Nuevo León (state)
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Nuevo León, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nuevo León, is a
state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...
in northeastern
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
. The state borders the Mexican states of
Tamaulipas Tamaulipas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas, is a state in Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 43 municipalities. It is located in nor ...
,
Coahuila Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza, is one of the 31 states of Mexico. The largest city and State Capital is the city of Saltillo; the second largest is Torreón and the thi ...
,
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 ...
, and San Luis Potosi, and has an extremely narrow
international border Borders are generally defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders ...
with the U.S. state of
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
. Covering 64,156 square kilometers (24,771 square miles) and with a population of 5.78 million people, Nuevo León is the thirteenth-largest federal entity by
area Area is the measure of a region's size on a surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while '' surface area'' refers to the area of an open surface or the boundary of a three-di ...
and the seventh-most populous as of 2020.
Monterrey Monterrey (, , abbreviated as MtY) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is the ninth-largest city and the second largest metropolitan area, after Greater Mexico City. Located at the foothills of th ...
, the state's capital, is the most populous city in Nuevo León and the ninth-largest in Mexico. Monterrey is part of the
Monterrey metropolitan area The Monterrey metropolitan area, also known as Greater Monterrey, refers to the surrounding urban agglomeration of Monterrey, Nuevo León. Officially called , the metropolitan area is the Metropolitan areas of Mexico, 2nd-largest in Mexico. Ove ...
, the second-largest metropolitan area in the country with an estimated population of 5.3 million people in 2020. About 92% of the state's population lives in the metropolitan area. Prior to European colonization, Nuevo León was home to various nomadic groups, known as
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 ...
s to the Spaniards. Stemming from
Luis Carvajal y de la Cueva Luis de Carvajal (sometimes Luis de Carabajal y de la Cueva) ( – 13 February 1591) was governor of the Spanish province of Nuevo León in present-day Mexico, slave dealer, and the first Spanish subject known to have entered Texas from Mexico a ...
's expedition in 1580, the
New Kingdom of León The New Kingdom of León (), was an administrative territory of the Spanish Empire, politically ruled by the Viceroyalty of New Spain. It was located in an area corresponding generally to the present-day northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. ...
was established, encompassing present-day Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, and Texas, but permanent settlement did not occur until 1592. In 1824, Nuevo León became a state of Mexico following the country's successful war for independence. The state began industrializing in the late 19th century and early 20th century, establishing various large companies, which accelerated after the
Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...
. Today, Nuevo León is a major manufacturing hub with one of Mexico's largest economies.


Etymology

The origins of Nuevo León's name can be traced back to the late-16th century, when Spanish explorer
Luis Carvajal y de la Cueva Luis de Carvajal (sometimes Luis de Carabajal y de la Cueva) ( – 13 February 1591) was governor of the Spanish province of Nuevo León in present-day Mexico, slave dealer, and the first Spanish subject known to have entered Texas from Mexico a ...
named the region the
New Kingdom of León The New Kingdom of León (), was an administrative territory of the Spanish Empire, politically ruled by the Viceroyalty of New Spain. It was located in an area corresponding generally to the present-day northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. ...
, in honor of the
Kingdom of León The Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in 910 when the Christian princes of Kingdom of Asturias, Asturias along the Bay of Biscay, northern coast of the peninsula ...
, as Carvajal noted various similarities between both territories, particularly their mountainous terrains. Following Mexican independence, the name was shortened to Nuevo León.


History


Prehispanic history

Prior to European colonization, there was no established nation-state. Historians estimate that there were about 250 distinct indigenous
nomad Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the population of nomadic pa ...
groups living in the state's territory, collectively known to the Spaniards as chicimecas. Archaeological remains, such as cave paintings and carved stones, enabled historians to identify four main indigenous groups that inhabited the state: the
Coahuiltecan The Coahuiltecan were various small, autonomous bands of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Native Americans who inhabited the Rio Grande valley in what is now northeastern Mexico and southern Texas. The various Coahuiltecan groups were hunter ga ...
s to the west, Alazapas to the north, the " Borrados" to the east, and the
Guachichil 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 ...
es to the south. Like numerous groups across
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 ...
, the indigenous peoples of Nuevo León were constantly on the move in search for food. Predominantly reliant on hunting and gathering, many peoples traveled in small bands, establishing temporary settlements known as
ranchería The Spanish word ranchería, or rancherío, refers to a small, rural settlement. In the Americas the term was applied to Indigenous peoples of the Americas, native villages or bunkhouses. Anglo-Americans adopted the term with both these meaning ...
s, which typically housed one or two families. These settlements consisted of semispherical huts constructed from interwoven branches and thatched roofs. Those situated near rivers, such as the Salinas river, or in regions with more temperate climates, like areas near or within the
Sierra Madre Oriental The Sierra Madre Oriental () is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico. The Sierra Madre Oriental is part of the American Cordillera, a chain of mountain ranges (cordillera) that consists of an almost continuous sequence of mountain ranges that ...
mountain range, had access to fishing and limited agriculture. Due to their nomadic lifestyle, the communities never laid claim to land permanently, and they did not develop political hierarchies similar to the ones found in
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 ...
n societies. Consequently, governance within these tribes was absent, reflecting a decentralized social structure.


