Matehuala, San Luis Potosí 作者：  来源：  发布时间：2021-11-19

1.Population and Area

Pop: 99,015 (city)

Area: 1304.7 km2 (munip.)

Elev: 1577 masl

2. Natural geography

Nature and weather

Orography

Considerable plains are presented; to the east there are hills in which their height ranges between 1850 and 1200 meters above sea level.

Hydrography

As in the entire Altiplano, it is formed by a set of closed basins, storm currents and underground mantles. It lacks rivers, only streams and streams that drain into lakes or streams, storm waters that are lost in some basement of a karst region; although it has one of the most important endorheic basins of the Salado.

The most important streams southeast of Matehuala to the town of Refugio are Blanco Chico, San Pablo and Gavia; but practically its only resource is the exploitation of underground aquifers, which are usually used to expand irrigation plots.

The water is highly saline, with low sodium content.

Flora and fauna

Holm oak shrub or chaparral and zacatal are the predominant types. The first is characterized by having a vegetation that develops at altitudes above 1500 meters above sea level, almost exclusively in the Altiplano area, especially on the slopes of the hills; Its plant species are little used, although in some cases they are used as fuels, the so-called Quercus potosina and Quercus tinkhamii predominate.

In the flat lands it is replaced by the zacatal, which is characterized by a vegetation formed by herbaceous, grasses, particularly those known as "grass". Different types of zacatales grow according to the climate, the soil and the relief; in the lower places, the vegetation is shrubby and frequently alternates with other types of vegetation including xerophilous scrub, rosetophilic desert scrub, spiny scrub, macrophilic scrub, nopalera, izotal, cardonal, and grassland.

In these places there are many animal species; Among the most characteristic features are: crows, harriers, owls, owls, hawks, hawks, eagles, roadrunners, black-tailed hare, audobón rabbit, wolves, northern fox, coyote, northern cacomixtle, mule, white-tailed deer and a great variety of reptiles like the chameleon, the desert tortoise and various snakes.

Köppen Classification: Tropical and Subtropical Steppe Climate

This climate type occurs primarily on the periphery of the true deserts in low-latitude semiarid steppe regions. It is transitional to the tropical wet-dry climate on the equatorward side and to the Mediterranean climate on its poleward margin, with a cooler, wetter winter resulting from the higher latitude and mid-latitude frontal cyclone activity. Annual precipitation totals are greater than in tropical and subtropical desert climates. Yearly variations in amount are not as extreme as in the true deserts but are nevertheless large.

The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "BSk". (Tropical and Subtropical Steppe Climate).

The average temperature for the year in Matehuala is 65.7°F (18.7°C). The warmest month, on average, is June with an average temperature of 73.0°F (22.8°C). The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of 55.8°F (13.2°C).

The highest recorded temperature in Matehuala is 105.8°F (41°C), which was recorded in May. The lowest recorded temperature in Matehuala is 17.6°F (-8°C), which was recorded in December.

The average amount of precipitation for the year in Matehuala is 21.0" (533.4 mm). The month with the most precipitation on average is September with 3.4" (86.4 mm) of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is November with an average of 0.4" (10.2 mm). In terms of liquid precipitation, there are an average of 59.2 days of rain, with the most rain occurring in August with 9.0 days of rain, and the least rain occurring in February with 1.7 days of rain.

http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=924041&cityname=Matehuala%2C+San+Luis+Potosi%2C+Mexico&units=

Getting there and around

Get there

By plane – The quickest way to get from Mexico City to Matehuala is to fly and bus which costs $1400 - $6000 and takes 5h 23m. The quickest flight from Mexico City Airport to San Luis Potosi Airport is the direct flight which takes 1h 5m.

By car – The distance between Mexico City and Matehuala is 495 km. The road distance is 586.2 km. It takes approximately 6h 44m to drive from Mexico City to Matehuala.

By bus – The cheapest way to get from Mexico City to Matehuala is to bus which costs $600 - $1500 and takes 7h 39m. There are services departing from Izazaga and arriving at Matehuala via México Central Norte.

https://www.rome2rio.com/s/Mexico-City/Matehuala

Rideshare – Check out Blabla Car's carpooling service for rideshare options between Mexico City and the city you are visiting. A great option if you don't have a driver's license or want to avoid public transport.

