Cuauhtémoc (Municipality of Chihuahua)

Infobox Settlement
name = Cuauhtémoc
settlement_type =Municipality
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map_caption = Municipality of Cuauhtémoc in Chihuahua


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pushpin_map_caption =Location in Mexico
subdivision_type = Country
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subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Chihuahua
subdivision_type2 = Municipal seat
subdivision_name2 = Cuauhtémoc
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area_total_km2 =3018.9
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population_total =134,785
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latd=28|latm=25|lats=|latNS=N
longd=106|longm=52|longs=|longEW=W
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Cuauhtémoc is a municipality in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It was named after the Aztec Indian ruler Cuauhtémoc, which means "aguila que cae" (fallen eagle). The municipality's seat is Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua. The municipality is located to the west of the Chihuahua's capital city, Chihuahua. There is a close relation between three cultures in this region: Mennonite culture, Tarahumara culture and mestizo culture. Since 1994 there is a multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary arts festival known as "Festival de las Tres Culturas".

Geography

The municipal seat of Cuauhtémoc is a town located 120 km (75 mi.) west of the city of Chihuahua. The population in 1953 was just under 3,000, composed almost entirely of Mexicans with the exception of foreign-born people who have come there as traders. The town of Cuauhtémoc developed after the coming of the Mennonites in the 1920s although very few Mennonites lived in town, for it was the Mennonite shopping center. A railroad, a highway, and a bus line connected Cuauhtémoc with Chihuahua.

Towns and villages

History

The Mennonites settled in the San Antonio Valley, as far as 120 km (75 mi.) to the north of the town. In the early 1950s there were no improved roads leading from the hinterland into Cuauhtémoc. There was a General Conference Mennonite church in the town composed almost entirely of Mennonite refugees who came to Mexico after World War I. The growth of the Mennonite population due to natural increase and to additional immigration from Canada stimulated its economic activities. A small cereal factory was established by non-Mennonites, while a large cheese factory, slaughterhouse, and ice plant were erected by Mennonites (the Redekops) in the town. In 1947 the Mennonite Central Committee established a service unit in Cuauhtémoc to provide health services, recreational direction, and assistance in educational activities of German-speaking children.

Economy

In 1986 Cuauhtémoc, one of the fastest-growing cities in Mexico, had more than 100,000 inhabitants. A four-lane highway, completed in 1986, connected the city with the city of Chihuahua , the state capital. Another highway connected Cuauhtémoc with Col. Anáhuac, where a large pulp mill is located. The Gran Visión highway, which is to be continued to the west coast through the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains, joins the city to the western hinterlands, and another highway leaving the city passes through the Mennonite colonies to the north (Manitoba Colony).

The apple industry, introduced to the area by a former Old Colony Mennonite, Enrique Wiebe, has contributed much to the rapid growth of the city. The influx of U.S. industry in the mid-1980s, is also attracting people from all over the Republic. Doctors, dentists, and lawyers abound. Elementary, secondary, preparatory, and technology schools are numerous. One agricultural school, incorporated with the University of Chihuahua, is located in Cuauhtémoc, and the one incorporated Mennonite elementary and secondary school, Álvaro Obregón, is located on the outskirts at Quinta Lupita.

Although the city, formerly called San Antonio de los Arenales, only developed after the arrival of the Old Colony Mennonites in 1922, it has practically no Mennonites living in it. However, the streets and the numerous banks teem with them, especially on Monday mornings. Cuauhtémoc is the most important commercial center for Old Colony Mennonites in Chihuahua.

In the early 1930s the recent Mennonite immigrants from the Soviet Union (Rußländer) formed a Mennonite congregation in the town, but by 1987 it had disintegrated completely. The few Mennonite families and General Conference Mennonite Church and Mennonite Central Committee workers living in the city in 1986 (5 families and 5 singles) worshipped mostly at the General Conference congregation at Kilometer 11. Cuauhtémoc was the first city to erect a senior citizens home under public or government jurisdiction. Its first matron was a Mennonite, Maria Giesbrecht, from the Santa Rita Colony (Nord Colony). HEns

©1996-2008 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.

To cite this page:

MLA style: Fretz, J. Winfield and Helen Ens. "Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua State (Mexico)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1986. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 25 July 2008

APA style: Fretz, J. Winfield and Helen Ens. (1986). "Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua State (Mexico)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 25 July 2008

External links

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