The Bajío (the ''lowland'') is a cultural and geographical region within the

central Mexican plateau The Central Mexican Plateau, also known as the Mexican Altiplano (), is a large arid-to-semiarid plateau that occupies much of northern and central Mexico. Averaging above sea level, it extends from the United States border in the north to the T ...

which roughly spans from northwest of

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

to the main silver mines in the northern-central part of the country. This includes (from south to north) the states of

Querétaro Querétaro, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Querétaro, 18 municipalities. Its capital city is Querétaro Cit ...

Guanajuato Guanajuato, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato, is one of the 32 states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guanajuato, 46 municipalities and its cap ...

, parts of

Jalisco Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...

(Centro,

Los Altos de Jalisco The Altos de Jalisco, or the Jaliscan Highlands, is a geographic and cultural region in the eastern part of the Mexican state of Jalisco, famed as a bastion of Mexican culture, cradling traditions from Tequila production to ''Charrería'' equest ...

Aguascalientes Aguascalientes, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Aguascalientes, is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. At 22°N and with an average altitude of above sea level it is pre ...

and parts of

Zacatecas Zacatecas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Zacatecas, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 31 states of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Zacatecas, 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas City, Zacatec ...

San Luis Potosí San Luis Potosí, officially the Free and Sovereign State of San Luis Potosí, is one of the 32 states which compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 59 municipalities and is named after its capital city, San Luis Potosí. It ...

and

Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo, is one of the 31 states which, together with Mexico City, compose the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The stat ...

. Located at the border between

Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area that begins in the southern part of North America and extends to the Pacific coast of Central America, thus comprising the lands of central and southern Mexico, all of Belize, Guatemala, El S ...

and

Aridoamerica Aridoamerica is a cultural and ecological region spanning Northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States, defined by the presence of the drought-resistant, culturally significant staple food, the tepary bean ('' Phaseolus acutifolius'').P ...

, El Bajío saw relatively few permanent settlements and big civilizations during Pre-Columbian history, being mostly inhabited by the

Otomi The Otomi (; ) are an Indigenous people of Mexico inhabiting the central Mexican Plateau (Altiplano) region. The Otomi are an Indigenous people of the Americas who inhabit a discontinuous territory in central Mexico. They are linguistically rel ...

and semi-nomadic tribes known to the Aztecs as the "

Chichimeca Chichimeca () is the name that the Nahua peoples of Mexico generically applied to nomadic and semi-nomadic peoples who were established in present-day Bajío region of Mexico. Chichimeca carried the same meaning as the Roman term "barbarian" tha ...

" peoples (poorly attested conglomerate of Uto-Nahua groups, from whom the

Toltec The Toltec culture () was a Pre-Columbian era, pre-Columbian Mesoamerican culture that ruled a state centered in Tula (Mesoamerican site), Tula, Hidalgo (state), Hidalgo, Mexico, during the Epiclassic and the early Post-Classic period of Mesoam ...

and the Aztecs were probably descended). The tribes that inhabited the Bajío proved to be some of the hardest to conquer for the Spanish—peace was ultimately achieved via truce and negotiation—but due to its strategic location in the Silver Route, it also drew prominent attention from Europe, and some of the flagship Mexican colonial cities were built there, such as

and

. Abundant mineral wealth and favorable farming conditions would soon turn the region into the wealthiest of New Spain. At the beginning of the 19th century, El Bajío was also the place of the ignition of the Mexican

War of Independence Wars of national liberation, also called wars of independence or wars of liberation, are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) ...

, and saw most of its battles during the initial phase of the war, including the

Cry of Dolores The Cry of Dolores () occurred in Dolores Hidalgo, Dolores, Mexico, on 16 September 1810, when Roman Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rang his church bell and gave the pronunciamiento, call to arms that triggered the Mexican War of Indep ...

, the storming of the Alhóndiga de Granaditas and the

Battle of Calderón Bridge The Battle of Calderón Bridge () was a decisive battle in the Mexican War of Independence. It was fought in January 1811 on the banks of the Calderón River east of Guadalajara in present-day Zapotlanejo, Jalisco. Almost 100,000 Mexican re ...

