Parral, Chihuahua
Encyclopedia
Hidalgo del Parral, is a city and seat of the municipality of Hidalgo del Parral
Hidalgo del Parral (municipality)
Hidalgo del Parral is a one of the 67 municipalities of Chihuahua, in northern Mexico. The municipal seat lies at Hidalgo del Parral . The municipality covers an area of 1,751 km²....

 in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It is located in the southern part of the state, 220 km from the state capital, the city of Chihuahua, Chih
Chihuahua, Chihuahua
The city of Chihuahua is the state capital of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It has a population of about 825,327. The predominant activity is industry, including domestic heavy, light industries, consumer goods production, and to a smaller extent maquiladoras.-History:It has been said that the...

.
The city's population was 101,147 at the 2005 census, and the municipality's population was 103,519. The municipality includes numerous very small outlying communities in addition to the city. The city was founded as San José del Parral. The name was changed after independence from Spain, in honour of Fr Miguel Hidalgo
Miguel Hidalgo
Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla y Gallaga Mandarte Villaseñor , more commonly known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or simply Miguel Hidalgo, was a Mexican priest and a leader of the Mexican War of Independence.In 1810 Hidalgo led a group of peasants in a revolt against the dominant...

, widely considered the 'Father of the Country'.

The city is one of the most European-fashioned in all Mexico, because of the historic presence of Spaniards and French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...

.

History

According to legend, Juan Rangel de Biezma came here in 1629, picked up a rock on the “Cerro la Prieta” (La Prieta Hill), licked it and proclaimed “There is a mineral deposit here.” This deposit produced silver for 340 years.

Parral was once a bustling center for silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...

 mining. As early as 1567, the silver mines at Santa Barbara were established in the territory of the Conchos Indians. However, in 1631, a vast new silver strike was made in what is now southern Chihuahua. Later, in 1640, it was declared "Capital of the World" by monarch, Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV was King of Spain between 1621 and 1665, sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands, and King of Portugal until 1640...

, at the very height of the Spanish Empire
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....

, that included territories in Eastern Asia, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, and the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....

 .

The strike in Parral led to a large influx of Spaniards and Indian laborers into the area of Tarahumara country north of Santa Barbara. However, the steadily increasing need for labor in the Parral mines, according to Professor Spicer, led to the "forcible recruitment, or enslavement, of non-Christian Indians...the influx of new people and the resulting development of Spanish society no doubt placed increased pressure upon the native population in the region. The large area of southern Chihuahua inhabited by the Conchos Indians included the highway between the mining districts of Parral, Cusihuiriachic, and Chihuahua." After the end of the silver mining boom, Parral was almost completely abandoned in the early 1930s (although the surrounding district continues to be mined for silver and base metals.) It is now a small city mainly dedicated to commerce.

Parral is often associated with several historical figures, including Mexican revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...

ary leader Pancho Villa
Pancho Villa
José Doroteo Arango Arámbula – better known by his pseudonym Francisco Villa or its hypocorism Pancho Villa – was one of the most prominent Mexican Revolutionary generals....

, who was assassinated on July 20, 1923 and initially buried there, and border ruffian "Dirty" Dave Rudabaugh
Dave Rudabaugh
David Rudabaugh , was an outlaw and gunfighter in the American Old West. Modern writers often refer to him as "Dirty Dave" on account of his alleged aversion to water, no evidence has emerged to show that he was ever referred to as such in his own lifetime.-Early life:Rudabaugh was born as David...

, a sometime friend and foe of Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid
William H. Bonney William H. Bonney William H. Bonney (born William Henry McCarty, Jr. est. November 23, 1859 – c. July 14, 1881, better known as Billy the Kid but also known as Henry Antrim, was a 19th-century American gunman who participated in the Lincoln County War and became a frontier...

.

El Palacio de Alvarado

It belonged to one of the most prominent families in Parral, descendants of Pedro Alvarado
Pedro Alvarado (Mexican miner)
Pedro Alvarado Torres of Parral, Chihuahua was a worker and philanthropist who operated the Palmilla mine near Parral in Chihuahua Mexico that was one of the country's richest silver mines....

 owning the silver mine called “La Palmilla.” This family was rich enough to offer the President Porfirio Díaz
Porfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican-American War volunteer and French intervention hero, an accomplished general and the President of Mexico continuously from 1876 to 1911, with the exception of a brief term in 1876 when he left Juan N...

 to pay the national external debt. The palace was constructed by Federico Amérigo Rouvier and it is now a museum and cultural center. It has preserved much of the original European-made furniture. The walls of the patio were painted by Italian painter Antionio Decanini between 1946 and 1948.

