Leon de los Aldamas, Mexico

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producing mainly leather goods (shoes, saddles, etc.), textiles, soap and steel products. It is surrounded by a rich wheat-growing region.

History

In pre-Columbian times the population of this area was a mixture of Otomi Indians and the nomadic tribes from the north known as Chichimecs. In the second half of the 15th c. these were displaced by Tarascans and Aztecs. The Spaniards established their first settlement here in 1552, and this was followed in 1576 by the official foundation of a town, which received its municipal charter in 1836. The words "de los Aldamas" were then added to its name in honour of Juan Aldama, one of the prominent figures, together with Miguel Hidalgo and Ignacio Allende, in the struggle for Mexican independence between 1810 and 1821.

Thereafter the town developed rapidly, but suffered several times from severe flooding, as in 1888, when much of it was destroyed. It is now protected by a dyke.

Sights

Although León is now predominantly a modern industrial city it has a number of handsome colonial buildings. The main square (Zócalo) with the 18th c. Baroque Cathedral is surrounded by arcades.

The Town Hall (Palacio Municipal) boasts a richly carved façade. A notable 20th c. church is the Neo-Gothic Templo Expiatorio, which has more than twenty altars and numerous crypts which served as hiding-places during the Cristero War (192629).

Also of interest are the Market and the Ciudad Deportiva (City of Sport).

17km/10.5mi along the MEX 45 to the south of a road branches off to the left, and 10km/6mi down this road lies the spa of Comanjilla together with a health farm.