Fresnillo (/fres'nijo/), founded in 1554 by
Francisco de Ibarra
Francisco de Ibarra (1539 –June 3, 1575) was a Spanish- Basque explorer, founder of the city of Durango, and governor of the Spanish province of Nueva Vizcaya, in present-day Durango and Chihuahua.
Biography
Francisco de Ibarra was born a ...
, is the second largest city in
Zacatecas
, image_map = Zacatecas in Mexico (location map scheme).svg
, map_caption = State of Zacatecas within Mexico
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state, north central
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 ...
and the seat of Fresnillo municipality. As a rail and highway junction, Fresnillo is the center of a rich mining area known especially for silver, and the location of one of the world's richest silver mines, the
Mina Proaño
Mina Proaño, an underground silver mine located in central Mexico, is one of the world's largest and most profitable silver mines. The mine is located just outside the city of Fresnillo, Zacatecas; and is also known as Mina Fresnillo and Fresn ...
or Fresnillo Mine, which belongs to the
Peñoles
Peñoles is a subsidiary company owned by Grupo BAL. Peñoles is the second largest Mexican mining company, the first Mexican producer of gold, zinc and lead and the world leader in silver production. Peñoles is a company with active mines wit ...
mining company. Other important economic activities include agriculture (cereals, beans), cattle raising, and a mining school. Fresnillo is also the municipal seat of the
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 ...
of the same name which surrounds it. The municipality had a population of 196,538 and an areal extent of .
It is the location of religious
pilgrim
A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the adherent of ...
ages to see the famous ''
Santo Niño de Atocha'' ("Holy Child of Atocha"), a Roman Catholic devotional statue brought to Mexico from Spain.
History
Between 1551 and 1552,
Diego Fernández de Proaño embarked on several explorations in the
Zacatecas
, image_map = Zacatecas in Mexico (location map scheme).svg
, map_caption = State of Zacatecas within Mexico
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region, searching for a legendary hill purported to contain great mineral wealth. He discovered a hill, which despite not matching the descriptions given, bore evidence of rich mineral deposits, which he named "Cerro de Proaño" ("Proaño's Hill"). He returned to the city of Zacatecas to report his findings to the
Viceroy
A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning " ...
, but apparently there was not much interest in his discovery and Proaño's Hill was forgotten over the years.
A second expedition, headed by 15-year-old
Francisco de Ibarra
Francisco de Ibarra (1539 –June 3, 1575) was a Spanish- Basque explorer, founder of the city of Durango, and governor of the Spanish province of Nueva Vizcaya, in present-day Durango and Chihuahua.
Biography
Francisco de Ibarra was born a ...
, arrived on September 2, 1554 at a place where there was a freshwater spring, in whose border was a "Pequeño Fresno" (small ash). They decided to spend the night, and Francisco de Ibarra wrote his name for the place in his daily journal: "Ojo de Agua del Fresnillo" ("spring of the small ash").
![Hacienda_Nueva_de_Fresnillo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/Hacienda_Nueva_de_Fresnillo.jpg)
In the early years after its foundation, the town suffered incursions by
Guachichil
The Guachichil, Cuauchichil, or Quauhchichitl, are an Indigenous people of Mexico. Pre-contact, they occupied the most extensive territory of all the indigenous Chichimeca Nations tribes in pre-Columbian Central Mexico.
The Guachichiles roamed t ...
Indians who were nomadic and bellicose. Due to the heavy losses suffered by the settlers in those early years, the Viceroy,
Martín Enríquez de Almanza
Martín Enríquez de Almanza y Ulloa, (died ca. March 13, 1583) was the fourth viceroy of New Spain, who ruled in the name of Philip II from November 5, 1568 until October 3, 1580.
Like many of the early viceroys of New Spain, Almanza was o ...
, ordered the construction of a presidio in the town. Captain Rodrigo Río de Loza was assigned to lead the garrison of eight soldiers. The military outpost was built where the current municipal palace stands today. Among the first mayors of Fresnillo were Captain Diego Núñez de Miranda, Cristóbal Caldera and Juan de Avellaneda.