Car Rental – To explore Mexico’s provincial towns and cities—including its beach locations and the scenery and attractions near them— consider renting a car for your visit. Having your own car will give you more flexibility than using public transport options and, in some cases, offer you access to places which are otherwise difficult to visit without the use of a car.

COVID19 – International entry into Mexico from United States

Allowed for: All visitors arriving by air. Mexico land borders are closed to non-essential travel

Restricted for: There are no current restrictions.

Get around

Local Buses – Local buses and mini-buses (combis or micros) are available locally for a fraction of the cost of a taxi around town. You need to speak Spanish to be able to ask for directions or ask the driver to tell you where to get off.

Taxis – Taxis in most of Mexico’s towns and cities are not metered, so agree your price before you get in. Taxi travel is very affordable in Mexico, in comparison to the USA, Canada and Europe, and so provides a viable means of public transportation in Mexico. Your hotel can arrange taxis for you; some post their rates on a board in the lobby; taxi hotel rates are usually higher than cabs you hail off the street. If you speak Spanish, you will have a distinct advantage and be able to negotiate a price with the driver.

Uber is expanding rapidly across Mexico and now offers services in cities across the country, including: Mexico City, Toluca, Cuernavaca, Puebla, Querétaro, León, Aguascalientes, San Luis Potosí, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Hermosillo, Tijuana, Mexicali, and Mérida. Uber has been adding Mexican cities to its network every year, check for availability when you arrive at your destination in Mexico.

Cabify and Didi are also developing and currently operate in cities including Mexico City, Toluca, Monterrey, Puebla, Querétaro and Tijuana. Check for availability in the city you are visiting.

These services offer people with smartphones a way to book a cab through a mobile app for a pre-agreed price. Fares are comparable with Sitio type cabs, and sometimes trade at a premium to this when local demand increases.

https://www.mexperience.com/transport/taxi-travel-in-mexico/#51

3. ECONOMY

GDP: 6 226.6 M MXN (2010)

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323024280_El_producto_interno_bruto_de_los_municipios_de_Mexico_II_Estados_M-Z

4. Industry characteristics

Farming

This activity has as main crops: corn, beans and barley, as a perennial crop that is important in the region is alfalfa.

The commercialization of the products due to human needs is intended for self-consumption and when there are surpluses it is commercialized locally or to the same region.

Cattle raising

According to INEGI, as of December 31, 1999 there was a total population of 5,498 head of cattle, destined for the production of milk, meat and for work; 5 thousand 472 head of pig cattle; 811 heads of sheep; 19,887 of goats; 4 thousand 348 of equine cattle; 291 359 poultry for meat and eggs; 50 hives for honey production.

Forestry

In the municipality the forestry of wood products is carried out through rural production units.

Manufacturing industry

The various manufacturing companies within the municipality are industrial establishments that employ various people.

Textile; Food; Metal-Mechanics; Electronics; Logistics.

Active population by sector

According to figures for the year 2000 presented by INEGI, the total economically active population of the municipality amounts to 26,745 people, while the employed is 26,427; presenting itself as follows: Primary Sector (agriculture, livestock, hunting and fishing), 8.97 percent; Secondary Sector (mining, oil, manufacturing industry, construction and electricity), 34.82 percent; Tertiary Sector (commerce, tourism and services), 53.55 percent; Others (probably informal employment), 2.66 percent.

Key project: Tangamanga II park

With an investment of 52.5 million pesos, the state government, through the Ministry of Urban Development, Housing and Public Works (Seduvop), advances in the construction of the Tangamanga-type park in Matehuala, based on the concept of the two Tangamanga parks in San Luis Potosí. The Tangamanga I park in SLP is the second largest urban park in Mexico, only after Chapultepec park in Mexico City.

Located in Ejido Santa Ana, it has an area of 320 thousand 16 square meters, and will join the State Network of Parks, such as "Tantocob" and "Los Azahares" in Ciudad Valles and Rioverde, respectively.

