Delicias (Spanish for ''Delights'') is a city in the

Mexican state The states of Mexico are first-level administrative territorial entities of the country of Mexico, which is officially named Mexico, United Mexican States. There are 32 federal entities in Mexico (31 states and the capital, Mexico City, as a sepa ...

Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to: Places *Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state **Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the state **Chihuahua cheese, a type of cheese originating in the state **Chihuahua City, the capital city of the state **Chihuahua Mun ...

and serves as the seat of the municipality of the same name. It is located southeast of the state capital,

. Delicias was declared an official municipality of the state of Chihuahua on January 7, 1935. Delicias is a small industrial city and a major

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...

center located in the Conchos River Valley. As of 2015, the city of Delicias had a population of 148,045 inhabitants, while the metropolitan area had a population of 223,993 inhabitants. It was founded on 30 April 1933, making it one of Mexico's youngest cities. The municipality of Delicias is one of the smallest in the state in terms of size area.

History

Prehistoric artifacts have been found in the Conchos River Valley that show evidence that indigenous people lived in the area for centuries before European settlers arrived in the area. Several indigenous mummies were found in the valley and are on display in the Museum of Paleontology in Delicias. The area of present-day Delicias began to attract settlers in 1884 when the Central Mexican Railroad Company built a railroad station to fulfill the transportation demands for agricultural products from the Old Delicias Hacienda. In 1888, German settlers arrived in the area and built Hacienda Polvorosa; they began to prepare food items, brew beer, and produce steel instruments. However, the German settlers were forced to leave after continuous persecution by the

Villistas Francisco "Pancho" Villa (,"Villa"
''

Rosales,

Meoqui Meoqui is one of the 67 municipalities of Chihuahua, in northern Mexico. The municipal seat lies at Pedro Meoqui. The municipality covers an area of 370 km², making it one of the smallest in the state but one of the most densely populate ...

, and Saucillo began to sprout. In 1932, the Chihuahua State Congress recognized this area as an important agricultural region, and named it Region 5. The city of Delicias was founded in 1933 after 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 ...

and was officially declared a municipality on January 7, 1935. In 1939 cotton in the Conchos River Valley helped build a foundation for a small industrial sector in Delicias. Cotton Gins and American Petroleum Refineries were built to provide services and products needed to fuel the agriculture sector. The Francisco I. Madero Dam was built, which increased crop yields and grew the population in the valley. During the 1940s, Cotton became such a dominant cash crop that by 1943 it replaced many vineyards in the surrounding area. Cotton continued to be the dominant crop of the Conchos River Valley until 1953, when the price of cotton plunged and forced many farmers in the area to diversify the agriculture economy. The modern layout of Delicias was designed by Carlos G. Blake and was approved by the National Commission of Irrigation on September 30, 1960. The Chihuahua State Congress recognized Delicias as a city on October 29, 1960. That same year, a geological study on the Conchos River was conducted in Region 5 in attempts to build the largest dam in the state of Chihuahua. By 1960, Delicias was the fourth most populous city in the state of Chihuahua (after Juarez, Chihuahua and Cuauhtemoc City). Delicias continued to grow in population and as a successful agricultural center. Delicias had an agricultural based economy until 1980 when important exporting

maquiladora A (), or (), is a word that refers to factories that are largely duty free and tariff-free. These factories take raw materials and assemble, manufacture, or process them and export the finished product. These factories and systems are present t ...

s moved to the city which helped increase the manufacturing sector. By 1990, Delicias was home to seven maquiladoras, making it one of the most important municipalities of the state of Chihuahua.

Geography

Delicias is located at 28º11’35" N Latitude and 105º28’18" W Longitude, above sea level. Delicias lies in the rich Conchos River Valley and Meoqui to the north and Saucillo to the south and Rosales to the west. The Conchos River flows north on the west side of Delicias. About 30 miles south of Delicias,

La Boquilla LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

Reservoir holds back the Conchos River that begins in the highest parts of the heartland of the Sierra Madre Occidental.

Reservoir, the largest dam in the state of Chihuahua, provides sustainable water supply to the valley along federal highway 45 including Delicias and the surrounding towns. In September 2008, La Boquilla Reservoir reached its maximum capacity. The western side of Delicias is dominated by the edge of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range that runs northwest to southeast. Southeast of the city the

Sierra del Diablo Sierra (Spanish for "mountain range" and "saw", from Latin '' serra'') may refer to the following: Places Mountains and mountain ranges * Sierra de Juárez, a mountain range in Baja California, Mexico * Sierra de las Nieves, a mountain range i ...

mountain range runs southwest to northeast. Northeast of the city the dominant '' solonchaks'' and extreme arid conditions do not allow the land to be used for agriculture, but in the rest of the surrounding plains and mountains rich soils are found.