Colonial period

In 1535, Alvaro Núñez Cabeza de Vaca led one of the first expeditions into Nuevo León territory. Colonization attempts began in 1577 under
Alberto del Canto Alberto del Canto (c. 1547 – 1611), formally Alberto Vieira do Canto, was a Portuguese noble, military captain, and conquistador who explored northern Mexico, where he was the founder of several cities. Biographical synthesis Birth and y ...
, who founded ''Santa Lucía'' in present-day Monterrey. However, these efforts failed due to indigenous raids, who were labeled as
Indios Bárbaros Indios Bárbaros was a term used by Spanish colonists in New Spain during the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries to describe Indigenous peoples who resisted conversion and colonisation on the frontiers of Spanish imperial possessions in the Ameri ...
by the colonizers. In 1579,
Luis Carvajal y de la Cueva Luis de Carvajal (sometimes Luis de Carabajal y de la Cueva) ( – 13 February 1591) was governor of the Spanish province of Nuevo León in present-day Mexico, slave dealer, and the first Spanish subject known to have entered Texas from Mexico a ...
, a member of del Canto's expedition, returned to Spain and negotiated with King Philip II to establish a new territory in northern
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 ...
. He returned to the territory in 1580 and founded the
New Kingdom of León The New Kingdom of León (), was an administrative territory of the Spanish Empire, politically ruled by the Viceroyalty of New Spain. It was located in an area corresponding generally to the present-day northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. ...
in 1582, with its capital, ''San Luis Rey de Francia'', established where ''Santa Lucía'' once stood, marking Monterrey's second founding. However, colonization efforts failed once again in 1588, when Carvajal was reported to the
Inquisition The Inquisition was a Catholic Inquisitorial system#History, judicial procedure where the Ecclesiastical court, ecclesiastical judges could initiate, investigate and try cases in their jurisdiction. Popularly it became the name for various med ...
, accused of being a descendant of
New Christian New Christian (; ; ; ; ; ) was a socio-religious designation and legal distinction referring to the population of former Jews, Jewish and Muslims, Muslim Conversion to Christianity, converts to Christianity in the Spanish Empire, Spanish and Po ...
s. Since then, the region remained mostly uninhabited by the Spaniards. In 1596,
Diego de Montemayor Diego de Montemayor ( – 1611) was a Spanish conquistador, explorer, officer, and the governor of Nuevo Reino de León. Early life Historians dispute his date of birth, place of birth, and the identity of his parents. However, Antonio Mora ...
, accompanied by twelve families, sought to repopulate the New Kingdom of León. On 20 September, he established the '' Ciudad Metropolitana de Nuestra Señora de Monterrey'', marking Monterrey's third and definitive founding. During this period, despite the majority of the population being concentrated in Monterrey, the town remained small and isolated from other important towns like
Saltillo Saltillo () is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Coahuila and is also the municipal seat of the municipality of the same name. Mexico City, Monterrey, and Saltillo are all connected by a major railroad and high ...
and
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 ...
. Life for the early inhabitants was marked by poverty, with agriculture and livestock farming being the primary occupations, focused solely on self-consumption. The establishment of Spanish settlements in the northern part of the territory were hindered by
Coahuiltecan The Coahuiltecan were various small, autonomous bands of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Native Americans who inhabited the Rio Grande valley in what is now northeastern Mexico and southern Texas. The various Coahuiltecan groups were hunter ga ...
attacks, mostly in response to Spanish
slave raids Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
on the natives.
Evangelization Evangelism, or witnessing, is the act of sharing the Christian gospel, the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. It is typically done with the intention of converting others to Christianity. Evangelism can take several forms, such as persona ...
served as a key instrument of Spanish colonization and cultural assimilation, with numerous friars arriving in the New Kingdom of León during the 17th and 18th centuries to convert the natives. In 1602, the first
Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
convent in Monterrey was established, named the convent of San Andrés. Throughout the colonial period, a total of twenty missions were established, of which ten are present-day municipalities of Nuevo León, including Salinas Victoria (Mission ''Guadalupe de las Salinas''),
Agualeguas Agualeguas is both a city and a municipality located in the northeastern part of the state of Nuevo León, Mexico, (). The name "Agualeguas" honors the first inhabitants of the region, the Gualegua tribe. It was recognized as a village on January 7 ...
(Mission ''Nuestra Señora de Agualeguas''), and Guadalupe (Mission ''Valle de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe''), among others. Some missions failed due to the natives' resistance or deadly diseases spread by the Spaniards, while others thrived with Tlaxcalan reinforcement. The New Kingdom of León asserted claims over regions in present-day
Coahuila Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza, is one of the 31 states of Mexico. The largest city and State Capital is the city of Saltillo; the second largest is Torreón and the thi ...
, Nuevo León,
Tamaulipas Tamaulipas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas, is a state in Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 43 municipalities. It is located in nor ...
, and
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
. However, throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the province experienced territorial losses. In 1643, a successful lawsuit brought to the
Royal Audiencia of Guadalajara The Real Audiencia of Guadalajara (or Real Audiencia de Nueva Galicia), was the highest tribunal of the Spanish crown in what is today northern Mexico and the southwestern United States in the Viceroyalty of New Spain. It was created by royal decre ...
by the governor of
Nueva Vizcaya Nueva Vizcaya, officially the Province of Nueva Vizcaya (; ; Pangasinan: ''Luyag/Probinsia na Nueva Vizcaya''; ), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon. Its capital and largest town is Bayo ...
removed the New Kingdom of León's jurisdiction over Coahuila and Texas, with the case citing Carvajal's illegal attempts to invade territories belonging to Nueva Vizcaya in the 1580s. The second loss was caused by pressure from the French incursions in Louisiana and requests from the New Kingdom of León to colonize the northeastern Mexican coast in order to pacify and convert its natives, prompting the Viceroy of New Spain to reorganize the New Kingdom of León, which established
Nuevo Santander Nuevo Santander (New Santander) was a region of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, covering the modern Mexican state of Tamaulipas and extending into modern-day southern Texas in the United States. Nuevo Santander was named after Santander, Cantabri ...
, resulting in the loss of present-day Tamaulipas. During the establishment of the
Provincias Internas The ''Provincias Internas'' ( Spanish: ''Inner Provinces''), also known as the ''Comandancia y Capitanía General de las Provincias Internas'' (''Commandancy and General Captaincy of the Inner Provinces''), was an administrative district of the Sp ...
, the New Kingdom of León became part of the Eastern Internal Provinces, alongside the provinces of Coahuila, Nuevo Santander, and Texas.


Mexican War of Independence

On 16 September 1810, 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 ...
occurred, signaling the start of Mexican War of Independence. However, it took until 29 September for news of this event to reach the New Kingdom of León due to its geographical isolation from the rest of New Spain. In January 1811, the governor of the New Kingdom of León, Manuel de Santa María, joined the insurgency after the
royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...
defeat at the Battle of Aguanueva and José Mariano Jiménez's arrival in Monterrey, who arrived to spread the insurgency in the Provincias Internas. Despite these efforts, various counter-insurgency movements emerged in the territories, leading to the capture of key figures at the
Wells of Baján Wells most commonly refers to: * Wells, Somerset, a cathedral city in Somerset, England * Well, an excavation or structure created in the ground * Wells (name) Wells may also refer to: Places Canada *Wells, British Columbia England * Wells ...
in Coahuila.En los albores de la independencia: Las Provincias Internas de Oriente durante la insurrección de don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, 1810–1811. by Isidro Vizcaya Canales Afterwards, the movement encountered resistance among the population of the territory, as many were royalists. Some attribute this to the region's stronger ties to Spain and its high proportion of people of white or
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 ...
ancestry, constituting 63% of the population according to the Revillagigedo census of 1790. The council of Monterrey, which was the capital and biggest city of the New Kingdom of León, remained loyal to Spain until
Joaquín de Arredondo Joaquín or Joaquin is a male given name, the Spanish version of Joachim. Given name * Joaquín (footballer, born 1956) (Joaquín Alonso González), Spanish football midfielder * Joaquín (footballer, born 1981) (Joaquín Sánchez Rodríguez), ...
, the commandant of the Eastern Internal Provinces, endorsed the
Plan of 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 ...
on 3 July 1821.After Mexican independence, Fray Servando Teresa de Mier represented the New Kingdom of León in the national constituent congress. In the 1824 Constitution of Mexico, the name of the entity was shortened to Nuevo León, its present-day name, and it was made a state of the
First Mexican Republic The First Mexican Republic, known also as the First Federal Republic (), existed from 1824 to 1835. It was a Federal republic, federated republic, established by the 1824 Constitution of Mexico, Constitution of 1824, the first constitution of ...
. Mier organized the establishment of the local legislature, which drafted and enacted the state's first constitution on 5 March 1825.


