About Durango, Mexico

The landscape surrounding the city of Durango consists of semi-arid desert with a rich variety of flora and fauna. A large part of this land has been made into a Biosphere Reserve, where the vegetation, cacti, reptiles, mammals and birds can be admired in the spectacular tones of the sunset that highlight the colors of the rocks and mountains.



Capital of the city of the same name, the city of Durango was founded on July 8 1563 by Captain Francisco de Ibarra in the former mining town of Cerro del Mercado, named in memory of its discoverer, Captain Ginés Vázquez del Mercado. The town of Durango was declared a city on October 2 1620 by order of Pope Paul V.



The city of Durango serves as a major link between Mazatlán on the Pacific Coast and inland cities such as Monterrey and Saltillo.



Durango owes its charm to its excellent climate and the excellent state of conservations of its historic 17th and 18th century buildings. It is an excellent city for walkin, since most of the sights are only a few blocks from the two main squares, the Plaza de Armas and the Plaza del Centenario.



The Plaza de Armas comes into its own on Sundays, when the musicians play in a band or stage local parades. It is also the site of the Lesser Basilica Cathedral, with its imposing baroque facade. A few streets away lies the elegant Ricardo Castro theater has housed both a cinema and a boxing ring during its hundred years of existence.



The Ganot-Peschard Museum of Archaeology contains the archaeological records of the indigenous cultures of the region, from pre-Historic times until the Conquest. Outstanding features include a photographic exhibition of cave paintings as well as an intriguing section on the methods used in archaeological research.



The historic center of the city of Durango was declared a Zone of Historical Monuments in 1982.



During the 1950s, the city and its surroundings were used as locations for "Westerns", with a total of 116 movies being filmed. Some of the sets have been preserved and are open to the public.