Tampico is a city and port in the southeastern part of 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 ...

of Tamaulipas. It is located on the north bank of the Pánuco River, about inland from the Gulf of Mexico, and directly north of the state of Veracruz. Tampico is the fifth-largest city in Tamaulipas, with a population of 314,418 in the city proper and 929,174 in the

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...

. During the period of Mexico's first

oil boom An oil boom is a period of large inflow of income as a result of high global oil prices or large oil production in an economy. Generally, this short period initially brings economic benefits, in terms of increased GDP growth, but might later lead ...

in the early 20th century, the city was the "chief oil-exporting port of the Americas" and the second-busiest in the world, yielding great profits that were invested in the city's famous architecture, often compared to that of

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

and New Orleans.Dave Graham, "Crime-ridden state poses acid test for Mexican oil reform"
''Reuters,'' 25 June 2014, accessed 11 December 2014 The first oil well in Mexico was drilled near Tampico in 1901 at Ébano. The city is also a major exporter of silver, copper, and lumber, as well as wool,

hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial or medicinal use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest growing plants o ...

, and other agricultural products. Containerized cargo is mainly handled by the neighboring ocean port of Altamira.

History

The name "Tampico" is of Huastec origin, ''tam-piko'' meaning "place of otters" (literally "water dogs"). The city is surrounded by rivers and lagoons of the delta of the Pánuco River, which was the habitat of a large population of

otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes wea ...

s. There have been successive human settlements in the area for centuries. The region had several early Huastec settlements, among them the important site at Las Flores, which flourished between AD 1000 and 1250. In 1532, during the

Spanish colonial period Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

, the Franciscan priest Andrés de Olmos established a mission and monastery in the area, building over a former Huastec village. At his request, Spanish officials founded a settlement named San Luis de Tampico in 1554. This site was abandoned in 1684, and the population relocated to the south of the Pánuco River because of frequent attacks by pirates. The area was abandoned for nearly 150 years. The present city was founded on April 13, 1823, on the north bank of the Pánuco River about from the Gulf, after Mexico achieved independence from Spain. Tampico built its economy on the exportation of silver; business development was mostly as a trading center and market town of an agricultural region. In August 1829, Spain sent troops from Cuba to invade Tampico in an effort to regain control of the region, but in September, General Antonio López de Santa Anna forced the Spanish troops to surrender, and Mexican control of Tampico was reestablished.

20th century to present

The first oil well in Mexico was drilled near Tampico at Ébano, S.L.P., in 1901, by Californian Edward Doheny, who founded the

Mexican Petroleum Corporation Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

. In the early 20th century, there was extensive U.S. investment in oil development in Tampico, with a sizable United States expatriate community developing in relation to the industry. With the outbreak 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 ...

, which lasted roughly from 1910 to 1920, the U.S. monitored the situation to protect its citizens and investments. Doheny sold some of his businesses to the

Standard Oil Company Standard Oil Company, Inc., was an American oil production, transportation, refining, and marketing company that operated from 1870 to 1911. At its height, Standard Oil was the largest petroleum company in the world, and its success made its co-f ...

which operated its monopoly here. The oil-producing area was so productive it was called the "Golden Belt". The oil fields known as Ébano, Pánuco, Huasteca, and Tuxpan are all situated within a radius of the city. Oil was often shipped on barges along the rivers. To improve transportation of oil to the port, the government built the Chijol Canal, beginning in 1901. It is deep and wide and runs southward through the oil fields to Tuxpan."Tampico"
''Encyclopædia Britannica Online,'' accessed 11 December 2014 During the

, on April 9, 1914, 10 Mexican soldiers and nine U.S. Navy sailors from the USS ''Dolphin'' confronted each other in a failure to communicate as U.S. forces tried to get fuel supplies. General Victoriano Huerta's forces in the city were threatened by different groups from both north and south. The Americans were arrested and later freed, but the U.S. resented Huerta's demands for some recognition. In the resulting Tampico Affair, the U.S. sent naval and marine forces into port of Veracruz and occupied the city for seven months in a show of force. Due to resulting anti-American demonstrations on each coast, other U.S. Navy ships were used to evacuate some American citizens to refugee camps in southern U.S. cities. The U.S. occupation contributed to the downfall of Huerta, and Venustiano Carranza became president. He ensured that Mexico maintained neutrality during World War I, in part due to lingering animosity against the U.S. for these actions. In the 1970s, Tampico annexed the port city and suburb of

Ciudad Madero Ciudad Madero is a coastal city, located in southeast Tamaulipas in the Gulf of Mexico. It is the seventh most populous city in the state, with a census-estimated 2015 population of 209,175 within an area of 18.0 square miles (46.6 km2) the c ...