Independence to late 19th century

Once the federal system was established, internal divisions between federalist and centralist factions emerged, eventually leading to the enactment of ''Las Siete Leyes'' in 1835, which dissolved the federal structure, replacing the state of Nuevo León with a department. In response to these centralist policies, a secessionist movement arose, resulting in the establishment of the
Republic of the Rio Grande The Republic of the Rio Grande () was one of a series of political movements in what was then the Centralist Republic of Mexico, which sought to become independent from the authoritarian, unitary government of Antonio López de Santa Anna; t ...
in 1840. This unrecognized republic encompassed the territories of Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, and parts of southern Texas, with its capital in
Laredo, Texas Laredo ( ; ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Webb County, Texas, Webb County, on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Founded in 1755, Laredo grew from a villag ...
. However, after a defeat in the Battle of Saltillo, the insurgency ended. By August 1846, the restoration of the 1824 Mexican Constitution reinstated statehood to Nuevo León. On 21 September 1846, during the Mexican-American War, the Battle of Monterrey was fought, a three-day assault on Nuevo León's capital by U.S. forces. The Mexican forces, commanded by
Pedro de Ampudia Pedro Nolasco Martín José María de la Candelaria Francisco Javier Ampudia y Grimarest (January 30, 1805 – August 7, 1868) was born in Havana, Cuba, and served Mexico as a Northern army officer for most of his life. At various points he wa ...
, faced off against the U.S. troops led by
Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military officer and politician who was the 12th president of the United States, serving from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States ...
, whose objective was to take the city in order to advance toward
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 ...
. The battle inflicted heavy casualties on both sides. By 24 September, a truce was brokered between the opposing generals, stipulating a two-month armistice and the withdrawal of Mexican forces from the city in exchange for its surrender.Bauer, K.J., 1974, ''The Mexican War, 1846–1848'', New York: Macmillan, The state remained under U.S. occupation until 18 June 1848. In 1855,
Santiago Vidaurri José Santiago Vidaurri Valdez (July 24, 1809 – July 8, 1867) was a controversial and powerful governor of the northern Mexican states of Nuevo León and Coahuila between 1855 and 1864. He was an advocate of federalism. In 1855, he supporte ...
seized control of the Nuevo León government in order to aid in the execution of the
Plan of Ayutla The Plan of Ayutla was the 1854 written plan aimed at removing conservative, centralist President Antonio López de Santa Anna from control of Mexico during the Second Federal Republic of Mexico period. Initially, it seemed little different from ...
, later supplying military assistance to the Liberals during the
Reform War The Reform War (17 December 185711 January 1861) or War of Reform (), also known as the Three Years' War (), and the Mexican Civil War, was a complex civil conflict in Mexico fought between Mexican liberals and conservatives with regional var ...
. As a means of consolidating power in northeastern Mexico, in 1856, Vidaurri unilaterally announced the annexation of Coahuila, forming the state of Nuevo León and Coahuila, which was later ratified into the 1857 Mexican Constitution after a referendum approved the annexation. The annexation provided the state government with control over a significant portion of the customhouses along the US-Mexico border. Leveraging the increased revenues, Vidaurri invested in state development initiatives, including public gardens, ''Plaza de la Llave'', and the ''Teatro del Progreso'', which was the first theater in the state. Additionally, he used the money to pursue campaigns against the
Lipan Apache people Lipan Apache are a band of Apache, a Southern Athabaskan Indigenous people, who have lived in the Southwest and Southern Plains for centuries. At the time of European and African contact, they lived in New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, and ...
. Revenues increased further during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
, as the Confederacy traded cotton through Nuevo León and Coahuila due to the Union blockade of their ports. On 14 February 1864, during the French intervention in Mexico,
Benito Juárez Benito Pablo Juárez García (; 21 March 1806 – 18 July 1872) was a Mexican politician, military commander, and lawyer who served as the 26th president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in office in 1872. A Zapotec peoples, Zapotec, he w ...
visited Vidaurri to request revenue from the state's customshouses, but Vidaurri refused, suggesting a referendum to join the
Second Mexican Empire The Second Mexican Empire (; ), officially known as the Mexican Empire (), was a constitutional monarchy established in Mexico by Mexican monarchists with the support of the Second French Empire. This period is often referred to as the Second ...
instead. In retaliation, Juárez labeled Vidaurri a traitor and divided Nuevo León and Coahuila, reinstating them as separate states. Juárez led the republic's remnants from Nuevo León until 15 August 1864, when the approaching French forces forced him to relocate. In 1865, the empire dissolved Mexico's federal structure, reorganizing Nuevo León as a department, with the territory regaining its statehood upon the republic's restoration in 1867.


Industrialization and Mexican Revolution

During the Porfiriato,
Bernardo Reyes Bernardo Doroteo Reyes Ogazón (30 August 1850 – 9 February 1913) was a Mexican general and politician who fought in the Second French intervention in Mexico and served as the appointed Governor of Nuevo León for more than two decades dur ...
was sent to Nuevo León by
Porfirio Díaz José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori (; ; 15 September 1830 – 2 July 1915) was a General (Mexico), Mexican general and politician who was the dictator of Mexico from 1876 until Mexican Revolution, his overthrow in 1911 seizing power in a Plan ...
, where Reyes was governor from 1885 to 1887 and from 1889 to 1909. Reyes suppressed small insurrections and banditry in multiple municipalities while also starting infrastructure projects, such as the State Penitentiary, the construction of the Government Palace, and the renovation of numerous plazas and markets. Additionally, in 1892, Reyes negotiated a land swap with Coahuila so that Nuevo León had access to the international border with Texas. Reyes' policies rapidly industrialized the state, overseeing the establishment of significant companies, including Cuauhtémoc brewery, later known as
Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma (Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma / Heineken México) (English: Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery) is a major brewery based in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, founded in 1890. It is a subsidiary of Heineken Inter ...
, in 1900;
Monterrey Foundry The Monterrey Foundry (In Spanish: ''Fundidora de Fierro y Acero de Monterrey, S.A.)'' was a Mexican iron and steel foundry founded in 1900 in the city of Monterrey, becoming the first such foundry in Latin America and, for many years, the most ...
, now
Fundidora Park Fundidora Park (''Parque Fundidora'' in Spanish) is an urban park located in the Mexican city of Monterrey, built in what once were the grounds of the Monterrey Foundry, the first steel and iron foundry in Latin America, and, for many years, the ...
, in 1904; Cementos Hidalgo, later known as
Cemex CEMEX S.A.B. de C.V., known as Cemex, is a Mexican multinational building materials company headquartered in San Pedro, near Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. It manufactures and distributes cement, ready-mix concrete and aggregates in more than ...
, in 1905; and Vidrios y Cristales de Monterrey, later known as
Vitro Vitro is the largest glass producer in Mexico and one of the world's largest organizations in the glass industry. Founded in 1909 in Monterrey, Mexico, this corporation has 30 subsidiaries in Mexico, United States, Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, Cost ...
, in 1909. In 1909, the deadliest hurricane in the state's history struck, resulting in around 3,000 deaths in Monterrey and at least $50 million (1909 USD; $ USD) in damages. During the
Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...
, Monterrey witnessed multiple attempts to seize control by different factions. In October 1913, Carrancista forces initially succeeded in seizing key locations such as the Obispado and a barracks, but faced strong Federal resistance while advancing towards the city center, retreating the next day. In April 1914, after a prolonged conflict, Carrancistas captured the city center, installing Antonio Villarreal, a radical liberal, as governor, who implemented controversial measures like expelling foreign priests, demolishing temples, and destroying religious images. Villista forces briefly captured Monterrey in early 1915, with
Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa ( , , ; born José Doroteo Arango Arámbula; 5 June 1878 – 20 July 1923) was a Mexican revolutionary and prominent figure in the Mexican Revolution. He was a key figure in the revolutionary movement that forced ...
visiting Monterrey for fundraising efforts. By May 1915, Carrancistas regained control and installed Idelfonso Vázquez as interim governor.


