durango

Durango (IPA pronunciation /duʲraŋgo/) is one of the constituent states of Mexico. Its estimated population in 2003 was about 1,450,000 people. The city of Durango is the capital. The Sierra Madre Occidental is a mountain range located in the western portion of the state. This mountain range contains a plentiful supply of mineral deposits, including the silver that encouraged Spanish occupation of the territory after it was discovered. These mines extend north into Chihuahua and south into the state of Zacatecas.

Culturally, Durango is famous for a type of musical style known as duranguense.

The major occupations in Durango are farming, lumbering and ranching. Vast desert basins in the Laguna District are irrigated by the Río Nazas. Major crops grown in the area include cotton, wheat, sugarcane, tobacco, corn, and other vegetables.

Francisco de Ibarra, the first to colonize Durango, settled this part of the vast northern province of Nueva Vizcaya in 1563, when he founded the capital city and named it Durango for his native town in Biscay, Spain; the foundation was just one in his larger program of initiating settlements through the province. This was a late colonization for the Spanish, mostly due to heavy resistance to Spanish occupation by the indigenous population living there, from first contact to modern times, in attempts to gain some autonomy, address grievances, or maintain traditional land ownership. Spanish colonists became highly attracted to the Durango area for its mining and grazing capabilities. In 1823, shortly after the Mexican revolutionary victory over Spain, Durango earned the right to be a separate state.

Municipalities

Durango is divided into 39 municipalities (municipios). See municipalities of Durango.

References in Popular Culture

Bob Dylan co-wrote a song called Romance in Durango with Jacques Levy for his 1976 classic, Desire (album).

The song chronicles the story of a man seeking refuge because of a hazy murder that the narrator may or may not have been involved in - "Was it me that shot him down in the cantina?" who escapes to Durango with the murder victim's lover (Magdalena). The narrator hopes to marry her, at the end he gets shot in the head and killed.

External links

• Towns, cities, and postal codes in Durango (in Spanish)
• John P. Schmal, "The history of indigenous Durango" detailing the series of revolts
• Music history and Durango small harp (in Spanish)
• Night Life at Durango (in spanish)