El Hotel Hidalgo

This historical building was a gift from Don
Don (honorific)
Don, from Latin dominus, is an honorific in Spanish , Portuguese , and Italian . The female equivalent is Doña , Dona , and Donna , abbreviated "Dª" or simply "D."-Usage:...

 Pedro Alvarado
Pedro Alvarado (Mexican miner)
Pedro Alvarado Torres of Parral, Chihuahua was a worker and philanthropist who operated the Palmilla mine near Parral in Chihuahua Mexico that was one of the country's richest silver mines....

 to Pancho Villa
Pancho Villa
José Doroteo Arango Arámbula – better known by his pseudonym Francisco Villa or its hypocorism Pancho Villa – was one of the most prominent Mexican Revolutionary generals....

 and is located next to the Plaza Guillermo Baca.

La Casa de la Familia Griensen (the Griensen Family House)

This is where Elisa Griensen was born. She distinguished herself in Parral history by fighting against a contingent of U.S. soldiers sent to capture Pancho Villa after he crossed the border and attacked Columbus, New Mexico.

The Francisco Villa Museum

This historical building is located on the street near the spot where Villa’s enemies waited days for him to pass and ultimately assassinated him in 1923. Every year in July, his death is reenacted here.

Casa Stallforth

This was a beautiful and luxurious palace (during the era), with a beautiful baroque style; decorated in the facade with many beings from the Nordic mythology, that once belonged to the Stallforth family —- who along with the Alvarado family, became the town's main benefactors, contributing much to its infrastructure.

Notable events

The annual staging of the Murder of Francisco Villa, a recreation using props from the era, in the exact place of the historical event.

The annual Cabalgata Villista, is a long-distance horse ride with statewide massive participation and a spectacular visual event as thousands of horses enter the city(see Cavalcade
Cavalcade
Cavalcade may refer to:*Cavalcade, a horseback procession, parade, or mass trail ride*A huge parade*A huge procession*Suzuki GV1400 Cavalcade, a Suzuki luxury touring motorcycle available from 1985 to 1988 in North America...

).

Food

In addition to its diverse and rich History, Parral is famous for its traditional foods. Parral was recently named as one of the “Ten Gastronomic Marvels of Mexico,” primarily for its artisan confectioneries dulces de leche. These include a wide variety of candies and pastries from old recipes based on milk, sugar, and natural fruits. Some other notable recipes with a touch of Parral are enchiladas, rayadas, barbacoa, steaks and cabrito (goat).

Dulces de leche

Dulces de leche are cooked-milk confections found nationwide in Mexico; Parral has been historically acclaimed since the 1930s because of the distinctive flavor of its dulces de leche—candys made with nuts like pecans, peanuts, hazelnuts, and fruits such as apricot, pineapple, coconut and others. Parral's candies have been shipped around the world; interesting destinations include Vatican City, Washington DC, and London.

These traditional confections arrived in Parral in the early 20th century. The origin of recipes is unknown, although it is believed that they arrived in southern Mexico from Europe during the colonial times. Then, these recipes were transferred to later generations.

One of the most famous confectionery artisans in Parral was Don Pablo Rodriguez, founder of La Gota de Miel. Don Pablito (as the Parralenses knew him) was born in Teocaltiche, Jalisco in the late 19th century. He and his wife arrived to Parral in the early 20th century, after working for several years in the State of Coahuila as a baker and a cook in the Hacienda del Rosario (now Parras de la Fuente) for Francisco Madero and Mercedes González (parents of President
President of Mexico
The President of the United Mexican States is the head of state and government of Mexico. Under the Constitution, the president is also the Supreme Commander of the Mexican armed forces...

 Francisco I. Madero). It is believed that their recipes might have acquired some influence from professional chefs also working in the hacienda at the time.

Several local artisans in Parral had recently—in the late 1990s—attempted to imitate Don Pablito's original recipe.