, which now comprises part of the Tampico metropolitan area. Tampico has a modern port with excellent facilities, as well as rail and air connections to Mexico City and the United States. The Mexican government nationalized the oil industry in 1938 and has maintained that for 86 years. In November 2014, President Enrique Peña Nieto announced a policy change of ending

Pemex Pemex (a portmanteau of Petróleos Mexicanos, which translates to ''Mexican Petroleum'' in English; ) is the Mexican state-owned petroleum company managed and operated by the Mexican government. It was formed in 1938 by nationalization and expr ...

's monopoly and inviting private companies back into the oil and gas industry. While analysts believe the largest finds are likely to be offshore, new techniques may yield oil even at mature fields such as those of Tampico.Juan Montes, "A New Oil Boom in Mexico's Aging 'Golden Belt'"
''Wall Street Journal'', 4 November 2014, accessed 10 December 2014 In early 2015, the government planned to accept bids on 169 blocks, 47 of which are within of Tampico. It is expected that smaller companies will be active in the mature fields, such as those in this region. This area has extensive shale oil deposits, and the "

U.S. Energy Information Administration The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System responsible for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating energy information to promote sound policymaking, efficient markets, and publ ...

estimates that Mexico has the world's eighth-largest shale-oil resources."

Architecture

Tampico's downtown architecture is an eclectic mix, reflecting the growth of the city during the '' Porfiriato'' (the period of rule by President

Porfirio Díaz José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori ( or ; ; 15 September 1830 – 2 July 1915), known as Porfirio Díaz, was a Mexican general and politician who served seven terms as President of Mexico, a total of 31 years, from 28 November 1876 to 6 Decem ...

). During the oil boom of the first decades of the 20th century, much "grandiose" architecture was built, inviting comparisons with

, Italy, and New Orleans in the United States. Many buildings feature wrought-iron balconies (in the 20th century, these were mostly built of English cast iron). Similar balconies are characteristic of the French and Spanish-influenced architecture in New Orleans. Some of the balconies in ''Plaza de la libertad'' bear the original plaques showing their manufacture at the Derbyshire

forge A forge is a type of hearth used for heating metals, or the workplace (smithy) where such a hearth is located. The forge is used by the smith to heat a piece of metal to a temperature at which it becomes easier to shape by forging, or to th ...

of Andrew Handyside and Company. Notable buildings include the neoclassical Town Hall (or ''Palacio Municipal'') in ''Plaza de Armas'', and the English redbrick Customs House in the docks. The prevalence of New Orleans-style architecture is attributed to the oil boom years. Not only was there money to spend, but many building supplies, including pre-built housing components, were shipped from New Orleans to this area during that period of rapid development. The historical downtown areas of ''Plaza de Armas'' and ''Plaza de Libertad'' have been restored and improved in recent years to emphasize their historic appeal, in part to encourage more heritage tourism. The Cathedral of Tampico, also known as the Temple of the Immaculate Conception, located in ''Plaza de Armas'', dates to the late 19th century. It has undergone several restorations. It is of the neoclassical style in light brown canter, with Corinthian-style columns and three enormous doors that form the entrance. Its two towers are made of three bodies. The eastern one has a large, London-made, public chiming clock, a gift from Don Angel Sainz Trapaga. Its recently refurbished interior holds several wall paintings and other works of art. The altar is of white Carrara marble. The United States oil tycoon Edward Doheny of California, who drilled the first oil well in Mexico near Tampico, donated substantial funds for the cathedral's construction and maintenance after 1902, when he based his Mexican oil operations in Tampico.

Demographics

According to the INEGI 2010 census, the population of the city of Tampico was 297,284, and that of the municipality of Tampico was 297,554, both ranking fifth in the state of Tamaulipas. The population of the Tampico—Ciudad Madero—Altamira metropolitan area was estimated at 859,419 people in 2010. The municipality has an area of .

Geography

The city is located on the north bank of the Pánuco River, about inland from the Gulf of Mexico, and directly north of the state of Veracruz.