Climate

Delicias has a semi-arid climate ( Köppen ''BWh''), receiving only of rainfall per year. On average, Delicias observes 42 days of rain and a seven-month frost free period each year with a relative humidity of 45%. The prevalent winds come from the southwest. In the winter, days are mild and nights are cold with frequent frosts from November to February, while snowfall occurs once or twice a year. During spring, strong winds are common due to the last cold fronts from the north. In the summer months, days are hot and nights are warm with moderate rainfall by major thunderstorms.

Economy

Agriculture is so important to the municipality that it is known informally as the 'breadbasket' of the state, especially apiaries (the area produces a kind of honey known throughout northern Mexico). Delicias has a very diversified agriculture economy; the major crops include: pecans, chile, cotton, tomato, onion, and peanuts. Delicias is one of the most important dairy production areas in Mexico; the city hosts many modern dairy processors and dairy product manufactures. Delicias is home to Alpura, the second largest dairy in Mexico. The economy is also dependent upon manufacturing, in the form of ''

maquiladores A (), or (), is a word that refers to factories that are largely duty free and tariff-free. These factories take raw materials and assemble, manufacture, or process them and export the finished product. These factories and systems are present t ...

''. Delicias is also a major producer of wooden furniture with a national and international market. Delicias has major open air farm markets (Morelos Farm Market and Juarez Farm Market) and a shopping district located in North 3rd. Street (clothing, shoes, home goods, etc., known as "La Tercera". For decades the highschool and college students gathered in "La Tercera" as a social hangout. Delicias also has corporate chain franchised like Sam's, Soriana, Wal-Mart, Alsuper, Office Depot.

Education and Culture

Delicias is home to a campus of the

Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua , mottoeng = Strive to achieve, achieve to give , established = 8 December 1954 , type = Public university , rector = Heliodoro Araiza Reyes (Interino) , faculty = , staff = , ...

, which forms part of the state university system, the Instituto Tecnológico de Delicias (Technological Institute of Delicias) and a number of art, linguistic and technical secondary schools such as CEUN, Colegio La Roca, Preparatoria Federal por Cooperacion Activo 2030 Albert Einstein, Carson College, the Lincoln Institute, Sokhôl Dance School, the Madison School, Henry Ford Institute, the Michigan English Institute and the Culture House. The Teatro de Delicias (Municipal Theatre) is known for its murals by

Aarón Piña Mora Aarón Piña Mora (1914–2009) was a Mexican painter and muralist. Life He was born in Metztitlan in the state of Hidalgo, and moved with his family, at an early age, to Mexico City. From 1930 to 1933 he attended the School of Drawing and Sc ...

, one of Mexico's renowned muralists and painters, it also built in reference to the "Las Virgenes" Dam located about 10 kilometers from Delicias.

Notable people

Fernando Baeza Meléndez Fernando Baeza Meléndez (born January 21, 1942 in Delicias, Chihuahua) is a Mexican politician and a member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). Baeza served as the Governor of Chihuahua from 1986 to 1992. In 1986, was elected Gover ...

, state governor *

Jahir Barraza Jahir Alejandro Barraza Flores (born 17 September 1990) is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a forward for Salvadoran Primera División club Santa Tecla. Biography Born in Delicias, Chihuahua, Barraza started his career at Dorado ...

, footballer *

Jesús Chávez Jesús Gabriel Sandoval Chávez (; born November 12, 1972) is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1994 to 2010. He is a two-weight world champion, having held the WBC super featherweight title from 2003 to 2004, and the IBF ...

, professional boxer *

Jesús Gardea Jesús Gardea Rocha (July 2, 1939 – March 12, 2000) was a Mexican writer of fiction and short fiction. Biography Jesús Gardea Rocha was born on July 2, 1939, in Delicias, Chihuahua, Mexico, to Vicente Gardea V. and Francisca Rocha. He stud ...

, author * Ed Maverick, singer *

Rodolfo Mijares Rodolfo Mijares (17 July 1938 – 2 April 2018) was a Mexican track and field athlete who competed in the decathlon at the 1960 Summer Olympics. He also competed at the 1959 Pan American Games, finishing seventh. He won the athletics pentathlo ...

, athlete *

Paul Moreno Pablo (Paul) Cruz Moreno (April 28, 1931 – September 1, 2017) was State Representative for the 77th District of El Paso, Texas, USA. Early life and education He was born in Alamogordo, New Mexico but raised in El Paso's El Segundo Barrio, ...

, footballer *

Gabriela Roel Gabriela Roel (born 13 December 1959) is a Mexican film and television actress. Filmography Film Television References External links * 1959 births Living people People from Delicias, Chihuahua Mexican film actresses Mexican t ...

, actress * Jorge A. Rojas, missionary

References

Sources

Link to tables of population data from Census of 2005
INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática
Weatherbase

External links

Instituto Tecnologico de Delicias

Gobierno Municipal de Delicias
Official website {{Authority control Rio Conchos Populated places in Chihuahua (state) Populated places established in 1888 1933 establishments in Mexico