1930s–present

For the rest of the 20th century, Nuevo León's economy underwent continued industrialization. Major families, holding majority shares in the state's largest companies, such as the Cuauhtémoc brewery, Monterrey Foundry, and Cementos Hidalgo, strategically reinvested their profits into diverse sectors, aiding in the expansion of both the industrial and banking sectors. By the 1980s, 91% of the employed population was in the secondary and tertiary sectors. The industrial surge led to remarkable population growth, soaring from 417,491 in 1930 to 3,098,736 in 1990. Monterrey's urban sprawl surpassed city limits by the 1970s, extending into adjacent municipalities like Guadalupe, San Pedro Garza García, Santa Catarina, San Nicolás, General Escobedo, and Apodaca. The 1960s witnessed the construction of the state's first high-rise, ''Condominios Acero''. The state's first shopping mall,
Galerías Monterrey Galerías Monterrey was the first shopping mall in Monterrey, Mexico. Founded in 1983 with Liverpool (store), Liverpool, it has grown to attract upscale fashion stores, restaurants, and movie theaters. References External linksOfficial Website
, was founded in 1983, resulting in the development of numerous shopping complexes throughout the region, such as
Plaza Fiesta San Agustín Plaza Fiesta San Agustín is one of the largest shopping malls in Mexico, and the largest located in the metropolitan area of Monterrey. Founded in 1988, it has grown to include shops and department stores dedicated to over 150 commercial activiti ...
in 1988. To meet the population's urban transport needs, the government inaugurated
Metrorrey Metrorrey, officially Sistema de Transporte Colectivo Metrorrey, is a rapid transit system that serves the Monterrey metropolitan area, metropolitan area of Monterrey. It is operated by the Sistema de Transporte Colectivo Metrorrey, which is part ...
, Monterrey's light rapid transit system, in 1991. In 1994, the signing of the
North American Free Trade Agreement The North American Free Trade Agreement (, TLCAN; , ALÉNA), referred to colloquially in the Anglosphere as NAFTA, ( ) was an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States that created a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The ...
cemented Nuevo León's position as a manufacturing hub with an export-oriented economy, capitalizing on its close proximity to the United States to export goods. Taking advantage of its small border with Texas,
Colombia, Nuevo León Colombia is a planned community founded in 1992 by the Mexican state of Nuevo León in the Anáhuac Municipality. It lies on the southern banks of the Río Grande, across from the U.S. city of Laredo, Texas. According to the INEGI Census, in ...
was founded as a port of entry. By the end of the 20th century, the absolute political dominance of the
Institutional Revolutionary Party The Institutional Revolutionary Party (, , PRI) is a List of political parties in Mexico, political party in Mexico that was founded in 1929 as the National Revolutionary Party (, PNR), then as the Party of the Mexican Revolution (, PRM) and fin ...
, which had started in 1929, began to wane, resulting in the election of
Fernando Canales Clariond Fernando de Jesús Canales Clariond (born July 21, 1946) is a Mexican politician and businessman affiliated with the National Action Party (PAN). He succeeded his cousin, Benjamín Clariond as governor of Nuevo León in 1997. He also served a ...
of the National Action Party as governor in 1997. The early 21st century saw continued growth, with a population of 5,784,442 by 2020. The process of verticalization in Greater Monterrey intensified, marked by the construction of increasingly numerous and taller skyscrapers, notably Torre Avalanz, Torre KOI, and Torres Obispado, among others. By the late 2010s and 2020s, the state was experiencing a
nearshoring Nearshoring is the outsourcing of business processes, especially information technology processes, to companies in a nearby country, often sharing a border with the target country. Both parties expect to benefit from one or more of the following di ...
boom, characterized by significant foreign investment from automotive companies like
Kia Kia Corporation (, formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry (京城精密工業) and Kia Motors Corporation) is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second larges ...
and Tesla. However, due to the rapid industrialization and urbanization, the state faced environmental concerns, such as poor air quality and water shortages, the latter caused by droughts. The
Mexican drug war The Mexican drug war is an List of ongoing armed conflicts, ongoing Asymmetric warfare, asymmetric armed conflict between the Federal government of Mexico, Mexican government and various Drug cartel#Mexico, drug trafficking syndicates. When the ...
led to a significant decline in security within the state, marked by several massacres during the war's initial phases, notable examples being the
2011 Monterrey casino attack On August 25, 2011, members of the drug cartel Los Zetas set a casino on fire in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, killing 52 people. The arson attack left over a dozen injured, and over 35 trapped for several hours. Mexican forces, which arrive ...
and the Cadereyta Jiménez massacre.


Geography

Covering an area of 64,156 square kilometers (24,771 square miles), Nuevo León ranks as the 13th largest federal entity by size in Mexico. The state is located in the northeastern part of Mexico and is bordered by
Tamaulipas Tamaulipas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas, is a state in Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 43 municipalities. It is located in nor ...
to the east,
Coahuila Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza, is one of the 31 states of Mexico. The largest city and State Capital is the city of Saltillo; the second largest is Torreón and the thi ...
to the west, both
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 ...
and San Luis Potosi to the south, and the U.S. state of
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
to the north. The state boasts a diverse geography, encompassing three key
physiographic province physiographic province is a geographic region with a characteristic geomorphology, and often specific subsurface rock type or structural elements. The continents are subdivided into various physiographic provinces, each having a specific characte ...
s in the northeast region. The state's southern and western scenery is dominated by the
Sierra Madre Oriental The Sierra Madre Oriental () is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico. The Sierra Madre Oriental is part of the American Cordillera, a chain of mountain ranges (cordillera) that consists of an almost continuous sequence of mountain ranges that ...
mountain range, covering 50.9% of the state's territory. Notable features formed by the mountain range include the Galeana and Doctor Arroyo plateaus, the Iguana, Picachos, Papagayos, and Santa Clara mountain ranges, and the Pilón, Ascensión, and Río Blanco valleys.
Cerro Potosí Cerro El Potosí is the highest mountain in the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range of northeast Mexico. It is located in the state of Nuevo León, about 80 km (50 mi) south of Monterrey. Flora and fauna It is composed of limestone ...
, which is the state's highest elevation at 3,710 meters above sea level, is part of the mountain range. The
Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...
is considered to start in the northernmost regions of Nuevo León, constituting 34.6% of the state's land. This area is characterized by gentle hills along the
Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( or ) in the United States or the Río Bravo (del Norte) in Mexico (), also known as Tó Ba'áadi in Navajo language, Navajo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the Southwestern United States a ...
. In the east, the Northern
Gulf Coastal Plain The Gulf Coastal Plain extends around the Gulf of Mexico in the Southern United States and eastern Mexico. This coastal plain reaches from the Florida Panhandle, southwest Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, the southern two-thirds of Alabama, over m ...
s cover 14.5% of the state, featuring low-altitude lands classified as an "inclined plain" due to the alluvial terrain. The San Juan River, one of the Rio Grande's major
tributaries A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which the ...
, is one of the most important rivers in the state, as it supplies the El Cuchillo reservoir, which in turn provides water for the
Monterrey metropolitan area The Monterrey metropolitan area, also known as Greater Monterrey, refers to the surrounding urban agglomeration of Monterrey, Nuevo León. Officially called , the metropolitan area is the Metropolitan areas of Mexico, 2nd-largest in Mexico. Ove ...
. It is fed by many of its own tributaries, such as the
Pesquería River The Pesquería River, is a river of Mexico. It is a tributary of the San Juan River, which in turn flows into the Rio Grande. See also * List of rivers of Mexico * List of tributaries of the Rio Grande Tributary, Tributaries and sub-tributaries ...
and the Santa Catarina River, with the latter flowing through the metropolitan area. The state also houses additional reservoirs to provide water to its residents. Among the significant ones are the Cerro Prieto, La Boca, Agualeguas, Sombreretillo, El Porvenir, and Loma Larga reservoirs.


