Ciudad Juárez

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Ciudad Juárez
Juarez City
Juárez
Official seal of Ciudad JuárezJuarez City
Seal
Ciudad JuárezJuarez City (Mexico)
Ciudad JuárezJuarez City
Ciudad Juárez
Juarez City
Coordinates: 31°44′22″N 106°29′13″W / 31.73944, -106.48694
Country Mexico
State Chihuahua
Foundation 1659
Government
 - Mayor Jose Reyes Ferriz
( PRI)
Elevation 1,120 m (3,675 ft)
Population (2005)
 - Total 1,400,891
 - Density 7,561/km² (12,167/sq mi)
Time zone Mountain Standard Time (UTC-7)
 - Summer (DST) Mountain Daylight Time (UTC-6)
Area code(s) +52 656
Website: http://www.juarez.gob.mx

Ciudad Juárez, more commonly known as just Juárez, is a city in the Mexican state of Chihuahua formerly known as El Paso del Norte. Juárez has an estimated population of 1,301,452 as of 2005 (the municipality, 1,313,338). It stands on the Rio Grande (Río Bravo del Norte), across the border from El Paso, Texas. The two cities form a metropolitan area of more than 2.5 million people.[citation needed] More than 60,000 people[citation needed] cross the Juárez-El Paso border every day making it a major port of entry and transportation for all of central northern Mexico. The city has a growing industrial center which is made up in large part by the more than 300 maquiladoras (assembly plants) located in and around the city.

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[edit] History

Ciudad Juárez was founded as El Paso del Norte ("North Pass") in 1659 by Spanish explorers, seeking a route through the southern Rocky Mountains. The Mission of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe was one of the first permanent developments in the area. The wood for the bridge across the Rio Grande first came from Santa Fe, New Mexico in the 1700s. The 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo established the Rio Grande as the border between Mexico and the United States, separating the settlements on the north bank of the river from the rest of the town. The portion of the city allotted to the United States would later become El Paso, Texas. Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, Texas are one of the 14 pairs of Cross-border town naming along the U.S.–Mexico border. During the French intervention in Mexico (1862–1867), El Paso del Norte served as a temporary stop for Benito Juárez's republican forces until he established his government-in-exile in Chihuahua. In 1888, El Paso del Norte was renamed in honor of Juárez.

Ciudad Juárez again served as a provisional Mexican capital during the initial phase of the Mexican Revolution, when forces loyal to opposition candidate Francisco I. Madero, led by Pancho Villa, seized the city on 20 November 1910. The scene of intense fighting for a decade, Juárez recovered during the US Prohibition era (1919–33) as an entertainment center. Juárez continued to attract tourists from the southwest USA during the 1940s and 1950s, with its bars, nightclubs, brothels, bullfighting, and shopping. Juárez has grown substantially in recent decades due to a large influx of people rapidly moving into the city in search of jobs with the maquiladoras. Now, more technological firms have been attracted like the largest Delphi Corporation Technical Center in the Western Hemisphere, which is located in Ciudad Juárez and employs more than 2,000 engineers. Large slum housing communities called colonias have become extensive.

Juárez has gained further notoriety as a major center of narcotics trafficking linked to the powerful Juárez Cartel, and for hundreds of unsolved murders of young women since 1993. Unfortunately, because of widely alleged police complicity (and perhaps even participation on the part of police and government officials and local elites), the serial murders continue and most of them remain "unsolved" despite the years that have gone by, though homicides have dropped a bit since 2004 despite the increase of population. As a result of the murders, Juárez (along with the capital of the state, Chihuahua City) has become a center for protest against sexual violence throughout Mexico.[1] Meanwhile, many continue working to maintain a positive image of Ciudad Juárez. Songs 'Juarez' by the music artist Tori Amos and 'Invalid Litter Dept.' by At the Drive-In refer to Ciudad Juárez and the murders of women therein. A giant Mexican flag, banderas monumentales, was erected in Chamizal Park on June 26, 1997.

[edit] Ethnography

The racial makeup of the city, based on the 2005 census is 54% European/White, 30% Mestizo, 7% Amerindian, 5% Middle Eastern and 4% Asian.

In this city, as it is the case of all Chihuahua has a large population of European descent, mostly Spaniard, French, but also Italian and German.

The floating population of the city, mostly immigrants from Southern Mexico is not considered in many records, because they live in the municipality of Juarez, but not in Ciudad Juarez proper.

[edit] Education

Juárez has three public universities -one of them being one of the most important universities in Mexico- and 2 private. They are: Instituto Tecnológico de Ciudad Juárez (ITCJ), Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez (UACJ) which is ranked among the best universities of the country and has several locations inside of the city like Biomedicine Faculty, Social Sciences Center, Arts And Engineering Center and spaces for Fine Arts and Sports. This later service is considered among the best because it recluses nearly 30, 000 practicers in sports like swimming, racquet, basketball and gymnastics and Arts like Classical Ballet, Drama, Modern Dance, Hawaiian and Polinesian Dances, Folkloric Dances, Music and Flamenco. The other public university is the Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua (UACH).

ITESM Campus Ciudad Juárez and Universidad Autonoma de Durango Campus Ciudad Juárez (UAD). The ITESM (Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey) is considered the best school system in Latin America and it is preferred among the upper and middle classes of the city, and the Campus is ranked "third best" just after Campus Garza Sada in Monterrey and Santa Fe in Mexico City.

