Celaya (; ) is a city and its surrounding

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the state of

Guanajuato Guanajuato (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato), is one of the 32 states that make up the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 46 municipalities and its capital city i ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, located in the southeast quadrant of the state. It is the third most populous city in the state, with a 2005 census population of 310,413. The municipality for which the city serves as municipal seat, had a population of 415,869. The city is located in the geographic center of the municipality, which has an areal extent of 553.18 km² (213.58 sq mi) and includes many smaller outlying communities, the largest of which are San Miguel Octopan, Rincón de Tamayo and San Juan de la Vega. There are many smaller towns around Celaya including Rincón de Tamayo,

Tarimoro Tarimoro is the municipal seat of the municipality of Tarimoro in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. History The original settlement was a community of Otomi people The Otomi (; es, Otomí ) are an indigenous people of Mexico inhabiting the ...

, Villagrán,

La Moncada La Moncada is a small town in the Tarimoro Municipality of Guanajuato, Mexico. The town has a population of 5,100 and sits on the road from Tarimoro City to Federal Highway 51 (Celaya- Salvatierra segment), it was founded in 1877 as La Moncada San ...

, Panales Jamaica (Cañones), Panales Galera, La Calera, La Estancia, La Noria, Los Fierros, El Acebuche, Cacalote, and Charco Largo. It is also not far away from Cortazar, Salamanca,

Salvatierra Salvatierra may refer to: Places ;Mexico * Salvatierra, Guanajuato, a municipality in the state of Guanajuato ;Spain * Salvatierra (comarca), a subcomarca of Guijuelo in the province of Salamanca, Castile and León * Berrocal de Salvatierra, a mun ...

, Apaseo el Grande,

Querétaro City Santiago de Querétaro (; Otomi: Dähnini Maxei), known simply as Querétaro City ( es, Ciudad de Querétaro), is the capital and largest city of the state of Querétaro, located in central Mexico. It is part of the macroregion of Bajío. It is n ...

and among others. The city was founded in 1570 as ''Villa de la Purisíma Concepción de Zalaya''. The word Zalaya is of Basque origin and means "Flat Land".

History

Celaya was a frontier region between the

Purépecha The Purépecha (endonym pua, P'urhepecha ) are a group of indigenous people centered in the northwestern region of Michoacán, Mexico, mainly in the area of the cities of Cherán and Pátzcuaro. They are also known by the pejorative "Tarascan ...

and the Chichimecas. General Álvaro Obregón defeated Pancho Villa in the Battle of Celaya in 1915, as referred by Martínez Celaya was also the Guanajuato state capital for a short period. An explosion in a gunpowder and fireworks warehouse in September, 1999, killed over 60 people and injured over 300 people. On 23 May 2022, eleven people were murdered in a

massacre A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...

linked to the Mexican drug war.

Climate

Celaya has a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

(Köppen climate classification

BSh A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below Evapotranspiration#Potential evapotranspiration, potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a des ...

Education

*Centro Pedagogico de Celaya *Colegio Arturo Rosenblueth *Colegio Marista *

Colegio Nuevo Continente Bajío Colegio Nuevo Continente Bajío is a Mexican private school system affiliated with New Continent School in the Mexico City metropolitan area and Morelos. It serves infants (in the NC Gym program) through senior high school or preparatoria. It has ...

Celaya Campus • Complejo Educativo Ignacio Allende *Colegio Mexico *Escuela Bilingue Guilford *Instituto Andersen *Instituto Bilingue Oxford *Instituto Británico de Celaya (BIC) *Instituto Educativo Rosa G. de Carmona *Instituto Kipling *Instituto Sir Winston Churchill *Instituto Tecnologico de Celaya *Instituto Tecnologico de Roque *Instituto Universitario del Centro de México (UCEM) *Tecnologico de Monterrey *Universidad de Celaya * Universidad de Guanajuato *Universidad de Itesba *Universidad Lasallista Benavente *Universidad Latina de Mexico *Westminster Royal College

Attractions

Ball of Water

The Ball of Water reservoir has been a city icon since 1908; it continues to supply water to portions of downtown. The tank was manufactured in Germany and assembled on site, and is unique in being assembled using rivets rather than welds. It is believed to be the only one of its kind with a spherical shape (it is rumored that there was another similar water ball in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

that was destroyed during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

). Traditionally, locals tell visitors that it is filled with cajeta, taking them to visit the "Bola del Agua" on Sundays, the traditional day for visiting the Independencia Lane. A plaque at the base of the water tower features the legend (in Spanish): The work was carried out under the command of German Enrique Schöndube, although it is known that payment for the construction took ten years due to the start of the

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...

, so it was paid once the new government established. During the Mexican Revolution, Villa's officers thought the hydraulic tower had such a large amount of water that destroying it would drown the population of Celaya. One of Villa's generals ordered his artillery to destroy it. Captain Gustavo Duron, in charge of a 75mm battery, followed the orders but shot around the tower, avoiding it and protecting the monument, as mentioned by local historian Herminio Martínez. The construction resulted in the neglect of the people handing out water at home from the mayor's office called water carriers. Commercial advertising on its surface was allowed for several years to cover the costs of the reservoir, ending on September 8, 1980 when, in celebration of upcoming 410th Anniversary of the Foundation of Celaya, the mayor in charge decreed that the Ball of Water would be a symbol that would represent the city, and the placement of advertisements was banned.

Cuisine

Celaya is also known for the artisanal production of cajeta, a type of milk candy.