Five multisport fields are built, two soccer fields with regulatory measures, a softball field, a baseball field, a cycling track and a jogging track, in the recreational and services area, five kiosks, restrooms, and a sustainability information center are built, palapas, offices and an internal road.

A living area and outdoor gym are planned, which includes eight modules, five living areas, as well as fixed equipment for children's games.

Regarding the equipment, the construction of a main access, a parking lot and internal road with asphalt layer, as well as five biodigesters for the bathroom modules, is also being carried out on the drinking water network, for which a storage tank, in addition, the perimeter fencing with cyclonic mesh, sidewalks, solar lighting with 70 lamps and street furniture will be installed.

https://www.elsoldesanluis.com.mx/local/gobernador-arranca-la-construccion-de-parque-tangamanga-en-matehuala-4516706.html

5. Attractions

Plaza de Armas

At this side of the city you will find, besides the Cathedral, the Municipal Place and the Theater Manuel José Othon. This theater is a place dedicated to culture and visited by young people. Different artistic presentations and events such as concerts take place here.

At the very heart of the plaza you will see a kiosk and a cannon. The great quantity of trees will invite you to sit like many of the abuelos that use to come here to read the newspaper not worrying about anything else.

Around the plaza you can find restaurants and coffee shops. There are also souvenir shops where you can buy crafts made in leather.

Much of Matehuala’s charm comes from its people and the rhythm of the city. Here you will always find something to do and to enjoy, it could be a public event or an artistic activity in its theater, there are plenty of choices for you to decide.

https://www.visitmexico.com/en/san-luis-potosi/matehuala/plaza-de-armas

Wirikuta

This Natural protected area is part of Matehuala. For the Huicholes of wixarikas, this land is sacred and they come from the states Durango, Zacatecas, Jalisco and Nayarit to visit it.

This region is part of the Chihuahuan Desert and is the habitat of amazing species like the golden eagle, for sure you will be able to see them once you walk its roads.

As almost all the towns in Mexico, the Wirikuta region has its own festivities that take place during the month of May. During the celebrations the huicholes undertake a peregrination through the desert until they get to Cerro del Quemado.

According to the wixarika tradition, this was the place in which the sun rise for the first time. This celebration was created after the Spaniards arrived, when the original inhabitants of those lands were forced to leave their towns, but could never leave their roots and beliefs behind.

This way, these communities travel hundreds of kilometers under the sun and through the desert until they find this mytical hill in which the light of their traditions is still on.

This is an important, yet intimate and private event among the communities. It is not advisable to travel during the ceremony. We will advise you to visit the Wirikuta during Autumn when the weather is nice and it is easier to move around the zone.

This may not be a recreational destination, it is rather a space that invites you to meditate, to enjoy the landscape in its wild state and to value every creature on planet Earth. There are some tours you can book with expert guides that will explain to you the history of the site.

https://www.visitmexico.com/en/san-luis-potosi/matehuala/wirikuta

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

In The XIX century, the Bishop of San Luis Potosí, commanded to demolish the Matehuala Parrish due to the terrible state it was in. Adamo Boari, a genius of architecture at the time, designed a completely new building. He decided to make a tribute to the Saint Joseph of Brotteaux of Lyon church, built by Gaspar André, in the same century.

The construction started in 1906, but many years were required –and the end of the Mexican Revolution– in order for the work to be completed. It was in the middle of the XX when this happened, but this is not finished just yet.

Its unfinished beauty, monumental and unique, worked together for it to become a Cathedral by the end of the 90’s in the last century.

When you visit, take your time to explore its shapes and the way the light passes through its 10 meters in diameter rosette. This intelligent window of light is responsible for illuminating the whole nave of the Cathedral. This also allows that the enormous arches like the ones of the altar remain visibles and imposing.

Because of the characteristics of its style, this church lacks ornamentation, except for its sides, where you will see some stained glasses narrating religious passages. The rest is just a peaceful spaciousness, blue stone, natural stone and an absolute white.

https://www.visitmexico.com/en/san-luis-potosi/matehuala/cathedral-of-the-immaculate-conception

Matehuala, San Luis Potosi

https://youtu.be/iNHYzB_sGAs

6. History

In pre-colonial times, the area of the Potosino Altiplano was populated by indigenous Guachichiles or Huachichiles who, it is known, were a nomadic people whose main economic activity was gathering, so they were characterized by being knowledgeable about herbalism.

