Iguala (), known officially as Iguala de la Independencia, is a historic city located from the

state capital Below is an index of pages containing lists of capital cities. National capitals *List of national capitals * List of national capitals by latitude *List of national capitals by population * List of national capitals by area * List of capital c ...

Chilpancingo Chilpancingo de los Bravo (commonly shortened to Chilpancingo; ; Nahuatl: Chilpantsinko) is the capital and second-largest city of the state of Guerrero, Mexico. In 2010 it had a population of 187,251 people. The municipality has an area of in ...

, in the Mexican state of

Guerrero Guerrero is one of the 32 states that comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo and its largest city is Acapulcocopied from article, GuerreroAs of 2020, Guerrero the pop ...

in southwestern

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 ...

Geography

The city of Iguala stands on Federal Highway 95 about SSW of

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

.By Mexico: Iguala City in Guerrero State, Mexico
/ref> Iguala is the municipal seat of the Municipality of Iguala de la Independencia, located in the north-central part of the state. The city had a 2005 census population of 110,390 and the municipality 128,444. The area of the municipality is . The city is the third-largest community in Guerrero, after Acapulco and

History

General

Vicente Guerrero Vicente Ramón Guerrero (; baptized August 10, 1782 – February 14, 1831) was one of the leading revolutionary generals of the Mexican War of Independence. He fought against Spain for independence in the early 19th century, and later served as ...

was the first military leader to swear allegiance to the Mexican flag in Acatempan, on March 12, 1821. On February 24, the

Plan de Iguala The Plan of Iguala, also known as The Plan of the Three Guarantees ("Plan Trigarante") or Act of Independence of North America, was a revolutionary proclamation promulgated on 24 February 1821, in the final stage of the Mexican War of Independenc ...

had been signed by Agustín de Iturbide and

, ending the long

Mexican War of Independence The Mexican War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia de México, links=no, 16 September 1810 – 27 September 1821) was an armed conflict and political process resulting in Mexico's independence from Spain. It was not a single, co ...

. Gaining independence from Spain was represented by the first national flag, known as the Flag of the Three Guarantees, which was made by José Magdaleno Ocampo. Thus, Iguala is called the birthplace of the Flag of Mexico.

Iguala mass kidnapping

On 26 September 2014, 43 students from the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Teachers' College in

Ayotzinapa Ayotzinapa is a locality located in the municipality of Tixtla de Guerrero, in the Mexican state of Guerrero in southwestern Mexico. History The present locality of Ayotzinapa has its origin in a hacienda that received the same name and owned b ...

were kidnapped,

disappeared An enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person by a state or political organization, or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organi ...

, and likely murdered, provoking ongoing national protests and international attention. Mexican Federal Police and Iguala's police department and former mayor have been implicated in the students' kidnapping and disappearance; members of the ''Guerreros Unidos''

drug cartel A drug cartel is any criminal organization with the intention of supplying drug trafficking operations. They range from loosely managed agreements among various drug traffickers to formalized commercial enterprises. The term was applied when th ...

in the mass murder. The governor of Guerrero state, Ángel Aguirre Rivero, resigned amid the scandal.

Features

The San Francisco Church (''Iglesia de San Francisco'') is a landmark in the city, built in the 19th century in the

Neoclassical style Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing sty ...

. It is surrounded by

tamarind Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is probably indigenous to tropical Africa. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic, meaning that it contains only this species. It belongs to the family Fabaceae ...

trees, and for them Iguala is known as "la Ciudad Tamarindera" (the Tamarindo city). The Lagoon of Tuxpan (''Laguna de Tuxpan''), is a lake in the outskirts of the city, located in the small town of Tuxpan. It is known for its beauty, and popular seafood restaurants. Natives of Tuxpan have worked hard to maintain the popular lagoon healthy for the locals and the city people that visit every weekend.

Events

The Iguala Flag Fair is held in late February annually. It is one of the most important annual festivities for the people of Iguala. It is celebrated with a parade of floats, cockfights, and

Mexican handcrafts and folk art Mexican handcrafts and folk art is a complex collection of items made with various materials and intended for utilitarian, decorative or other purposes. Some of the items produced by hand in this country include ceramics, wall hangings, vases, fu ...

exhibitions. Iguala's local artisans create gold and silver jewelry.

Sister City A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

(2007)http://www.diario21.com/?cmd=displaystory&story_id=875&format=html/ ^{ermanent Dead Link/sup>}

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Guerrero