Overall, the city offers a wide range of schools for every type of income and need. The city is widely recognized for its excellence in education, especially in private one. The main institutions in Ciudad Juarez are the Instituto Latinoamericano, a Catholic school directed from Spain, one of the colleges managed by the company founded by Spanish mystic Teresa de Avila, by direct order of the Pope to revert the effects of Protestantism in Spain; The Colegio Iberoamericano, The Middle School and High School of the ITESM, the Teresa de Avila, the Instituto Mexico. Despite this, many people choose to study abroad on the neighbor city of El Paso.

The city has the highest literacy rating of the country with about 99% of people above 15 years old able to read and write, many of them in two or three languages.

[edit] Sport

Like in most of Mexico, soccer is the most popular sport in Juárez. The local soccer team is Indios de Ciudad Juárez. Baseball, basketball, tennis and American football are also popular, most of these being practiced in high schools and universities. A soccer team named Los Indios resides in this city and was just recently promoted to the Primera Division(Main division)for the 2008 season. The Indios rent the stadium Estadio Olímpico Benito Juárez. Juárez has 2 large stadiums: Estadio Olímpico Benito Juárez and Estadio 20 de Noviembre. Mountain biking is also popular, with the Chupacabras 100 km race held annually in Juárez.

Very near the Cordova international bridge is a large combination bmx and skatepark, Parque Extremo. This park features a 20,000 square foot concrete area with multiple ramps, rails, boxes, etc, and a 7,000 square foot dirt area with ramps and tracks for bmx riding. It is much larger than the U.S. skateparks in nearby El Paso, Texas and Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Juarez served as the host of the CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament in 2008.

[edit] Broadcasting and media

There are 16 over the air TV channel signals in the city: [1]

Channel Name Affiliate Country Language Local National
2 Tu Canal XHJUB Spanish
4 CBS KDBC English
5 Canal 5 XEJTV Spanish
7 ABC KVIA English
9 NBC KTSM English
11 Azteca 13 XHCJE Spanish
13 PBS KCOS English
14 FOX KFOX English
20 Azteca 7 XHCJH Spanish
26 Univision KINT-TV Spanish
32 Canal de las Estrellas XEW-TV Spanish
40 Multimedios K40FW Spanish
44 Canal 44 XHIJ Spanish
48 Telemundo KTDO Spanish
56 Canal 5 XHGC Spanish
65 TeleFutura KTFN Spanish

In addition, there are three different paid television signals available, as well as 24 radio station signals in AM and 21 in FM.

[edit] Newspapers

Juárez has four local newspapers: El Diario, El Norte, El Mexicano, and El PM.

[edit] In film and other media

[edit] Places of Interest

  • Auditorio civico Benito Juárez: The local theater for the arts.
    Ciudad Juárez at sunset.
    Ciudad Juárez at sunset.
  • Auditorio Municipal: The new state of the art theater built behind the UACJ Med School.
  • Zona Pronaf: Bars, museums, shops, restaurants, entertainment. In the Zona Pronaf, one can find bars such as La Mulata, Don Quintin, San Martin, The News, Ole Bar Chamucos, among others.
  • Joker Nightclub: The most famous nudebar in town, now with three locations among the city.
  • Estadio Olímpico Benito Juárez: Home of the local soccer team Los Indios (The Indians).
  • Avenida Juárez; Bars and shops.
  • Parque Chamizal: Green area of the city, that consist of a park of over 40 acres (16 ha) with jogging trails, swings and recreational areas, which was once shared by El Paso and Juárez, was given back to Mexico By J.F.K back in the 60's.
  • Museo del Concorde: A place to see original parts of the airliner.
  • Centro Cívico Paso del Norte (Just opened December 2006).
  • Misiones, Galerias Tec, Plaza Juárez and Rio Grande shopping malls.
  • Parque Central: (Central Park) A family-oriented recreational area located 10 miles (20 km) south of the US-Mexico border.
  • Parque Xtremo: The largest extreme park in Latin America.

[edit] Crime

In January 2004, police unearthed a grave containing 12 bodies in a Ciudad Juarez backyard.

[2]

Over the past 10 years Juárez has seen over 400 women fall victims to sexual homicides, their bodies often dumped in ditches or vacant lots. In addition, grassroots organizations in the region report that 4,500 remain missing. Despite pressure to catch the killers and a roundup of some suspects, few believe the true culprits have been found. A controversial new book called The Daughters of Juarez, by Teresa Rodriguez[citation needed] implicates high-level police and prominent Juárez citizens in the crimes. But the families of some of the victims believe the murderers will never be brought to justice.

“The best information we have is that these men are committing crimes simply for the sport of it. The authorities know who the killers are, and nothing's being done about it.” (Diana Washington Valdez.)

Mexican investigators found 19 more bodies buried in the backyard of a house in Ciudad Juarez, increasing the tally of corpses found there to 36, officials said March 15, 2008. Federal agents began digging in the yard on March 1, 2008, initially finding six dismembered bodies. Ciudad Juárez has been plagued by violence as Mexico's crackdown on powerful drug cartels stokes turf wars among traffickers who have been linked to hundreds of killings in the years 2006 and 2007.[3]

[edit] Famous People from Juárez

* Not actually born in Juárez, but are known for living there for a long period of time and/or starting their careers there.

[edit] Gallery

La Catedral in downtown Ciudad Juárez

Mercado Reforma

[edit] References

  1. ^ Wright, Melissa. "Paradoxes, Protests, and the Mujeres de Negro of Northern Mexico." Gender, Place, and Culture, 12.3 (2005): 177-192.

[edit] External links