They did not wear dresses. The women wore deerskin around their waists. The body was painted with red blood and other minerals, black and yellow, obtained from the mines. They sheared themselves when they were in mourning. They did not bury their dead, but burned them and kept the ashes in little sacks that they always carried with them. They fanned the ashes of their enemies.

Their prisoners had their hair removed and hung behind their back. They used the nerves to tie the flint to their arrow and the bones of the quills to display them as a trophy. Only boys and young women were spared.

For the most part, their social organization was based on the nuclear family. They lived in small villages in the southern part and, to the north, the tribal form of less stable settlements prevailed. In general, the northern tribes were smaller than the southern ones. Polygamy characterized the northern tribes and monogamy those of the south, with the wife having greater freedom than elsewhere. There were both intratribal and intertribal marriages.

The colony

At the beginning of the 16th century, the Spanish carried out expeditions in the Altiplano in search of metals and the exploitation of mines. A captain named Gabriel Ortiz de Fuenmayor in the company of some other adventurers and missionaries entered the heart of the new kingdom on the side of Zacatecas and bound for Texas. Towards 1549, having arrived in New Spain the viceroy Luis I de Velasco, Gerónimo de Pengua, Juan de Leija and Ortiz de Fuenmayor drew up the act of the foundation of San Francisco de Matehuala on July 10, 1550; through the license to populate and provide assigned to the New Kingdom of Vizcaya. As founders of these lands, Juan de Leija and the Chichimeca captains Francisco de León and Miguel Martín will appear; in addition to the indigenous Guachichiles and Chichimecas Negritos present.

That same year the Chichimeca War broke out due to the dispute over the Zacatecas mines, discovered in 1546, between the Chichimeca Indians and newly settled Spaniards, which lasted at least 40 years, so that San Francisco de Matehuala was abandoned. .

It was not until 1568, in the viceroyalty of Martín Enríquez de Almanza, when more serious measures were taken to confront the problem and the border prisons were established, united by a system of military escorts. In the 1570s the morality of war was first questioned. Many voices were heard, but it was finally concluded that war was just and obligatory, but as long as there were no slaves. The Dominicans were the only ones to maintain that the Spanish were invaders and aggressors of the Great Chichimeca.

Felipe II, King of Spain, convinced that true pacification actions should be carried out, would decide to send a representative to make an agreement with the natives in his name. The peace conferences were held in the capital of New Spain and attended by the lords of the towns or caciques, including Maticoya and Tenso, accompanied by Captain Miguel Caldera.

With the discovery of nearby metal veins, more people would gather in the population and, at the end of the 17th century, steps would be taken to found a town on the old hacienda. Thus, on February 26, 1706, a commission chaired by Luis García de Pruneda would be formed to recognize the terms of jurisdiction and verify the possession of the land. As a result of the litigation, it would be agreed to carry out a new possession of lands to Guachichiles, Chichimecas Negritos and Tlaxcalans, in compliance with the mandate of the Governor of the New Kingdom of León, Gregorio Salinas Verona; which in turn obeyed the royal provision of Viceroy Francisco Fernández de la Cueva Enríquez, Duke of Alburquerque. The person in charge of carrying out the commission would be Fernando Zamora, war captain of the San Antonio del Río Blanco plains; in such a way that on March 10, 1706 the second founding act of Matehuala would be raised, settling the natives in the lands they chose and giving them possession to found the town.

The mining boom of the Real de Minas de Nuestra Señora de la Limpia Concepción de Guadalupe de los Álamos de Catorce, better known as Real de Catorce, whose first veins were discovered around 1772 among others by Sebastián Coronado and Manuel Martínez, meant great economic benefits for Matehuala by increasing the value of properties, favoring trade and thus giving way to the settlement of the population in a definitive way; This caused it not only to be a forced transit place, but to abandon its condition of fleeting transit, as it had been until then.