Enchiladas

Enchiladas are a specialty Mexican plate also found nationwide, and Parral is traditionally famous for its delicious enchiladas. They are a rolled maize tortilla stuffed with meat and covered with a tomato and chile sauce. Enchiladas can be filled with a variety of ingredients, including meat, cheese, beans, potatoes, vegetables, or seafood.

These other tradition in Parral, started in the early 20th century and they gained notoriety in the mid-late 20th century. Enchiladas originated in Mexico. Anthropological evidence suggests that the indigenous people of the Valley of Mexico traditionally ate corn tortillas folded or rolled around small fish. Writing at the time of the Spanish conquistadors, Bernal Díaz del Castillo documented a feast enjoyed by Europeans hosted by Hernán Cortés in Coyoacán. In the 19th century, as Mexican cuisine was being memorialized, enchiladas were mentioned in the first Mexican cookbook, El cocinero mexicano (The Mexican Chef), published in 1831, and in Mariano Galvan Rivera's Diccionario de Cocina, published in 1845.[4][8] Probably, as with the dulces de leche, this recipes arrived to Parral from immigrants from the south of Mexico.

Among the most famous cookers of enchiladas in Parral was Doña Cuca, near the historical Calicanto bridge.

wheat flour, cinnamon, piloncillo, anise and honey.

Barbacoa

Barbacoa is meat from cattle or sheep slowly cooked over an open fire or, more traditionally, in a hole dug in the ground covered with maguey leaves; although the interpretation is loose, in the present day it may refers to meat steamed until tender.

During colonial and post-colonial times, Parral was famous because of its delectable barbacoa or birria de hoyo. Such barbacoa contained ingredients as laurel (bay leaf), garlic, maguey, onions, and other condiments. It was one of the luscious foods of the executives, foreigners, and miners working in the silver mines at Parral.

Sports

Judo

Parral has one of the best clubs of Judo throughout Latin America: Judokan Parral. It is a Judo academy in one of the most isolated places in Mexico,and Gabriel González. Among the most recognized alumni of Judokan is Vanessa Zambotti. She is an Olympic judo-fighter with international experience. She started practicing the sport at Judokan Parral (for her complete history see: http://vanessazambotti.com/vz/contenido/5.aspx).
(The history of how judo started in Parral is needed here)

Judokan is increasingly becoming one of the most important culturks for future generations—who follow the sport closely—in the North of Mexico. Right now, some historians are working on achieving oral testimonies and photographs to sketch part of northern Mexico popular history, and they will include the impact of judo among practitioners (this needs verification and further elaboration).

Baseball

Parral is famous, primarily in the North of Mexico, for its baseball team Los Mineros de Parral
(The complete history of baseball in Parral goes here).

Notable people from Parral

  • Gloria
    Gloria Campobello
    Gloria Campobello Luna was a Mexican ballet dancer and choreographer. Her older half-sister Francisca was a well-known writer and dancer, known as Nellie Campobello.- Biography :...

     and Nellie Campobello
    Nellie Campobello
    Nellie Francisca Ernestina Campobello Luna, born María Francisca Moya Luna , was a Mexican writer...

    , ballet dancers and choreographers. Born in Ocampo, Durango
    Ocampo, Durango
    Ocampo is one of the 39 municipalities of Durango, in north-western Mexico. The municipal seat lies at Villa Ocampo. The municipality covers an area of 3,207.7 km².As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 9,222....

    , spent their childhood in Parral.
  • Consuelo Duval
    Consuelo Duval
    Consuelo Dussauge Vidal is a Mexican theatre, film, television, and voice-over actress. She is best known for her various comedic characters in La hora pico and her role of "Federica Dávalos de P. Luche" in the sitcom, La familia P...

    , actress.
  • Fernanda Familiar, journalist.
  • Manuel Gómez Morín
    Manuel Gómez Morín
    Manuel Gómez Morín was a Mexican politician. He was a founding member of the National Action Party, and one of its theoreticians...

    , politician. Founding member of the National Action Party
    National Action Party (Mexico)
    The National Action Party , is one of the three main political parties in Mexico. The party's political platform is generally considered Centre-Right in the Mexican political spectrum. Since 2000, the President of Mexico has been a member of this party; both houses have PAN pluralities, but the...