. Nowadays, the region features one of the strongest economies in Mexico and Latin America, drawing both domestic investment from the adjacent, industry-heavy

State of Mexico The State of Mexico, officially just Mexico, is one of the 32 federal entities of the United Mexican States. Colloquially known as Edomex (from , the abbreviation of , and ), to distinguish it from the name of the whole country, it is the mo ...

, as well as foreign companies seeking cheap specialized labor and decent infrastructure (mostly American, Japanese and to some extent, European vehicle and electronics companies). The largest cities of the Bajío are

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...

, León,

Santiago de Querétaro Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Region, ...

, and

History

The Bajío rose to world prominence during the three centuries of colonial rule, providing much of the mineral and agricultural wealth of the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered ...

. As such, it was also the birthplace of the

Mexican War of Independence The Mexican War of Independence (, 16 September 1810 – 27 September 1821) was an armed conflict and political process resulting in Mexico's independence from the Spanish Empire. It was not a single, coherent event, but local and regional ...

, during which

criollo Criollo or criolla (Spanish for creole) may refer to: People * Criollo people, a social class in the Spanish colonial system. Animals * Criollo duck, a species of duck native to Central and South America. * Criollo cattle, a group of cattle bre ...

elites long established in the Bajío gathered the masses to revolt against Napoleonic rule in Spain, seen as a threat to the established order in America.

Pre-Columbian

Recent archeological studies have discovered an extensive historic cultural tradition that is unique to the region, particularly along the flood plains of the Lerma and the Laja Rivers. The Bajío Culture flourished from 300 to 650 CE, with cultural centers ranging from

El Cóporo El Cóporo is a prehispanic archaeological site at the northern frontiers of the Mesoamerican cultural area, located at an elevation of 150 meters on the western slopes of the Santa Bárbara range (Sierra de Santa Bárbara), near the San José ...

in the far north of Guanajuato to

Plazuelas Plazuelas is a prehispanic archaeological site located just north of San Juan el Alto, some north of federal highway 90 (Pénjamo-Guadalajara), and about west of the city of Pénjamo in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico. The site is open to the p ...

in the far southwest. More than 1,400 sites have been discovered throughout the state of Guanajuato, with only the sites of

Cañada de la Virgen Cañada de la Virgen (Spanish for Virgin's Glen) is an Otomi people, Otomi archaeological site in Mexico. Located in the state of Guanajuato, the site was first excavated in 1995, while the official excavation began in 2002. Public access was firs ...

, Peralta, and

having received extensive study. The Bajio from pre-Columbian times is best remembered from the

nations, the name given by the Mexicas to a group of indigenous chiefdoms without clear states, boundaries or dwelling places, who inhabited the center and north of the country, such as

Guachichiles The Guachichil, Cuauchichil, or Quauhchichitl are an exonym for an Indigenous people of Mexico. Prior to European contact, they occupied the most extensive territory of all the Indigenous Chichimeca tribes in pre-Columbian central Mexico. The G ...

, Guamares, Pames, Tecuexes, among others.

Colonial

By 1536 the Spanish and the Otomí leader

Conín Conín (also known by his Christian name Hernando ernandode Tapia) was a Native American conquistador of the Otomí people, who helped the Spaniards conquer territories in the central part of Mexico during the 16th century. In the Otomí languag ...

had founded the multi-ethnic city of

. On the dawn of European expansion with the expedition of

Nuño de Guzmán Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán (1558) was a Spanish conquistador and colonial administrator in New Spain. He was the governor of the province of Pánuco (province), Pánuco from 1525 to 1533 and of Nueva Galicia from 1529 to 1534, and president of the ...

and the Spanish acquisition of the Purepecha Empire after 1530, the region north of the limits of Mesoamerican civilization was also known as the Great

, and was the epicenter of the

Chichimeca War The Chichimeca War (1550–1600) was a military conflict between the Spanish Empire and the Chichimeca Confederation established in the territories today known as the Central Mexican Plateau, called by the Conquistadores La Gran Chichimeca. ...

in the 16th century. The Chichimeca War confronted the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

and Habsburg Europe at large under

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

against the native chiefdoms of the Caxcans, the Zacatecs, the Guamares and other nomadic Uto-Nahuan peoples, with the goal of conquering their lands and exploiting silver discovered between 1540 and 1590. The resulting economic activity would quickly become the economic engine of the Kingdom of New Galicia, and the

Viceroyalty of New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...

at large, serving as a pivotal hub for world commerce between Europe and Asia (see

Global silver trade from the 16th to 19th centuries The global silver trade between the Americas, Europe, and China from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries was a spillover of the Columbian exchange which had a profound effect on the world economy. Many scholars consider the silver trade to mark ...