Due to these circumstances, Matehuala would be named Villa in the year 1808, minting a small copper medal as a way to celebrate such event. This piece, now a numismatic curiosity, has become rare.

Independence

Félix María Calleja del Rey, who for personal reasons was closely linked to San Luis Potosí, since March 1796 had been in charge of the command and sub-inspection of the militia and veteran troops of the Nuevo Reino de León, Colonia del Nuevo Santander, Primera División del North and Brigade of San Luis Potosí.

For their part, the supporters of the insurgent cause that had been unleashed in the Bajío sought to increase their strength, which came not so much from the possibility of creating a well-ordered and armed army, but from adding the largest number of supporters among Creoles, mestizos , Indians and castes, in such a way that the weight of that majority was sufficient to make the royalists desist. The conspiracy also developed in the cells of the convents, the streets, the neighborhoods and the towns.

Allende, one of the most prominent insurgent generals,  commissioned Mariano Jiménez to spread the revolt in the internal provinces. He passed through Venado, Charcas, Cedral, Catorce and Matehuala (in the latter from December 2 to 28, 1810, staying at the Portales Sol de Villa house) on his way to Saltillo, where the Spaniards from these towns had taken refuge with the colonel realistic Antonio Cordero. Mariano Jiménez defeated Cordero in Aguanueva, but unlike other insurgent leaders who opted for violence and terrorizing the civilian population, Jiménez released him as well as the Spaniards, to whom he gave safe conducts so that they could return to their homes.

Shortly after, advancing slowly through Ojo Caliente, Hacienda El Carro and the Villas de Salinas, Charcas and Venado, Hidalgo arrived in Matehuala at the head of a battered army, where he stayed until the first days of March to reach Allende, who on the 24 April 1811 he would peacefully take the Plaza de Saltillo.

While the signing of the document known as the Plan of Iguala was being carried out, in the same way, on February 24, 1821, where the Independence of Mexico towards Spain, and the union of the armies were officially recognized for the first time.

After the promulgation of Independence in September 1821, Matehuala would achieve the status of municipality through Decree 46, issued by the State Constituent Congress on July 19, 1826; ordering his correspondence to the party of Catorce, together with the municipality of Cedral.

A few years later, in 1840, the priest Ignacio Mateo Guerra Alba ordered the start of the construction of the new parish. In 1856 the first bishop of San Luis, Pedro Barajas, after the blessing of the new temple, received a delegation made up of Agustín Soberón, among others, who proposed to demolish the temple's pantheon to build a plaza.

Reform

In 1858, the bloody Reform War began, also called the Three Year War. Almost at the beginning of this armed conflict, the Liberal chief, Colonel Martín Zayas, established his headquarters in Matehuala and from there he gave orders to the then Colonel Mariano Escobedo to march with 250 men to occupy Venado Square.

Before the imminent arrival of the conservatives, the governor Chico Sein had to leave the plaza to go to Matehuala. Then the conservative Manuel Díaz de la Vega held the governorship. The confrontations between liberals and conservatives continued throughout the state: Ciudad del Maíz, Moctezuma, Bocas, Ahualulco, Cedral, Matehuala, Soledad, Villa de San Francisco, Venado and Pozos. From his office in Matehuala, Chico Sein handed over command of the liberal forces to General José López Uraga, in order to bring them together and consolidate them under a more adequate discipline and strategies.

In a short time, General López Uraga managed to form an army of 4 thousand men with which he sustained a series of successful campaigns that allowed the restitution of the liberal powers in the state. Chico Sein once again occupied the city of San Luis Potosí as governor, which again became the center of military operations for the liberal army. In it, for a few days, General Santos Degollado installed the headquarters of the federal army. In September 1860, the Legislature appointed Sóstenes Escandón, a neighboring merchant from Rioverde, governor.

At the beginning of January 1862, President Benito Juárez declared a state of siege to San Luis Potosí, which meant the umpteenth suspension of the sovereign powers of the entity. This time he dismissed Sóstenes Escandón and appointed General Jesús González Ortega military commander of the states of San Luis Potosí, Zacatecas and Aguascalientes.