Climate

Nuevo León is located at the intersection of various climate zones: hot desert, hot semi-arid, cold semi-arid, and humid subtropical climates. The majority of the state, including most of the
Monterrey metropolitan area The Monterrey metropolitan area, also known as Greater Monterrey, refers to the surrounding urban agglomeration of Monterrey, Nuevo León. Officially called , the metropolitan area is the Metropolitan areas of Mexico, 2nd-largest in Mexico. Ove ...
, has a
hot semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...
, while the northern part of the state has a
hot desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...
due to its proximity to the Chihuahuan Desert. Some southern portions of the state have a
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
due to the
Sierra Madre Oriental The Sierra Madre Oriental () is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico. The Sierra Madre Oriental is part of the American Cordillera, a chain of mountain ranges (cordillera) that consists of an almost continuous sequence of mountain ranges that ...
mountain range. The state typically encounters arid, hot summers, with peak temperatures in the hottest regions soaring to 47 °C. As summer progresses, the climate transitions into a wet season, primarily observed in August and September. During these periods of increased rainfall, the temperature drops significantly, leading to below-average temperatures. The state experiences mild winters with average high temperatures around 21 °C and lows around 8 °C. Notably, regions in or near the mountain ranges have relatively low mean temperatures during the winter months, and may experience occasional light snowfall. While snowfall is a rare occurrence in the entire state, it has been documented during winter storms and cold fronts. One notable event happened on January 9, 1967, when 50 cm of snow fell within an eight-hour period. Additional instances of snowfall in the state include a February 1895 winter storm during the
Great Freeze The Great Freeze was a period of back-to-back freezes during the winter of 1894–95 in the Southern United States, particularly notable for destroying much of the citrus crop in Northern Florida. Entire communities, such as Earnestville, fa ...
, the 2004 Christmas Eve winter storm, and the February 2021 North American winter storm.


Tropical cyclones

While rare, hurricanes and tropical storms can impact Nuevo León, bringing high levels of rainfall to the state. The increased precipitation often results in the overflow of the state's rivers, most notably the Santa Catarina River, leading to fatalities and significant damage to urban infrastructure. Notable examples of this include the
1909 Monterrey hurricane The 1909 Monterrey hurricane was one of the deadliest Atlantic tropical cyclones on record, killing an estimated 4,000 people throughout Mexico. Originating from a tropical storm east of the Leeward Islands on August 20, the storm tracked we ...
, causing about 3,000 fatalities in Monterrey;
Hurricane Gilbert Hurricane Gilbert was the second most intense tropical cyclone on record in the Atlantic basin in terms of barometric pressure, only behind Hurricane Wilma in 2005. An extremely powerful tropical cyclone that formed during the 1988 Atlantic hurri ...
in 1988 with approximately 150 fatalities; and Hurricane Alex in 2010, which caused 15 deaths. Additional storms that have impacted the state have been Tropical Storm Fernand in 2019 and Hurricane Hanna in 2020.


Flora and fauna

''
Pinus pseudostrobus ''Pinus pseudostrobus'', known in English as the smooth-bark Mexican pine and in Spanish as ''chamite'' or ''pacingo'', is a tree found in forests of Mexico and Central America. It is 8 to 25 m tall with a dense and round top.It is threatened b ...
'' is the tree with largest volume per hectare in southern Nuevo León.


Administrative divisions

Nuevo's León is divided into 51
municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...
''(municipios)''. These municipalities are categorized into five regions, these being the
Monterrey metropolitan area The Monterrey metropolitan area, also known as Greater Monterrey, refers to the surrounding urban agglomeration of Monterrey, Nuevo León. Officially called , the metropolitan area is the Metropolitan areas of Mexico, 2nd-largest in Mexico. Ove ...
, Peripheral region, Citrícola region, Northern region, and the Southern region. The Monterrey metropolitan area, which is the most populous and dense region in the state, is made up of twelve municipalities:
Monterrey Monterrey (, , abbreviated as MtY) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is the ninth-largest city and the second largest metropolitan area, after Greater Mexico City. Located at the foothills of th ...
,
Apodaca Apodaca () is a city and its surrounding municipality that is part of Monterrey Metropolitan area. It lies in the northeastern part of the Monterrey Metropolitan Area. It is known for becoming recently a heavy industrialized city. As of 2019, ...
, Guadalupe,
General Escobedo General Escobedo, or simply Escobedo, is a city and municipality in Nuevo León, Mexico that is part of the Monterrey Metropolitan area. As of the census of 2005, the population was 295,131 in the city and 299,364 in the municipality. The municipa ...
, Juárez,
San Nicolás de los Garza San Nicolás de los Garza, sometimes known only as San Nicolás, is a city and coextensive municipalities of Mexico, municipality in the Mexican state of Nuevo León that is part of the Monterrey metropolitan area. It has become primarily a city ...
, García, Santa Catarina,
San Pedro Garza García San Pedro Garza García (also known as San Pedro) is a city-municipality in the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Mexican state of Nuevo León and part of the Monterrey Metropolitan area. It is a contemporary commercial suburb of the larger met ...
,
Cadereyta Jiménez Cadereyta Jiménez is the name of a city as well as of a Municipalities of Nuevo León, municipality in the Mexico, Mexican states of Mexico, state of Nuevo León. The municipality of Cadereyta Jiménez is located in the central part of the state ...
, Salinas Victoria, and
Santiago 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 Regi ...
. The ten largest cities in the state are located in the metropolitan area.


Demography


Population

The 2020 census determined that the population of Nuevo León was at 5,784,442, making it the seventh most populous state in the country. The state has experienced steady growth since the 1930s, with an average annual addition of 78,000 people from 1960 onwards. The most significant growth occurred between 2010 and 2020, during which approximately 1,100,000 people were added. 96% percent of the total population occupies urban areas, significantly surpassing the national average of 79%, while only 4% live in rural areas. As of 2024, Nuevo León ranks first in the country by
life expectancy Human life expectancy is a statistical measure of the estimate of the average remaining years of life at a given age. The most commonly used measure is ''life expectancy at birth'' (LEB, or in demographic notation ''e''0, where '' ...
, with a life expectancy of 77.7, surpassing the national average of 75.5. In 2019, the primary causes of death were heart disease, malignant tumors, and diabetes. Nuevo León's
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
as of 2020 is 90 people per square kilometer, making it the fourteenth most dense state in Mexico. It is one of the sixteen states that surpass the country's average population density, which is 64 people per square kilometer. Much of the state's density is found in the
Monterrey metropolitan area The Monterrey metropolitan area, also known as Greater Monterrey, refers to the surrounding urban agglomeration of Monterrey, Nuevo León. Officially called , the metropolitan area is the Metropolitan areas of Mexico, 2nd-largest in Mexico. Ove ...
, where about 92% of the population resides, and where there is a population density of about 700 people per square kilometer. There are 1,655,256 housing units in the state, placing it sixth nationwide. About 48% of these units have two bedrooms, and more than 95% of the units have running water, sewage systems, and electric power. In 2020, Nuevo León had 49,500 foreign-born residents, with 46.8% from the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, 12% from
Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
, and 8.9% from
Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...
. Between 2015 and 2020, 277,369 people immigrated to Nuevo León from other Mexican states, with 24% originating from
Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...
, 15% from
Tamaulipas Tamaulipas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas, is a state in Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 43 municipalities. It is located in nor ...
, 11% from
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 ...
, 6% from
Coahuila Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza, is one of the 31 states of Mexico. The largest city and State Capital is the city of Saltillo; the second largest is Torreón and the thi ...
, and 5% from the
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 ...
. In this same period, 91,433 emigrated from Nuevo León to other states, where 14% went to San Luis Potosí, 12% to Coahuila, 11% to Tamaulipas, 8% to Veracruz, and 6% to the State of Mexico. Additionally, 22,271 emigrated to another country, with 75% opting for the United States. The three most common motivations for migration in the state were family reunification, employment opportunities, and marriage.


