Parral, Chihuahua

Hidalgo del Parral, is both a city and the municipality of which it serves as the municipal seat 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. 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, widely considered the 'Father of the Country'.

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.cite journal |last= Aldana|first=Alejandro|year=2008 |month= February |title=Parral: El Ganado de la 10 maravillas gastronomicas de Mexico|journal=Guía México Desconocido |volume= 372 |pages=60–69 |url= www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx ]

Parral was once a bustling center for silver 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. 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." Fact|date=February 2007 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 noted as the place of death of several historical figures, including Mexican revolutionary leader Pancho Villa, who was assassinated on July 20, 1923 and initially buried there, and border ruffian "Dirty" Dave Rudabaugh, a sometime friend and foe of Billy the Kid.

Notable sites

The Palacio Alvarado belonged one of the most prominent silver families in Parral, owning the mine called “La Palmilla.” This family was rich enough to offer President Porfirio Díaz the means to pay an external debt that Mexico had.

El Palacio was constructed by Federico Amérigo Rouvier and 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.

The Hotel Hidalgo was a gift from Don Pedro Alvarado to Pancho Villa and is located next to the Plaza Guillermo Baca.

The Casa de la Familia Griensen (the Griensen Family House), 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 Casa Museo Francisco Villa is located 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 Stall Forth belonged to the Forth family, who, along with the Alvarado family, became the towns main benefactors, contributing much to its infrastructure.

Notable events

The annual Cabalgata Jornada Villista, is a long-distance horse race, with great participation in the Parral area(see cavalcade).

Food

Parral was recently named by the Mexican government as one of the “Ten Marvels of Gastronomy of Mexico,” primarily for its beef dishes and dulce de leche candy. The magazine México Desconocido contains restaurant recommendations for different specialties such as burritos, grilled meats and beef tacos. "Dulce de leche" is a confection found nationwide, made from cooked milk, sugar and flavorings. The Parral version of this candy is distinctive, and usually includes a generous amount of nuts as several types are grown in the area. Most are made in family-owned operations, with each family carefully guarding its recipes.

ister Cities

*flagicon|USA Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

References

* [http://www.inegi.gob.mx/est/contenidos/espanol/sistemas/conteo2005/localidad/iter/ Link to tables of population data from Census of 2005] INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática

External links

* [http://www.hidalgodelparral.gob.mx/ Municipio de Hidalgo del Parral] Official website
* [http://www.PuroChihuahua.com www.PuroChihuahua.com]
* [http://www.houstonculture.org/hispanic/chih.html www.houstonculture.org]
* [http://www.enparral.com/ www.enparral.com]
* [http://www.flickr.com/groups/la_capital_del_mundo/] Parral images