In 1863, a period of regency and empire took place as a result of the French intervention. With the fall of Puebla, President Benito Juárez will not be able to stay in Mexico City and will establish an itinerant government, passing through San Luis Potosí and arriving at Matehuala in December 1863, making it the temporary headquarters of the Powers of the Union and , therefore, in the capital of the Republic. On January 5, 1864, Juárez left for Saltillo after Tomás Mejía, at the head of the Franco-Mexican troops, had occupied the Hacienda El Jaral in mid-December and his outposts reached Santa María del Río.

During his stay in Matehuala, Juárez will try to normalize government functions by issuing military and political positions. He will form several cabinets made up of Manuel Doblado, Higinio Núñez, Felipe Berriozábal, Ignacio Comonfort, Miguel Negrete, Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada, Jesús Terán and José María Iglesias. Manuel María de Zamacona would be in charge of the publication of the Official Gazette of the Supreme Government, and Francisco Zarco of the Mexican newspaper La Independencia.

In May 1864, the Franco-Mexican troops, with Tomás Mejía in the vanguard, will enter Matehuala through the new pond and arrive at Plaza Zaragoza; They were there when the city began to be besieged by the republicans under the command of General Manuel Doblado, seconded by Antillón and Antonio Carbajal.

At that time, Colonel Baron de Aymard, with the 62nd Battalion of the line and a squad of hunters from Africa, had left the Hacienda de la Presa to defend Matehuala from the republican siege; thus, he entered the city facing General Doblado on May 17, 1864 in the vicinity of the city. The action was won by the imperialists and the republicans suffered a defeat in which they also lost all their weapons, to end up fleeing the French legionaries who pursued them. Aymard returned to Matehuala in triumph, and that area remained in the hands of the imperialists until late August or early September 1866.

During this time, Matehuala was occupied by various French troops under the command of different chiefs, among them Colonel Jeanningros and Commander Rubén de la Hayrie; other forces were there passing through to other places; as The Legionaries, under the command of Captain Vignaud.

On March 3, 1865, by decree of Maximiliano de Habsburgo, the department of San Luis Potosí was divided into two, the city of San Luis Potosí being the capital of one and Matehuala being the capital of the other. This division was short-lived, lasting just over a year.

In December 1865 an ordinance was decreed for the formation of forces that existed in the territory, the third of the formed bodies would operate in Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Matehuala, Aguascalientes, Fresnillo and Zacatecas. By this time Matehuala formed the extreme limit of the positions occupied by the Franco-Mexican troops and the parish of Matehuala would become the headquarters of the troops of Commander Rubén de la Hayrie.

In April 1866, General Mariano Escobedo, commanding a thick military column of republicans, attacked the Plaza de Matehuala, being rejected by the French legionaries. This combat was the last that was registered in Matehuala during the French intervention, afterwards there were only movements of entrance and exit of French troops. The last foreign force to leave Matehuala was a battalion from Africa. It was the rear of the invaders, when it left the town it was attacked by republican forces and some national guerrillas.

When the French occupation troops left Matehuala, Juan Bustamante immediately moved to this city, where he established the state government; also exercising the position of Military Commander, a position he held by appointment of President Juárez. It was then that Bustamante began to edit the first newspaper that Matehuala had, with the name of Boletín de noticias, with only six issues published between November 4 and December 27, 1866.

Accused of spending outside the budget and invading the functions of the Legislative branch, Bustamante himself would request a license to be separated from his post in July 1868. Even so, Bustamante would organize a rebellion that was to break out in Charcas. The Legislature opened a process for the crime of conspiracy, and he was apprehended at the end of June 1869, continuing with this the almost endless succession of governors that had been succeeding since 1827; having Matehuala as a privileged setting.

The so-called period of the restored Republic would follow, which in San Luis Potosí prepared the return of the political dominance of the economically strong groups settled in the Middle Region, mainly in the cities of Rio Verde and Ciudad del Maíz.

In the last two decades of the 19th century, the mining of Real de Catorce would reappear, the Ogarrio Tunnel will begin and Matehuala, with its mines, will also re-emerge thanks to the smelting of metals. A police group will establish surveillance in the city and the suburban railway called La Nigua will be installed, which served the population on the way to the La Paz mines.