Valladolid Valladolid ( ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and ''de facto'' capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the pr ...

(today Morelia),

, among other cities were often founded with the goal to contain the "barbarian" tribes and protect Spanish families. The discovery of the mines of Zacatecas and Guanajuato, on the other hand, caused a high arrival of Spanish and

Tlaxcaltec The Tlaxcallans, or Tlaxcaltec, are an indigenous Nahua people who originate from Tlaxcala, Mexico. The Confederacy of Tlaxcala was instrumental in overthrowing the Aztec Empire in 1521, alongside conquistadors from the Kingdom of Spain. The ...

people to the area, which led to the founding of towns such as San Miguel el Grande (1542),

Celaya Celaya (; Otomi: ) is a city and its surrounding municipality in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, 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 muni ...

(1571), Zamora (1574)

(1575) and León (1576),

Durango Durango, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Durango, is one of the 31 states which make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in the northwest portion of the country. With a population of 1,832,650 ...

, Chihuahua, Santa Fe Nuevo México: the so-called Silver Route of the Spanish treasure fleet. Meanwhile, king Philip II of Spain orchestrated most of the

Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also sometimes called the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to, and as an alternative to or from similar insights as, the Protestant Reformations at the time. It w ...

in Europe and the Fourth Ottoman–Venetian War in large part with the wealth provided by settlers, indigenous people and African slaves from the American colonial enterprise centered at the Bajío. For much of the 16th century, the Bajío was characterized by its coming and going of cattle from

and

Lake Chapala Lake Chapala (, ) has been Mexico's largest freshwater lake since the desiccation of Lake Texcoco in the early 17th century. It borders both the states of Jalisco and Michoacán, being located within the municipalities of Ocotlán, Jalisco, ...

, by the ongoing silver rush and by the "warlike spirit" arising from the Chichimeca War, which culminated with severe reductions in Chichimeca populations due to war and

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

. The Chichimecas were reduced to a few settlements in the highlands or immersed in the new order. Throughout the 17th century, cities such as

Irapuato Irapuato is a Mexican city and municipalities of Mexico, municipality located at the foot of the Arandas Hill (in Spanish Language, Spanish: ''Cerro de Arandas''), in the central region of the Mexican state, state of Guanajuato. It lies between the ...

Salamanca Salamanca () is a Municipality of Spain, municipality and city in Spain, capital of the Province of Salamanca, province of the same name, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is located in the Campo Charro comarca, in the ...

and Salvatierra were founded, which, together with the large cities of the Bajío (Guadalajara, Guanajuato, Querétaro, Valladolid or Nueva Michoacán), experienced little population growth. It was not until the 18th century that there was a rise in population throughout New Spain, especially in the Bajío, which came hand in hand with high urban development. However, the greatest boom occurred in the economic sphere. It was the Bajío that provided meat, grains and manufacturing to the mining areas of the West, North Central, North Mexico and, later, to

itself. During the Enlightenment, the prosperity of the Bajío was produced through a distinguished institutional format (such as the

hacienda A ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or '' finca''), similar to a Roman '' latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards ...

, slavery, peonage, etc.), an institutional format also very present in cities and towns in the Bajío in the form of schools, colleges and seminaries (see

List of colonial universities in Hispanic America The list of universities established in the viceroyalties of the Hispanic America comprises all University, universities established by the Spanish Empire in America from the settlement of the Americas in 1492 to the Spanish American wars of inde ...

). The College of Saint Nicholas (1540), the

University of Guanajuato The Universidad de Guanajuato (in English, the University of Guanajuato) is a university based in the Mexican state of Guanajuato, made up of about 47,108 students in programs ranging from high school level to the doctorate level. Over 30,89 ...