Climate

Tampico has a tropical savanna climate ( Köppen: ''Aw''), defined as such based on the mean average temperature of 18 °C (65 °F) for January as well as on precipitation patterns.Climate Data for Tampico
World Weather Information Service accessed 20 April 2012. Its weather, though relatively mild in spring and autumn, is hot in the summer; the average high reaches 32 °C (90 °F) in August, with an average low of 23 °C (74 °F). Winters are warm; the average January high is 23 °C (73 °F) and the average low in January is 13 °C (58 °F). Rainfall is frequent from June through October. Tampico is an extremely humid city, with summer heat indices reaching 40 °C (104 °F). It is located on the Pánuco River and among extensive wetlands adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico. During autumn and winter, it is affected by cold fronts that pass through the gulf and bring high winds that can reach 50 km/h (37 mph) with gusts of 70 to 80 km/h (43 to 50 mph). Tampico is also located in a hurricane area, but it has not been directly affected by one since October 1966. On rare occasions, the city experiences surprisingly low temperatures for its zone; during late January and early February 2011, a cold wave caused temperatures to drop to , with the lowest being in the morning and noon of 4 February. In February 1895, snow was reported to have fallen in Tampico. This is the North American record for the farthest south report of snow at a coastal location, and makes Tampico one of the few places where snow has fallen in the tropics at sea level.''Extreme Weather: A Guide and Record Book;'' Christopher Burt; 2007

Transportation

The

of Tampico, Ciudad Madero, and Altamira is served by General Francisco Javier Mina International Airport (

IATA airport code An IATA airport code, also known as an IATA location identifier, IATA station code, or simply a location identifier, is a three-character alphanumeric geocode designating many airports and metropolitan areas around the world, defined by the ...

: TAM), which is located in the northern part of the city of Tampico. It serves routes to Mexican cities, mainly Mexico City and

Monterrey Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...

, and also has international services, with daily flights to

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. The city also has excellent railway facilities serving the port, which is well-developed with warehouses and equipment for loading oil tankers. Major roads connect to the Pan-American Highway.

Food

Tampico is known for its food. Seafood is important in the city. The locals are informally known as ''Jaibas'' (

crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the ...

s), and the crab emblem is seen in many places, from sports logos to the sides of buses to park benches. There are also typical dishes of the area, mainly the " torta de la barda" which is a sandwich that contains over 12 toppings, and the famous "tampiqueña" which is steak with refried beans and "entomatadas" (tortillas with tomato sauce and cheese).

Education

The

Autonomous University of Tamaulipas The Autonomous University of Tamaulipas (in es, Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas, UAT) is a Mexican public university based in Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas. Throughout the larger cities of Reynosa, Matamoros, Nuevo Laredo, and Tampico and ...

has one of its two largest campuses in Tampico, the other being in Ciudad Victoria. The major schools of medicine, engineering, nursing, dentistry, architecture, and business are based here. Multiple high schools, both private and public, are located in Tampico.

Sports

The local professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

team,

Tampico Madero F.C. Club Deportivo y Social Tampico Madero is a Mexican professional football club based in Tampico, Tamaulipas that plays in the Liga Premier de México. History CD Tampico The club was founded on July 8, 1945 soon after the club played a promoti ...

, was founded in 1945 and is also known as ''La Jaiba Brava''. They currently play in the

Ascenso MX Ascenso MX was the second tier of professional football in Mexico of the Mexican football league system. The champion of the competition was promoted to Liga MX (top-flight tier). The bottom team was relegated to Liga Premier (the third tier). ...

, the second tier of the

Mexican football league system The Mexican football league system is organized by the Mexican Football Federation, except for the Liga MX and the Ascenso MX that are organized independently; The tournaments consist of five levels, male and female professional levels. In additio ...

, and their home stadium has been the 19,415-seat

Estadio Tamaulipas The Estadio Tamaulipas is a football stadium in the southern portion of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, serving as the home of C.D.S. Tampico Madero It sits across two municipalities, Tampico and Ciudad Madero, and has a capacity of 19,667. Th ...

since 1966. In 1953, Tampico Madero was champion of the México Primera División and also won the Campeón de Campeones title. ''La Jaiba Brava'' won consecutive Copa México titles in 1960 and 1961. The club spent most of the 1960s and 1970s in relegation but returned to the Primera División for the 1977–78 season. They finished runner-up twice in the shortened 1985 and 1986 Primera División tournaments under Chilean manager

Carlos Reinoso Carlos Enzo Exzequiel Reinoso Valdenegro (born 7 March 1945) is a Chilean former footballer and manager who recently managed Mexican club UAT. He began his career in the 1960s playing for Audax Italiano in his native Chile. In 1970 Reinoso was ...

before being relegated again in the early 1990s.