The Porfirian peace

At the same time, and given the reestablishment of the Constitutional Government, in September 1867 the Second Legislature would come into operation to no longer cede the parliamentary regency of the state to the military and governors. At that time, Matehuala received a powerful boost reaching the designation of city through Decree 12, issued during the governorship of Jesús Díaz de León, on December 12, 1871. Three years later, on September 29, 1874, the Matehuala market square and in 1878 the telegraphic line would be put into service for different parts of the municipality.

In February 1878 a contract was made between the federal government and that of San Luis Potosí for the construction of a railroad that would depart from the state capital to where the Tamesí River was navigable and from there to Tampico. This concession was transferred to the Compañía del Ferrocarril Central Mexicano (with US capital) on December 31, 1880. In February 1881, the contract for the construction of the road that would connect the cities of San Luis Potosí and Aguascalientes, also concessioned to the Central Mexican Railway Company. The works were carried out on the railway to Tampico that would connect San Luis Potosí with the Gulf of Mexico and the laying and opening of the line of the Mexican National Railroad, also with US capital, was carried out, which linked Mexico City with Nuevo Laredo and it crossed the entire length of Potosí territory. This line was inaugurated on November 1, 1888, although the road to Tampico began to operate until April 16, 1890, and would mean a great commercial boost for Matehuala, transforming it into the second city of the state due to its economic and cultural importance.

The railway infrastructure and its expansion were closely linked to investments in the mining and commercial sectors. The Santa Ana mines in Real de Catorce and the Compañía Minera de Santa María de la Paz in Matehuala were two of the most important mining companies at the time. In the former, electricity was introduced as a driving force around 1895. To these should be added the Hacienda Metalúrgica de los Morales and the Sociedad Metalúrgica Mexicana (a branch of the American Smelting Company) controlled by the Guggenheim family, which, in a short time, dominated the mining industry in Potosí.

On May 8, 1905, the telephone service between the city of Matehuala and Villa de Guadalupe was inaugurated. In 1906, electricity and electricity were introduced in Matehuala at the initiative of Manuel Izaguirre, political leader of the party, who also signed a contract to provide the head of this service, whose installation was completed until 1907. On August 2 of that same year, the potable water service was inaugurated in Matehuala. The official act was verified in the Plaza 5 de Mayo by the then governor, José María Espinosa y Cuevas, who made the opening statement and opened the master key.

The conflicts experienced by rural societies had, on a lesser scale and belligerence, their urban counterpart in the bosom of an incipient proletariat, born of industrialization, foreign investment, mining and transportation. Around 1870 the workers organized the first labor union in Mexico City, El Gran Círculo de Obreros de México, which, by 1871, already had subsidiary circles in Toluca and San Luis Potosí. In 1876 there was an important increase in the labor movement in San Luis Potosí: workers, railroad workers and miners began to organize and promote strikes. Miners' strikes occurred in Charcas and Matehuala in 1884, in Real de Catorce in 1886 and 1891; in 1901 again in Matehuala and in 1903 in the metallurgical company of the Guggenheim. The protests typically responded to poor working conditions and high corn prices in workplaces.

Revolution

Under these conditions, the Mexican Liberal Party (PLM) emerged. On September 28, 1905, from underground and in exile, the PLM organizing board issued the statutes for the founding of the party in a manifesto to the Mexican nation. The political ideology as well as the different sympathetic liberal clubs of the PLM were closely linked to the emergence of the labor movement that was brewing at the beginning of the century. They were also the motivation of many leaders of the armed struggle that was about to begin.

The PLM had several followers in the state of San Luis Potosí such as Celso I. Robledo, who rebelled in September 1906 when the uprising of the border town of Jiménez, Coahuila broke out, gathered combat elements in different parts of the state and corresponded with the Flores Magón, Juan Sarabia and Antonio I. Villarreal; its center of operations was Alaquines. Others, such as Mateo Almanza, Pedro Medellín, Isaac Forcada, Luis G. Monzón, Evaristo Medina and Albino Soto led uprisings in Matehuala, Moctezuma, Villa de Arriaga, Valles, Tamasopo, Tamazunchale and Tlanchinol.