(1732) and the

University of Guadalajara The University of Guadalajara () is a public university, public research university located in Guadalajara, Mexico. It was originally established in 1586 and officially founded on 12 February 1791 as the Royal and Pontifical University of Gu ...

(1792) can be traced back to this era.

Mexican Independence

The war that led to the independence of New Spain has roots in its academic life, mainly in the classrooms of the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

and

Oratorians An Oratorian is a member of one of the following religious orders: * Oratory of Saint Philip Neri (Roman Catholic), who use the postnominal letters C.O. * Oratory of Jesus (Roman Catholic) * Oratory of the Good Shepherd (Anglican) * Teologisk Orator ...

of the Bajío. In urban centers since the end of the 18th century, conspiracies were organized, and from 1810 onwards insurgents emerged who supported the independence cause; earning the Bajío the title of cradle of the Mexican Independence.

Miguel Hidalgo Don Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla Gallaga Mandarte y Villaseñor (8 May 1753 – 30 July 1811), commonly known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or simply Miguel Hidalgo (), was a Catholic priest, leader of the Mexican Wa ...

Ignacio Allende Ignacio José de Allende y Unzaga (, , ; January 21, 1769 – June 26, 1811), commonly known as Ignacio Allende, was a captain of the Spanish Army in New Spain who came to sympathize with the Mexican independence movement. He attended the secre ...

, the Aldama brothers,

Josefa Ortíz de Domínguez Josefa may refer to: * 649 Josefa, a minor planet * Josefa (given name), a unisex given name See also * Josepha * José José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is prono ...

José María Morelos José María Teclo Morelos Pérez y Pavón () (30 September 1765 – 22 December 1815) was a Mexican Priesthood in the Catholic Church, Catholic priest, statesman and military leader who led the Mexican War of Independence movement, assuming it ...

among other figures of the early phase of

Mexican Independence The Mexican War of Independence (, 16 September 1810 – 27 September 1821) was an armed conflict and political process resulting in Mexico's independence from the Spanish Empire. It was not a single, coherent event, but local and regional ...

were born and lived in the Bajío. On September 13 1810, Epigmenio González was taken prisoner, who had an arsenal of weapons destined for the insurgency. On the 15th, the corregidor of Querétaro, Miguel Domínguez, and his wife,

Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez María Josefa Crescencia Ortiz Téllez–Girón, popularly known as Doña Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez or ''La Corregidora'' (8 September 1768 – 2 March 1829) was an insurgent and supporter of the Mexican War of Independence, which fought for ...

, were arrested. Some historians claim that she managed to send a message to Captain

and

, through Ignacio Pérez, a member of her militia who rode to San Miguel el Grande (today

San Miguel de Allende San Miguel de Allende () is the principal city in the Municipalities of Mexico, municipality of San Miguel de Allende (municipality), San Miguel de Allende, located in the far eastern part of Guanajuato, Mexico. A part of the Bajío region, the t ...

) to inform those who would start the Mexican War of Independence that the conspiracy had been discovered. The most remembered event occurred in the early morning of September 16, 1810. In a small town called Dolores (today

Dolores Hidalgo Dolores Hidalgo (; in full, Dolores Hidalgo Cuna de la Independencia Nacional, ) is the name of a city and the surrounding municipality in the north-central part of the Mexican state of Guanajuato. It is located at , at an elevation of about a ...

), father Miguel Hidalgo (born in Pénjamo) and his fellow insurgents rose up in arms against the viceregal regime, launching the famous

19th century

In 1847 the city of

was named the capital of Mexico after Mexico City was Mexican–American War, invaded by the United States. On May 30, 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, forcing Mexico to lose the northern half of its territory in exchange for ending the occupation of Mexico City and the main Mexican ports such as Veracruz (city), Veracruz. In 1867, two battles were fought between the Republican armies of Benito Juárez and Second Mexican Empire, French-Imperial armies at Cerro de las Campanas, during the Siege of Querétaro. Maximilian I of Mexico, Maximilian of Austria (emperor of Mexico) was captured, tried and sentenced, being shot on June 19 at Cerro de las Campanas, along with the Mexican generals Miguel Miramón and Tomás Mejía.