Languages

During pre-Hispanic times, the nomadic indigenous peoples of Nuevo León spoke a diverse range of languages. Among the notable groups, the Rayados spoke
Guachichil 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 ...
, the Pintos and Alazapas spoke
Coahuilteco Coahuilteco was one of the Indigenous languages that was spoken in southern Texas (United States) and northeastern Coahuila (Mexico). It is now extinct, and is typically considered to be a language isolate, but has also been proposed to be part o ...
, and the Borrados spoke Quinigua. Other indigenous languages include Mamulique, Xanambre, Tamaulipeco, and Pame.
Spanish 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 countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
was first introduced to the population during the Spanish colonization and
Nahuatl Nahuatl ( ; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahuas, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller popul ...
was introduced by Tlaxcaltecan colonizers. Currently, Spanish is the primarily spoken language in the state. Additionally, Nuevo León ranks among the top 5 entities in the country with significant English proficiency. Moreover, with the influx of South Korean migration, Korean is gaining importance as a business language. According to the 2020 census, 1.4% of the state's population speaks an indigenous language, a figure that increases every year. The most spoken indigenous languages include Nahuatl, Huasteco, Zapotec, and
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 ...
. Out of the population that speaks an indigenous language, 12% do not know Spanish. For the promotion of indigenous languages, Nuevo León has an Indigenous Education department to cater to the student population who speak the five most spoken native languages. The aim is for students to preserve their pre-Hispanic heritage while learning Spanish and English, leading to the implementation of bilingual-indigenous education programs for members of native communities.


Religion

An overwhelming majority of the population believes in a higher power and considers themselves religious or spiritual.
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
is the most widely professed religion, with 77.7% of the population being
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
and 11.9% being
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
or
Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
. 0.1% of the population follow other religions, including Jewish, Islamic, Ethnic roots, Afro roots, and Spiritualist beliefs. The Catholic Church was established in the state after the
Spanish conquest of Mexico The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire was a pivotal event in the history of the Americas, marked by the collision of the Aztec Triple Alliance and the Spanish Empire. Taking place between 1519 and 1521, this event saw the Spanish conquistad ...
and has consistently been the predominant religion, with the state ranking seventeenth among the most Catholic states in the country as of 2020. Nuevo León is home to one archdiocese, the Archdiocese of Monterrey, which encompasses the states of Nuevo León, Coahuila, and Tamaulipas. The archdiocese is divided into eight dioceses, three of which are in Nuevo León and the other five pertaining to the neighboring states. As of 2024, in Nuevo León, there are 268 parishes. Following the nationwide trend, the percentage of Catholics has been diminishing in the state. In 1910, about 96% of the state was Catholic. However, by the 1970s, the emergence of other religions, such as Protestantism and Evangelicalism, became noticeable. In 2000, the Catholic population stood at 87.9%, decreasing further to 77.7% in 2020. Additionally, religious affiliation in the state has also experienced a decline, with 2.8% identifying as non-religious in 2000, rising to 9% in 2020.


Education

Nuevo León demonstrates a high standard of living through educational metrics. Only 2% of its population lacks formal education, and 26% have earned professional degrees. Additionally, the state maintains the second-lowest illiteracy rate in the country, at 1.5%, behind only
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 ...
. The state is home to the
Autonomous University of Nuevo León The Autonomous University of Nuevo León () is a public research university with seven campuses across the northern Mexican state of Nuevo León. Founded as University of Nuevo León on 25 September 1933, it is the third largest public university ...
(UANL), the third largest public university in Mexico. It has seven campuses scattered across the state, offering 91 undergraduate degrees and 160 postgraduate degrees. According to
QS World University Rankings The ''QS World University Rankings'' is a portfolio of comparative college and university rankings compiled by Quacquarelli Symonds, a higher education analytics firm. Its first and earliest edition was published in collaboration with '' Times ...
, in 2023, it was ranked as one of the top fifty universities in Latin America and ranked eighth in Mexico. The university also runs 29 high schools in the state, of which 4 are technical high schools. Several graduates from the university have achieved notable success in various fields. Notably, as of 2024, six alumni have served as governor of Nuevo León, while others have become accomplished athletes, including Olympic medalists like
Raúl González Raul, Raúl, Raül, and Raüll are forms of a common first name in Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Galician, Asturian, Basque, Aragonese, and Catalan. The name is cognate of the Anglo-Germanic given name Ralph or Rudolph and the French R ...
and
Mariana Avitia Mariana Avitia Martínez (born September 18, 1993) is a Mexican recurve archer. She was the first Mexican to win an Olympic medal in archery after taking bronze in the women's individual event at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She is also the young ...
. The state is also home to one of the most important private universities in Latin America, the
Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM; ), also known as Technological Institute of Monterrey () or just Tec, is aresearch university based in Monterrey, Mexico, which has grown to include 35 campuses located across 25 cit ...
(ITESM). It offers 57 undergraduate and 44 postgraduate degrees and was ranked as the top university in Mexico by QS World University Rankings in 2023. The institute also sponsors a group of five high schools in the state, known as Prepa Tec, with each campus accredited as an
IB World School The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry int ...
. Additionally, the state hosts other educational institutions such as the
University of Monterrey The University of Monterrey (, acronym "UDEM") is a private, Catholic, secondary, and higher education institution in city-municipality San Pedro Garza García, Monterrey metropolitan area, Greater Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. History UDEM ...
(UDEM),
Universidad Regiomontana The Universidad Regiomontana (known by its shortened name U-ERRE, and previously by the abbreviation UR) is an institution of higher education in Monterrey, Mexico. This university has its origin in the Instituto Modelo de Educación (Model Educ ...
(U-ERRE), Universitario Insuco (INSUCO), Universidad del Norte (UN), Universidad Interamericana del Norte (UIN), Universidad del Valle de México (UVM), Universidad Humanista de las Américas (UHA), Centro de Estudios Universitarios (CEU), Universidad Metropolitana de Monterrey (UMM), University of Montemorelos (UM), and the Instituto Tecnológico de Nuevo León (ITNL).