Thus, in San Luis Potosí there were the elements that would end up weaving the complex fabric of the armed revolutionary movement and on April 27, 1913, after the assassination of Francisco I. Madero in Mexico City, the first combat between constitutionalists and villistas that there is a record in the geographic center of the country; nothing more and nothing less for the Plaza de Matehuala.

The Carrancistas Jesús Dávila and Ernesto Santos Coy, since the beginning of March, had been intimidating the political leader of Matehuala, Major Mariano Zúñiga, to carry out his surrender. The number of rebels was 400, all on horseback, well armed and well equipped. The square had for its defense the body of gendarmes and 40 soldiers from the body called Granaderos del Potosí and 20 from the First Battalion of the State.

By January 1915, the Villista troops led by Tomás Urbina had already reached the city of San Luis Potosí and at the end of February Francisco Villa appointed Colonel Emiliano G. Saravia as interim governor. The Villista forces had taken over almost all Potosí territory, including Matehuala, and at the end of March the battles began in El Ébano, again between the Villistas and the Constitutionalist army.

Soon, the state would be traversed by the most conflicting currents of the revolution at the same time that it generated its own positions based on the traditional efforts of regional autonomy, all with a strong agrarian content. Thus, the region went from being under Villista to Obregonista control, to end up being predominantly Carrancista even after the assassination of Venustiano Carranza on May 21, 1920.

The anticlerical policy during the government of Plutarco Elías Calles meant the closure of schools run by nuns throughout the state and the decrease, in March 1926, of priests that were allowed by each municipality. San Luis, Matehuala, Rio Verde and Santa María del Río would be allowed two each; to all the others only one for each municipality.

Towards the 1930s, with Lázaro Cárdenas as President of the Republic, San Luis Potosí would witness a general strike of workers in support of the workers of the Atlas textile factory and, with it, the close alliance of the movement Potosino worker with Cárdenas, which included the mining sections of Cerro de San Pedro, Charcas, Villa de La Paz and Matehuala; which created in 1934 the Industry Unions.

The Second World War and the internal political atmosphere of the country allowed his government to pass without serious obstacles. The local economy was favored by the demand for raw materials in the United States; State products such as cashmere, denim, gloves, hard fibers and even certain particular industries such as Canel's, manufacturers of sweets, had a remarkable growth in those years. A 1942 bracero agreement allowed workers from Potosí, almost all of peasant origin, to temporarily emigrate to the United States.

At the end of the 20th century, on July 30, 1995, with Fernando Torres Rangel being municipal president, the parish of the Immaculate Conception would be elevated by John Paul II as the seat of the Diocese of Matehuala; being part of it the municipalities of the Altiplano and some that are in the Middle Zone of the state, as is the case of Guadalcázar and Ciudad del Maíz.

At the political level, there is an alternation in power between the PAN and the PRI, with little participation from other political parties, such as the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD). Recently, some of its inhabitants received a visit from a small delegation of EZLN members, within the framework of the Zapatista initiative known as the Other Campaign.

Culturally, since 1999 the Desert Festival has been held, which since its first edition has hosted music, dance and theater shows, visual arts exhibitions and conferences, book fairs and film shows, guided tours and children's activities in the Host municipalities: Matehuala, Real de Catorce, Cedral, Villa de la Paz, Guadalcázar, Vanegas, Charcas, Villa de Guadalupe and the community of La Boca. In its thirteen editions, it has had the participation of around 300 artists for each occasion, which makes it the most important event of its kind in the region.

As one more sequel to the violence and criminal wave that is hitting the state, on August 12, 2012 Edgar Morales Pérez (elected mayor), of the PRI party, who had won the last elections in 2012, was assassinated.

7.Contact Information

City Mayor: Roberto Alejandro Segovia Hernández

Phone number: +52 (488) 882 0583

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JanoSegoviaHdz

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janosegovia2018

E-mail: alejandrosegovia.medios@gmail.com

Website: https://matehuala.gob.mx

Govt. Office Address: Celso N. Ramos 120, CP. 78700, Matehuala, San Luis Potosi