Between 1682 and 1757, the mines were worked constantly. There were several mines, mostly on the foothills of Proaño's Hill. In 1757, the mine shafts had reached fifty meters in depth and flooding began to be a major problem. The mines were abandoned as it was economically unviable to mitigate the flooding and the area went into an economic crisis. The mine owners lost their mines as a result of seizure by the Spanish Crown for failure to repay loans. The Crown named a new administrator for the mines, but they continued to lie idle.
In 2013, Fresnillo became the first municipality in Mexican history to elect an openly
gay
''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'.
While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
mayor, with the election of
Benjamín Medrano.
["Mexico's 1st Openly Gay Mayor Elected"]
ABC News
ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...
, July 18, 2013. The municipal palace was burned during a protest against the kidnapping, torture, and murder of a 12-year-old girl known as Sofía Alejandra N. on November 22,
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...
. The girl was kidnapped and held for eleven days but the family could not come up with the money needed to pay the ransom.
In the summer of 2021, it was reported that 96% of the residents of Fresnillo felt unsafe, primarily due to the violence from drug cartels.
Climate
The Coat of Arms of Fresnillo
![Fresnillo - Palacio municipal](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Fresnillo_-_Palacio_municipal.jpg)
In the superior part of the shield is the Latin phrase: "Orat Atque Laborat Ab Urbe Condita", which means: "Since its Founding a City that Works and Prays". The lower part reads, "Real de Minas del Fresnillo (Royal Mine of Fresnillo)". In the center the horizontal bar reads: "2 de Septiembre de 1554".
The coat of arms is divided into three boxes: first in the left superior part, there appears the Virgin of Candlemas, Pattern of Fresnillo, which is identified by the candle in her right hand. In the box on the right superior part, there is a rodela or shield and the arms used by the natives and the Spaniards during the Conquest. In the inferior part (the third box) there appears a spring, in whose margin there is an
Ash tree, and a depiction of the bottom of the Proaño Hill with some clouds, symbolizing the rainy month of September. "2 of September of 1554".
Plateros
![Iglesia del Sagrado Corazon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Iglesia_del_Sagrado_Corazon.jpg)
Fresnillo, Zacatecas is often connected with
Plateros, a nearby mining town that attracts many religious believers to the area. The church was built in the late 1690s in commemoration of Spanish miners finding a miraculous silver crucifix. The crucifix is said to have appeared in a wooden crate without knowledge of its creation. Spiritual devotion and respect resulted in the cross-Atlantic travel of a statue of the Our Lady of Atocha. The statue has the
Virgin Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...
carrying an infant Jesus in her arms. This infant statue became known as the
Holy Child of Atocha.
Many claim that miracles result from the devout prayer to this Holy Child. Those who truly believe that the Holy Child worked in their favor will often bring back a gift in gratitude. In 1883, a separate building was constructed to house the various gifts followers brought back to him.
Today, many families who have religious connections to this saint will travel far in pilgrimage and attend mass as they visit the shrine. The saint itself is said to be a Zacatecas iconic piece, as well as a guardian of miners.
Agriculture
Agriculture is of great importance. The city is a great producer of various crops, including corn, pepper, tomato, among others. The neighboring towns and villages will focus on exporting its goods to the main city, as well as others. Economic sustainability is often connected to its agricultural success, along with silver mining.
References
Sources
*The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia 2003
*Enciclopedia de Municipios del Estado de Zacateca
*
National Institute of Statistics, Geography, and Data Processing, INEGI Census Data, Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México
Link to tables of population data from Census of 2005INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática
Zacatecas Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México
Historia del Santo Nino de Atocha
External links
Presidencia Municipal de Fresnillo(official website)
{{Authority control
Populated places in Zacatecas
Populated places established in 1554
1554 establishments in the Spanish Empire