Notable people

* Juan García Esquivel (1918–2002), pianist and composer of

lounge music Lounge music is a type of easy listening music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It may be meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place, usually with a tranquil theme, such as a jungle, an island paradise or outer space. The rang ...

, known as "The King of Space Age Pop" * Eugenio Siller (born 1981), actor *

Ernesto Corripio Ahumada Ernesto Corripio y Ahumada (June 29, 1919 – April 10, 2008) was a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Mexico in Mexico City (1977–1994) and was Primate of Mexico. In the consistory of June 30, 1979 in Vatican City Po ...

(1919–2008), Archbishop of Mexico * Linda Christian (1923–2011), actress * Mauricio Garcés (1926–1989), actor, born Mauricio Feres Yazbeck * Roberto Cantoral (1935–2010), composer and songwriter * (1933–2010) writer and poet. One of her best-known poems was "En Vida, Hermano... en vida" * Carlos Sens Rendon (born 1941), artist, muralist best known for his large mural in the Palacio Municipal which shows the past, present and future of Tampico *

James Carlos Blake James Carlos Blake (born May 26, 1947) is an American writer of novels, novellas, short stories, and essays. His work has received extensive critical favor and several notable awards. He has been called “one of the greatest chroniclers of the my ...

(born 1947), American novelist *

Everette Lee DeGolyer Everette Lee DeGolyer (October 9, 1886 – December 14, 1956), was a prominent oil company executive, petroleum exploration geophysicist and philanthropist in Dallas. He was known as "the founder of applied geophysics in the petroleum industry",C ...

(1886–1956), prominent oilman, geophysicist and philanthropist in Dallas, Texas * Rodrigo González (1950–1985), rock musician, killed in the

1985 Mexico City earthquake The 1985 Mexico City earthquake struck in the early morning of 19 September at 07:17:50 (CST) with a moment magnitude of 8.0 and a maximal Mercalli intensity of IX (''Violent''). The event caused serious damage to the Greater Mexico City area a ...

José Ángel Gurría Treviño José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

(born 1950), former Mexican Treasury Secretary and current Secretary General of the OECD * Víctor Manuel Vucetich (born 1955), retired association football midfielder and current manager of

Querétaro F.C. Querétaro Fútbol Club, also called ''Gallos Blancos de Querétaro'', is a Mexican professional football club based in Querétaro City. Querétaro plays in the Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football league system. Their colors are blue, ...

* Rafael Sebastián Guillén Vicente (born 1957), alleged by the Mexican government to be Subcomandante Marcos * Joaquín del Olmo (born 1969), retired international football midfielder * Cecilia Suárez (born 1971), film and television actress * Erika Alcocer Luna (born 1974), cantante conocida por ser ganadora del reality La Academia * Eugenio Siller (born 1977), actor and singer * Kika Edgar (born 1977), actress and singer * Alejandro Gomez Monteverde (born 1977), film director * Alicja Bachleda-Curuś (born 1983), Polish actress and singer *

Jesús Santa Cruz Jesús Alberto Santa Cruz Mares (born 25 March 1986 in Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico) is a Mexican footballer, who plays as goalkeeper for Puebla F.C. Club Puebla, formerly Puebla F.C. is a Mexican professional football club based in the city ...

(born 1986), Mexican footballer *

Rodolfo Cazaubón Rodolfo Cazaubón Jr. (born 5 August 1989) is a Mexican professional golfer who currently plays on the Web.com Tour. Amateur career Cazaubón played college golf at the University of North Texas where he won three tournaments in his senior year ...

(born 1989),

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

( Web.com Tour) * Paulina Goto (born 1991), actress and singer, former member of pop band Eme 15 and protagonist of neonate television series

Miss XV ''Miss XV'', sometimes stylized as ''Miss 15'', is a Mexican teen musical comedy-drama television series, it is loosely inspired on 1987 telenovela ''Quinceañera''. Pedro Damián produced the series for Nickelodeon and Canal 5 in 2012. Synopsi ...

(Originally from Monterrey, Nuevo León) * Rodolfo Pizarro (born 1994), association football midfielder for C.F. Monterrey and

Mexico national football team The Mexico national football team () represents Mexico in international football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation (). It competes as a member of CONCACAF. Mexico has qualified to seventeen World Cups and has qualified conse ...

References

External links

Government of Tampico
{{Authority control 1823 establishments in Mexico Beaches of Tamaulipas Pánuco River Populated coastal places in Mexico Populated places established in 1823 Populated places in Tamaulipas Port cities and towns of the Mexican Gulf Coast Ports of the Gulf of Mexico