Mexican Revolution, Cristiada and contemporary Mexico

In the Bajío in April 1915, during the Mexican Revolution, General Álvaro Obregón provoked decisive battles against Pancho Villa, whose troops lost in June that year outside the city of

, in the State of Guanajuato. The Convention of Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes Convention was a meeting that took place during the Mexican Revolution, convened on October 1, 1914 by Venustiano Carranza, first head of the Constitutional Army, Constitutionalist Army, under the name of "Great Convention of Military Chiefs in Command of Forces and Governors of the States", and whose initial sessions took place in the Congress of the Union, Chamber of Deputies in Mexico City. Although, later, they were moved to

, after which the convention is named, and was held from October 10 to November 9, 1914. The Liberation Army of the South, Zapatistas did not enter the Convention from the beginning. On February 2 of 1916 the third and current Constitution of Mexico was signed at the Teather of the Republic, in

. The city was again named provisional capital of the country, this time by President Venustiano Carranza, and for the duration of the Constitutional Convention. Catedral zamora 1

The Cristero War was fought mainly in the Bajío, in areas of the states of Michoacán, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Querétaro and Aguascalientes. The leadership of the movement, close to the Catholic Church, believed that a military solution to the conflict was viable. In January 1927, the stockpiling of weapons began. The first guerrillas were made up of peasants. Support for the armed groups grew. More and more people joined the proclamations of "Long live Christ the King!" and "Long live Saint Mary of Guadalupe!". The origin of the noun Cristero is disputed. There are those who believe that it was the Cristeros themselves who first used the name to identify themselves. But there are researchers of the phenomenon, such as Jean Meyer, who believe that, in its origins, it was a derogatory expression, used by agents of the federal government. The Cristeros were able to quickly articulate a series of local rebellions against the "Sonora Group", a name created after the Sonoran presidents Adolfo de la Huerta, Álvaro Obregón and Plutarco Elías Calles.

Geography

The Bajío region lies in the basins of the Rio Lerma and Río Grande de Santiago. The valleys of the Lerma-Chapala basin are the result of volcanic activity during the Pliocene geological period and the Quaternary period, which at one time produced large inland lakes due to the obstruction of the outflow of their waters. With an area over 50 000 km², and a moderately variable topology, distinct subregions within the Bajío can offer microclimates ranging from the Temperate climate, temperate to the Humid subtropical climate, humid subtropical or dry Steppe, steppes. The highest peak in the Bajío is Siete Cruces, in the Guanajuato, state of Guanajuato, with an elevation of 3053 m. In general the region is usually associated with the States of Guanajuato and Querétaro, even though those two states form only a part of the Bajío. It is now characterized by its highly mechanized agriculture, with mean precipitation in the order of per annum (one of the highest in the country). During the

, the area was known as the breadbasket of the territory. As of 2014, the region produces sorghum, wheat and maize as its main crops. File:Cerro de la mesa with corn and agave fields.jpg, Agave fields near Cerro de la Mesa (in the background). Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco. File:Laguna de Yuriria.png, Lake Yuriria, at the border between

and

. File:Panorámica de Real de Catorce.jpg, Real de Catorce, San Luis Potosí. File:Cerro Culiacán from Jaral del Progreso.jpg, Fields near

, Guanajuato.

Demography

Secondary states sometimes considered as partly contributing to El Bajío or enclosing it:

and State of Mexico, Estado de México (State of Mexico).

Largest cities

Economy

Today, the region is one of the fastest-growing in the country. This has caused the metropolitan areas to attract many migrants from other parts of Mexico. The region has had an outstanding industrial and economic development in the last 15 years. The cities of El Bajío have one of the highest income per capita figures in Mexico.

Agriculture and Mining

Industry

El Bajio has long been a hub for the national industrial market, because it naturally sits between Mexico's three main cities:

to the southeast,

to the west and Monterrey to the northeast. The region has attracted foreign companies due to its relative proximity to the United States, second only in American manufacturing plants to the Mexico-US border. Faster access to port cities such as Manzanillo, Colima, Manzanillo, Tampico and Veracruz (city), Veracruz compared to border cities is also attractive for Asian and European markets. The main investor was Japan, although the United States, South Korea, Germany, France, Italy and Spain also have important presence in the area. It is estimated that, by 2016, Asian foreign direct investment totaled over 1.5 billion dollars.