Economy

As of 2022, Nuevo León had a gross domestic product (GDP) of MXN 2.349 trillion, or US$116.9 billion, the third highest in Mexico, behind Mexico City and the State of Mexico while also contributing to 8.25% of the country's GDP. If the state was its own country, it would have ranked as the 62nd largest economy globally, ahead of Slovakia and behind of Ethiopia. With a GDP per capita of approximately US$19,452, it stands as the third-highest among Mexican states, surpassing the national average of US$10,950. Its GDP per capita is comparable to those of some European Union members like Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland. There are many important companies headquartered in the
Monterrey metropolitan area The Monterrey metropolitan area, also known as Greater Monterrey, refers to the surrounding urban agglomeration of Monterrey, Nuevo León. Officially called , the metropolitan area is the Metropolitan areas of Mexico, 2nd-largest in Mexico. Ove ...
, some of which include
Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma (Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma / Heineken México) (English: Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery) is a major brewery based in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, founded in 1890. It is a subsidiary of Heineken Inter ...
, brewers of ''Sol'', ''Tecate'', ''XX'', ''Bohemia'', ''Indio'' and ''Nochebuena'';
Cemex CEMEX S.A.B. de C.V., known as Cemex, is a Mexican multinational building materials company headquartered in San Pedro, near Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. It manufactures and distributes cement, ready-mix concrete and aggregates in more than ...
, the fifth-largest cement company in the world;
FEMSA Fomento Económico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V., doing business as FEMSA, is a Mexican multinational beverage and retail company headquartered in Monterrey, Mexico. It operates the largest independent Coca-Cola bottling group in the world and the la ...
, the largest bottled beverage company in Latin America;
Banorte Grupo Financiero Banorte, S.A.B. de C.V., doing business as Banorte (''Banco Mercantil del Norte'') and as Ixe, is a Mexican banking and financial services holding company with headquarters in Monterrey and Mexico City. It is one of the four lar ...
, one of the strongest national banks in Mexico; and ALFA, producers of petrochemicals, aluminum auto components, and refrigerated foods.


Manufacturing

Nuevo León's economy has a strong focus on export oriented manufacturing (i.e.
maquiladora A (), or (), is a factory that is largely duty (economics), 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 thro ...
), with manufacturing making up 41.7% of the state's GDP in 2021. Additionally, since 2018, Nuevo León has been considered the country's leader in manufacturing, contributing 10.6% to the national industrial GDP in 2022. Key manufacturing industries in the state include the automobile, basic metals, food and beverage, and metal fabrication industries.


Agriculture

In 2022, Nuevo León had 1,035,492 hectares of land available for agricultural use. Most of the state's agricultural industry is found outside of the Monterrey metropolitan area, in the Citrícola region, which comprises the municipalities of Allende,
General Terán A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED Online. Ma ...
, Hualahuises, Linares,
Montemorelos Montemorelos is a city and surrounding municipality of 67,428 inhabitants located in the Northern Mexican state of Nuevo León, in the valley of the Pilon River. It was named after José María Morelos. History In 1637, Governor Martín de Zava ...
, and
Rayones Rayones is a municipality in the Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is named after the Rayón brothers, who were insurgent heroes of the country's independence achieved in 1821. The town was founded in 1852. It is a small village consisting of fou ...
. The region specializes in
citrus production Citrus production encompasses the production of citrus fruit, which are the highest-value fruit crop in terms of international trade. There are two main markets for citrus fruit: * The fresh fruit market * The processed citrus fruits market (m ...
, contributing to Mexico's citrus production with a notable 7% share in oranges and 1.6% in grapefruits. Additionally, the region also produces corn, beans, wheat, alfalfa, barley, potatoes, sorghum, avocados, apples, and lemons. There have been efforts of expanding the agricultural industry to the southern part of the state; however, since this region is more dry, it presents a major hurtle for agriculture and livestock.


Technology

In recent years, the state government has been making efforts in attracting significant investments in
aeronautics Aeronautics is the science or art involved with the study, design process, design, and manufacturing of air flight-capable machines, and the techniques of operating aircraft and rockets within the atmosphere. While the term originally referred ...
,
biotechnology Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that involves the integration of natural sciences and Engineering Science, engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms and parts thereof for products and services. Specialists ...
,
mechatronics Mechatronics engineering, also called mechatronics, is the synergistic integration of mechanical, electrical, and computer systems employing mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, electronic engineering and computer engineering, and also ...
,
information and communication technologies Information and communications technology (ICT) is an extensional term for information technology (IT) that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals) and compute ...
fields with the creation of the Research and Technology Innovation Park PIIT (), a technology park oriented in the development, innovation and research of sciences. The project is one of the key strategies within the Monterrey, City of Knowledge program. The park is located in the municipality of
Apodaca Apodaca () is a city and its surrounding municipality that is part of Monterrey Metropolitan area. It lies in the northeastern part of the Monterrey Metropolitan Area. It is known for becoming recently a heavy industrialized city. As of 2019, ...
, part of Greater Monterrey at the 10 km of the highway to Monterrey's International Airport. It consists of a total surface area of 70 Ha (172
acres The acre ( ) is a unit of land area used in the British imperial and the United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, ...
), half of it already committed to R&D centers. The other 35 Ha (86 acres) are available for research and development centers, and for businesses that meet the Park's objectives.


Government


State government

Article 62 of the state constitution of Nuevo León defines the separation of powers: the
executive branch The executive branch is the part of government which executes or enforces the law. Function The scope of executive power varies greatly depending on the political context in which it emerges, and it can change over time in a given country. In ...
, consisting of the governor, the centralized public administration, and the parastatal public administration; the
legislative branch A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the authority, legal authority to make laws for a Polity, political entity such as a Sovereign state, country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with th ...
, consisting of the
Congress of Nuevo León The Honorable Congress of the State of Nuevo León () is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of the government of the Mexican state of Nuevo León. Each three-year legislative term consists of 42 deputies, with 26 elected through relative ...
; and the
judicial branch The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...
, consisting of the
Superior Court of Justice of Nuevo León The Superior Court of Justice of Nuevo León (''Spanish: Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Nuevo León'') is the judicial branch of government of Nuevo León. Ministers of the Court are elected by the state congress from a list presented by the go ...
, first-instance courts, and lower courts.


Executive branch

The executive branch of Nuevo León consists of a governor serving a non-renewable six-year term and various executive entities that are divided into two main components: the centralized public administration, which includes seventeen ministries known as secretariats, each overseen by a governor-appointed secretary; and the parastatal public administration, consisting of decentralized public entities such as state-controlled enterprises and public trusteeships.


Legislative branch

The legislative branch consists of the unicameral
Congress of Nuevo León The Honorable Congress of the State of Nuevo León () is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of the government of the Mexican state of Nuevo León. Each three-year legislative term consists of 42 deputies, with 26 elected through relative ...
, which is composed of 42 deputies, with 26 elected through
first-past-the-post voting First-past-the-post (FPTP)—also called choose-one, first-preference plurality (FPP), or simply plurality—is a single-winner voting rule. Voters mark one candidate as their favorite, or first-preference, and the candidate with more first- ...
and 16 through
proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to any electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to political divisions (Political party, political parties) amon ...
.


Judicial branch

Nuevo León's judicial branch serves two main functions: overseeing civil, family, criminal, and labor cases, and ensuring compliance with the constitution and federal laws. It comprises the
Superior Court of Justice of Nuevo León The Superior Court of Justice of Nuevo León (''Spanish: Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Nuevo León'') is the judicial branch of government of Nuevo León. Ministers of the Court are elected by the state congress from a list presented by the go ...
, first-instance courts, and lower courts. As of 2023, the state is divided into fifteen judicial districts with a total of 140 judges. The
Superior Court of Justice of Nuevo León The Superior Court of Justice of Nuevo León (''Spanish: Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Nuevo León'') is the judicial branch of government of Nuevo León. Ministers of the Court are elected by the state congress from a list presented by the go ...
consists of 16 magistrates who are appointed by the Congress of Nuevo León, requiring a two-thirds supermajority for their election. The Superior Court of Justice is headed by a president, who is elected by the magistrates, for a renewable two-year term. The administration of the court system is controlled by the Judicial Council, composed of the president of the Superior Court of Justice, two judges chosen by the Superior Court of Justice, one representative chosen by the governor, and one representative chosen by the Congress of Nuevo León.


