Ojinaga, Chihuahua

Ojinaga (formally: Manuel Ojinaga, for the municipal seat) is a rural bordertown and its surrounding municipality in the northeastern region of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Ojinaga stands on the U.S.-Mexico border. The city of Presidio, Texas, is directly opposite, on the U.S. side of the border. Ojinaga is situated where the Río Conchos drains into the Río Bravo del Norte (Rio Grande). Presidio and Ojinaga are connected by the Presidio-Ojinaga International Bridge.

Ojinaga, named after Juarista governor Manuel Ojinaga, reported a 2005 census population of 18,378 people in the town, which serves as municipal seat of the municipality of 21,157 inhabitants. The municipality has an area of 9,500.50 km² (3,668.16 sq mi), and includes numerous very small outlying communities, the largest of which are El Oasis and La Esmeralda. Ojinaga was founded around 1200 A.D. by the Pueblo Native Americans, who were later assimilated by Uto-Aztecan speakers. Ojinaga was first visited by Spanish explorers (led by Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca) in 1535.

During the Mexican Revolution, Ojinaga was the scene of the Battle of Ojinaga, between the Pancho Villa's revolutionaries and government troops. The U.S. writer Ambrose Bierce may have died there, although that is uncertain.

Considered one of the most unspoiled Mexican border townsFact|date=February 2008, Ojinaga still retains its rural culture and environment, with relatively little pollution and urban problems. Some of the most famous norteño musicians are from Ojinaga, such as Polo Urías, Adolfo Urías, Los Diamantes de Ojinaga, Los Rieleros del Norte, Conjunto Primavera, Los Jilgueros del Arroyo, and Los Norteños de Ojinaga. These artists, unlike many other norteño bands who use solely accordions as the lead instrument, use saxophones and accordions together to create a uniquely Ojinaga-styled norteño music.

Because of its location on the Río Bravo border between Chihuahua and the U.S. state of Texas, Ojinaga has sometimes been a station for narcotic smuggling and illegal immigration. The creation of the "La Entrada al Pacífico" or "The Entrance to the Pacific", has made Ojinaga and Presidio, Texas, into an inland trade corridor between the two countries. The route extends into Odessa-Midland, Texas, which is the major hub for west Texas. Odessa and Midland which have 100,000 people each will benefit greatly from this corridor. Several changes have also had to be made to the port of entry in Presidio, Texas, to accommodate the growing amount of traffic crossing the border. Truck lanes for heavy vehicles have also been added

ee also

*Ojinaga Cut, a parcel of land that gave rise to an international border dispute

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
* [http://www.e-local.gob.mx/wb2/ELOCAL/EMM_chihuahua Chihuahua] Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México

External links

* [http://www.ojinaga.com.mx/ La Perla del Desierto] , local website