    . Born in Batopilas, Chihuahua
    Batopilas, Chihuahua
    Batopilas is a small town, and seat of the surrounding municipality of the same name, in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, located along the Batopilas River at the bottom of one of the canyons that make up the Copper Canyon. It has a population of fewer than 2,000 people.- History :Batopilas was...

    , then moved to Parral.
  • Juan Gómez-Quiñones
    Juan Gómez-Quiñones
    Juan Gómez-Quiñones is an American historian, professor of history, poet, and activist. He is best known for his work in the field of Chicana/o history...

    , historian, professor of history, poet, and activist. Co-editor of the Plan de Santa Bárbara
    Plan de Santa Bárbara
    El Plan de Santa Bárbara: A Chicano Plan for Higher Education was written by the Chicano Coordinating Council on Higher Education as a manifesto for the implementation of Chicano Studies educational programs throughout the state of California...

    .
  • Linda Helú Atta, Carlos Slim's mother.
  • Humberto Mariles
    Humberto Mariles
    Humberto Mariles Cortés was a Mexican show jumping champion, two times Olympic champion. He participated in the 1948 Summer Olympics in London where he won gold medals both in Individual Jumping and in Team Jumping, as a member of the Mexican winning team aboard his Mexican-bred horse, Arete...

    , show jumping
    Show jumping
    Show jumping, also known as "stadium jumping," "open jumping," or "jumpers," is a member of a family of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes commonly are seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics...

     champion in the 1948 Summer Olympics
    1948 Summer Olympics
    The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...

     in London
    London
    London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

    , where he won gold medals both in Individual Jumping and in Team Jumping.
  • Carlos Montemayor
    Carlos Montemayor
    Carlos Montemayor was a Mexican novelist, poet, essayist, literary critic, tenor, political analyst, and promoter of contemporary literature written in indigenous languages. He was a Member of the Mexican Academy of the Language.Montemayor died of stomach cancer on February 28, 2010...

    , novelist, poet, essayist and literary critic.
  • Antonio Ortiz Mena
    Antonio Ortiz Mena
    Antonio Ortiz Mena was a Mexican economist who served as President of the Inter-American Development Bank and as Mexico's Secretary of Finance during the administrations of Adolfo López Mateos and Gustavo Díaz Ordaz .According to Pedro Aspe —who served as Secretary of Finance almost two decades...

    , politician and economist. Director of the Mexican Social Security Institute
    Mexican Social Security Institute
    The Mexican Social Security Institute is a governmental organization that attends to public health, pensions and social security in Mexico operating under Secretaría de Salud .-History:...

     from 1952 to 1958, Secretary of Finance and Public Credit from 1958 to 1970, president of the Inter-American Development Bank
    Inter-American Development Bank
    The Inter-American Development Bank is the largest source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean...

     from 1971 to 1988.
  • José Fernando Ramírez
    José Fernando Ramírez
    José Fernando Ramírez was a distinguished Mexican historian in the 19th century.Ramírez was born in Parral, Chihuahua but grew up in Durango, where he became a prominent liberal politician. After graduating with a degree in law from San Luis Gonzaga he was elected several times to the Chamber of...

    , historian.
  • Rafael Rangel Sostmann, rector of the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey.
  • Aurora Reyes Flores
    Aurora Reyes Flores
    Aurora Reyes Flores was a Mexican painter, as well as the first female exponent of Mexican muralism.- Biography :...

    , painter, first female exponent of Mexican muralism.
  • Alfredo Ripstein
    Alfredo Ripstein
    Alfredo Ripstein was a Mexican film producer. He is credited with helping shape Mexico's film industry in the period surrounding World War II....

    , film producer.
  • Jesús Gabriel Sandoval Chávez, professional boxer.
  • Vanessa Zambotti
    Vanessa Zambotti
    Vanessa Zambotti-Barreto is a judoka from Mexico.-Biography:Vanessa was born in Parral, Chihuahua what is region of very good wine. She lives in Mexico City and trains judo in CONADE....

    , judoka. Gold medalist in the Pan American Games
    2007 Pan American Games
    The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games, were a major continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to July 29, 2007. A total of 5,633 athletes from 42 National Olympic Committees competed in 332 events in 34 sports and in...

    , Rio de Janeiro
    Rio de Janeiro
    Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...

    2007.

External links


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