Sports

In Nuevo León there is a wide diversity of sports that are practiced with great relevance. The most practiced sport in the State has been
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
. It is home to the
Sultanes de Monterrey The Sultanes de Monterrey (English: Monterrey Sultans) are a professional baseball club in the Mexican League (LMB) based in Monterrey, Mexico. Established in 1939 as Carta Blanca, the Sultanes have won ten LMB titles, most recently in 2018. Fro ...
, a professional baseball team with the longest history in the
Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...
, who have won ten championships since their founding in 1939. The
Estadio Mobil Super The Estadio de Béisbol Monterrey, officially known as Estadio Mobil Super and popularly known as Palacio Sultán, is a baseball stadium in Monterrey, Mexico. It is the home venue of the Sultanes Monterrey Mexican League baseball team. It holds 2 ...
is the largest baseball stadium in Mexico. In addition, its children's teams have been world champions in 1957, 1958 and 1997 in the Little League World Series. Since the 1980s,
association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
has begun to gain popularity in the State after gaining followers among society. The oldest team is the
C.F. Monterrey Club de Fútbol Monterrey Rayados, A.C., simply known as Monterrey or by its nickname Rayados, is a Mexican professional association football, football club based in the Monterrey metropolitan area, Nuevo León, that plays in Liga MX, the top d ...
(popularly known as the ''Rayados''), who have won the
Liga MX Liga MX, also known as Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Mexico and the highest level of the Mexican football league system. Formerly known as Liga Mayor (1943–1949) and also as Primera Divis ...
on 5 occasions, in addition to 5 Concacaf Champions Leagues -three of them consecutively-, and 3
Cups CUPS (formerly an acronym for Common UNIX Printing System) is a modular printing system for Unix-like computer operating systems which allows a computer to act as a print server. A computer running CUPS is a host that can accept print jobs ...
for a total of 13 championships. For its part,
Tigres UANL Club Tigres de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, abbreviated as Tigres UANL and simply known as Tigres or internationally as Tigres de México, is a Mexican professional Association football, football club based in the Monterrey metropo ...
, the first team from Nuevo León to win a tournament, has 16 titles, including 8 League titles, 3 Cup titles and 1 Concacaf Champions League. The
Clásico Regiomontano The Clásico Regiomontano, Clásico Regio, Clásico del Norte or Clásico Norteño is a football derby in Nuevo León, Mexico, between crosstown rival teams C.F. Monterrey and Tigres UANL. Since the first Clásico in 1974, the two teams have comp ...
is considered one of the most anticipated matches of the season, and this is due to the already deep-rooted rivalry between Tigres and Monterrey for the honor of being the best team in the State or the luxurious squads with which they count. Both clubs have had confrontations in decisive matches, such as the two finals they faced, in
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
and
2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
. It is well known that fans each year wait in line for days outside both stadiums to get tickets, which are often priced at two or three times their original value. Nuevo León also has a professional
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
team, with the
Fuerza Regia de Monterrey The Fuerza Regia de Monterrey (''Monterrey Royal Force'' in English) is a Mexican professional basketball team based in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico playing in the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP). They currently play their home ga ...
squad as the greatest exponent that participates in the
Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional The National Professional Basketball League ( or LNBP), officially known as the Liga Grupo Caliente, Caliente LNBP for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball sports league, league in Mexico. The league was founded in 2000 with 1 ...
(LNBP). They play at the
Gimnasio Nuevo León Gimnasio Nuevo León is an indoor arena in Monterrey, Mexico. It is primarily used for basketball and is the home arena of the Fuerza Regia, 2017 Champion of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional, Mexico's top basketball league. It hold ...
. In 2004, it hosted the first WNBA game outside the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
between the
Detroit Shock The Detroit Shock were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006, and 2008 WNBA champions. Debuting in 1998, the Shock were one of the league's first expansion franchises. Th ...
and the
San Antonio Silver Stars The San Antonio Stars were a professional basketball team based in San Antonio, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah, as the Utah Starzz before th ...
.
Ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
has shown notable growth in the state, although it is less popular than other more popular sports such as soccer or baseball. The state of Nuevo León has a professional team associated with the recent Mexican Hockey Federation, the Toros Monterrey, whose headquarters are the Monterrey Ice Complex ice rink, in Santa Catarina. Influenced by the proximity to the U.S.,
American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
is another popular sport. The
Autonomous University of Nuevo León The Autonomous University of Nuevo León () is a public research university with seven campuses across the northern Mexican state of Nuevo León. Founded as University of Nuevo León on 25 September 1933, it is the third largest public university ...
, with the Auténticos Tigres, and the
Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM; ), also known as Technological Institute of Monterrey () or just Tec, is aresearch university based in Monterrey, Mexico, which has grown to include 35 campuses located across 25 cit ...
, with the
Borregos Salvajes The ''Borregos Salvajes ITESM'' (in English: Wild Rams) is the name of all the cultural, artistic and sports teams that represent the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM) in various disciplines, such as sports, theatre, ...
, are precursors of this sport in the country. The Auténticos play in the
Organización Nacional Estudiantil de Fútbol Americano The National Student Organization of American Football ( or ''ONEFA'') is the major college football league in Mexico. American football has been played in Mexico since the early 1920s in different colleges and universities, mainly in Mexico City ...
(ONEFA), and are based at the Estadio Gaspar Mass. While the Borregos play in the Comisión Nacional Deportiva Estudiantil de Instituciones Privadas (CONADEIP), and are based at the
Estadio Borregos Estadio Borregos, also referred to as Estadio Banorte for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in Monterrey, Mexico. It is the home stadium for the college football team Borregos Salvajes Monterrey of the ONEFA and the professional Amer ...
.


Media

Newspapers A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...
and news websites of Nuevo León include: '' ABC Noticias'', ''El Gráfico de Nuevo León'', '' El Norte'', '' El Porvenir'', ''La Última Palabra'', ''
Milenio ''Milenio'' is a major national newspaper in Mexico, owned by Grupo Multimedios. It is published in 11 cities across Mexico, including Monterrey, Mexico City, Guadalajara, León, Pachuca, Puebla, Villahermosa, Tampico, Torreón, Toluca, an ...
'', '' Publimetro edición Monterrey'', ''Reporte Índigo'', ''Distrito Regio'', ''Solo Ofertas'', ''El Horizonte'', ''Regio.com'', ''Red Crucero'', ''Noticias Nuevo León''.


Twinning and covenants

The state has agreements with other states, provinces, regions and autonomous communities. *
Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
*
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
*
Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...
*
Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...
,
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
*
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 ...
,
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
*
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 ...
,
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...


See also

*
Fiestas of Nuevo León Most of the fiestas of the state of Nuevo León, Mexico are related to the anniversaries of the foundation of municipalities, the celebration of local Roman Catholic patron saints or exhibitions of the most popular produce of the particular region ...
*
History of Nuevo León The Estado Libre y Soberano de Nuevo León (Free and Sovereign State of Nuevo León) was first colonized in the 16th century by immigrants from the Iberian Peninsula. The majority of these were conversos, ethnic Jews converted to Roman Catholicism. ...
* Sierra de Picachos


Notes


References


Sources


Human Development Report for Mexico 2002

Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México

Comisión Estatal Electoral de Nuevo León



External links

*
Nuevo León State Government
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nuevo Leon States of Mexico Mexican Plateau states States and territories established in 1824 1824 establishments in Mexico