers or artificially irrigated, agricultural products such as cotton, maize, tobacco, sugar cane and vegetables are grown. Livestock rearing and agricultural processing also play a part in the economy. Tourism is not yet particularly important.