Transportation

The Celaya Airport had (as of January 22, 2007) commercial flights to

Santiago de Querétaro Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

and connections from there to other destinations; these services were dropped in 2008. Celaya lies along the El Paso Spur of the

Pan-American Highway The Pan-American Highway (french: (Auto)route panaméricaine/transaméricaine; pt, Rodovia/Auto-estrada Pan-americana; es, Autopista/Carretera/Ruta Panamericana) is a network of roads stretching across the Americas and measuring about in to ...

which is known locally as

Mexican Federal Highway 45 Federal Highway 45 (''La Carretera Federal 45'') (Fed. 45) is the free (libre) part of the federal highways corridors (los corredores carreteros federales), and connects Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua through the Chihuahuan Desert to Panales, H ...

People

Marta Sahagún de Fox Marta may refer to: People * Marta (given name), a feminine given name * Märta, a feminine given name * Marta (surname) :István Márta composer * Marta (footballer) (born 1986), Brazilian professional footballer Places * Marta (river), an ...

(b. April 10, 1953), former Mexican First Lady and wife of President Vicente Fox, lived in Celaya and unsuccessfully ran for mayor * Miguel Martínez (b. September 29, 1921), Musician, composer and songwriter. Considered the father of the modern mariachi trumpet. *

Francisco Eduardo Tresguerras Francisco Eduardo Tresguerras (October 13, 1759, Celaya, Guanajuato – August 3, 1833, Celaya) was a prominent Mexican architect and a painter. He was active during the colonial period and early independence. Biography Believing he had a re ...

(b. October 13, 1759, d. August 3, 1833), Architect and painter. Designed the El Carmen church in Celaya. *

Joshua Ilika Brenner Joshua Brenner Ilika was born (September 14, 1976 in Celaya, Guanajuato) is a Mexican butterfly and freestyle swimmer, who began swimming at the age of three. He participated in the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics. See also *List of Mexican reco ...

(b. September 14, 1976) Olympic swimmer *

Liliana Ibáñez Liliana Ibáñez López (born 30 January 1991 in Celaya, Guanajuato) is a Mexican competition swimmer.London2012.com
At the < ...

(b. January 30, 1991) Olympic swimmer * Raúl Velasco (b. April 24, 1933, d. November 26, 2006) Entertainer and TV Producer. Was the host of the TV program ''Siempre en Domingo''. *

Octavio Ocampo Octavio Ocampo (born 28 February 1943 in Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico) is a Mexican surrealist painter. He grew up in a family of designers, and studied art from early childhood. At art school, Ocampo constructed papier mache figures for floats, alta ...

(b. February 28, 1943) Painter known for his "metamorphosis" style. *

Mauricio Ochmann Mauricio Ochmann (born November 16, 1977) is an American-born, Mexican actor best known for his roles in telenovelas, such as ''Amarte Asi'', where he starred as Ignacio "Nacho" Reyes. He also appeared in Kevin Costner's film ''Message in a Bottl ...

(b. November 16, 1977), Actor. *

Ever Guzmán Ever may refer to: * Ever (artist), creator of street art, from Buenos Aires, Argentina * Ever, Kentucky * -ever, an English suffix added to interrogative words in forms like ''wherever'' * KT Tech EVER, a South Korean mobile phone manufacturer o ...

(b. March 15, 1988), footballer. *

José Juan Vázquez José Juan Vázquez Gómez (; born 14 March 1988), also known as Gallito, is a Mexican professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Midfielder#Defensive midfielder, defensive midfielder for Liga MX club Club Tijuana, Tijuana. ...

(b. 14 March 1988), Mexican footballer, who currently plays in Club Leon. * David Roberto Bárcena Ríos (26 December 1941 – 22 February 2017) was a Mexican equestrian who competed at five Olympic Games, winning a bronze medial in the Team Event at his fifth Olympics *

Lalo Duron Lalo may refer to: Places *Dale Lalo, Ethiopian district * Lalo Asabi, Ethiopian district *Lalo Bandai Pakistani district *Lalo, Benin, a town in Benin * Lalo Kile, Ethiopian district *Lalo, Tokelau, an island in the South Pacific * Lalo railway st ...

(b. September 6, 1963). Author of "Alive & Well!", "¿Jubilarme? Ni de chiste", writer, and creator of "Creado en México", and "Emprende" movements in Mexico.

Sister cities

Carrboro Carrboro is a town in Orange County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 21,295 at the 2020 census.North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Chapel Hill Chapel Hill or Chapelhill may refer to: Places Antarctica * Chapel Hill (Antarctica) Australia *Chapel Hill, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane *Chapel Hill, South Australia, in the Mount Barker council area Canada * Chapel Hill, Ottawa, a neighbo ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

* Guernica, Spain * Oaxaca, Mexico *

Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Mexico Tuxtla may refer to: ;Cities and towns *Tuxtla Gutiérrez, capital of the Mexican state of Chiapas *San Andrés Tuxtla, Veracruz *Santiago Tuxtla, Veracruz *Tuxtla Chico, Chiapas ;Other *Los Tuxtlas, region of Veracruz *Sierra de los Tuxtlas, moun ...

References

Sources

Link to tables of population data from Census of 2005
INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática
Guanajuato
Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México

External links

*
A casi 100 años de la Bola de Agua (''Near the century of "Ball of Water"'')

PODCelaya.com
Business Virtual Directory
Diócesis de Celaya

Domingo Negro Explosion
{{Authority control Municipalities of Guanajuato Otomi settlements Populated places established in 1570 Populated places in Guanajuato