(Silao, León-Silao and

) hosts General Motors, Pirelli, Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Denso, Mitsubishi Group, Mitsubishi, and Sumitomo Group, Sumitomo plants.

hosts Nissan, Renault, Mercedes-Benz Group, Mercedes, Yazaki and Jatco plants.

hosts Mitsubishi Group, Mitsubishi, Samsung, Bombardier Transportation, Bombardier and Safran plants.

hosts BMW and Yazaki. The

(Cuautitlán Izcalli) hosts a Ford Motor Company, Ford plant. ''Bajío Shimbun'' is a monthly, Japanese-language newspaper founded in June 2015. The first Japanese consulate was inaugurated in January 2016 in León to serve the Bajío region. As of 2017 there were 1143 Japanese, 294 United-Statesians and 200 Spanish legal immigrants in Aguascalientes according to the immigration authorities, although the total number of immigrants is thought to be much higher. In 2015, authorities reported a total of 6230 legally-registered immigrants in the state of

, most of them from the United States, Spain, Colombia, South Korea, Germany, Cuba, France, Canada, Japan and Venezuela. Now archetypal in the development plans of the local governments, these business partnerships with multinational corporations have been criticized for exploiting Mexico's weak labor laws and low wages, lacking long-term potential of benefiting the local population and for outsourcing jobs out of their countries of origin.

Tourism

Due to its colonial heritage, the Bajío is home to around eight List of World Heritage Sites in Mexico, UNESCO World Heritage Sites (depending on how its limits are defined): *Downtown Querétaro City. *Franciscan Missions in the Sierra Gorda (shrines in the rural Sierra Gorda, Querétaro Huasteca region, by Junípero Serra, also founder of many Californian missions). *Guanajuato City and adjacent mines. *

and Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco (town in the state of Guanajuato). *Hospicio Cabañas (colonial hospital complex and art museum in Guadalajara). *Agave Landscape and Ancient Industrial Facilities of Tequila (Jalisco). *Zacatecas City *Camino Real de Tierra Adentro *Downtown Morelia

Culture

The Bajío is known for being the cradle of Mexican War of Independence, Mexican independence from the

, and for being one of the conservative bastions of Roman Catholicism in Mexico, Mexican Catholicism. File:El Cubilete - panoramio.jpg, El Cubilete hill, Silao, Guanajuato. File:Fachada de la Catedral Basílica de Nuestra Señora de San Juan de los Lagos 04.JPG, San Juan de los Lagos, Jalisco. File:Cantera Rosada..JPG, Sanctuary of Plateros (Sanctuary of Silversmiths), Fresnillo, Zacatecas. File:Pueblo de Peña de Bernal.jpg, Bernal, Querétaro, Bernal, Querétaro. File:Mercado Hidalgo, Guanajuato Capital, Guanajuato - Avenida Benito Juárez.jpg, Guanajuato City, Guanajuato, Guanajuato. File:Fuente Plaza del Carmen SLP.jpg, Plaza del Carmen, San Luis Potosí (city), San Luis Potosí. File:Sopa tarasca.jpg, Purépecha, Tarascan soup. File:Enchiladas Mineras (Guanajuatenses).jpg, Enchilada, Enchiladas mineras (miner's enchiladas). File:Wikipedia 10 Guadalajara - Mariachi.jpg, Mariachi band.

References

External links

*http://www.cuentame.inegi.org.mx/territorio/rev/index.html *http://www.inegi.org.mx/sistemas/mexicocifras/default.aspx?e=11&i=i *http://www.e-local.gob.mx/work/templates/enciclo/guanajuato/hist.htm *http://www.historicas.unam.mx/moderna/ehmc/ehmc14/187.html *https://web.archive.org/web/20101223114649/http://www.bicentenario.gob.mx/bdb/bdbpdf/NBNM/R/23.pdf {{DEFAULTSORT:Bajio Historical regions in Mexico Geography of Mexico Geography of Mesoamerica Pre-Columbian cultural areas Regions of Mexico