DURANGO HISTORY: MAIN CHARACTERISTICS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The history of Durango, in Mexico, has been characterized by great struggles and revolts. Located in the northwest of the country, the state of Durango is one of the 32 states of the Mexican Republic.

In this state, the indigenous resistance against the Spanish Empire and the Mexican federal government lasted almost four centuries.

Durango

Even many of the native uprisings culminated in the extermination of entire tribes, as in the case of the Chichimecas.

However, these revolts were not exclusive to the aborigines, the mestizos were also protagonists of many of them. In fact, Durango is the birthplace of the famous revolutionary Pancho Villa.

You may also be interested in the culture of Durango or its customs and traditions.

History of Durango in pre-colonial times

The first inhabitants of what is now Durango were nomads who lived by hunting and gathering.

The Tepehuanes, whose society was the most organized, are among the first to begin to practice agriculture. This led to sedentarization.

In addition to the Tepehuanes, this region was inhabited by other tribes such as Acaxees, Apaches, Conchos, Julimes, Tapacolmes, Tarahumara, Huichol, Coras, Humas, Hinas and Xiximes. Some of these groups were very warlike and lived in perennial wars.

Now, when the first colonizers arrived, most of these indigenous groups were semi-nomadic. In this way, its economy was still based on hunting, fishing and gathering mainly.

However, they carried out certain agricultural, mining, and textile production activities, albeit marginally.

In addition, they were linguistically consolidated, and were organized into towns and villages. The type of dwelling varied between mountain caves, adobe and wooden houses.

Colonial period

The history of Durango in colonial times begins with the first explorations of the Europeans in the years 1562-63.

Durango - accompanied by the current states of Chihuahua, Sonora and Sinaloa - was part of the province of Nueva Vizcaya during the first centuries of colonial Mexico.

Meanwhile, the city of Durango, established in 1563, served as the provincial capital and as the center of the Catholic Church. From its founding until 1965, Francisco de Ibarra toured parts of the region, building permanent settlements.

In this sense, the discovery of mineral wealth in the neighboring state of Zacatecas promoted the Spanish colonization of Durango.

With this, agriculture and livestock were developed to supply the mining communities. This brought negative consequences for the native peoples, which, in turn, caused serious indigenous revolts during the colonial period.

Franciscan and Jesuit priests built missions and sought the conversion of these peoples. However, tensions lasted for most of the 19th century.

Time of Independence

In the independence era, the history of Durango is marked by very significant events. It begins with your first attempts to achieve autonomy.

Thus, independence aspirations and growing social discontent instigated insurrections and conspiracies.

Furthermore, the constitutional process that led to the establishment of the Constitution of Cádiz fueled disputes between liberals and conservatives.

Finally, in the late 1810s, the royalist forces were defeated in Durango, thus consolidating support for independence.

This state was one of the signatories of the Plan of Iguala in 1821. This plan ensured the independence of Mexico.

History of Durango during the Porfiriato

During the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz (1876-1911), mining underwent a renaissance. In general, this was driven by the arrival of the railroad, the end of indigenous incursions, and national policies that encouraged foreign investment.

But this economic wealth was concentrated in a few hands, which generated tensions that fueled the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920).

In 1911, the revolutionary leaders took control of Durango, although it was in 1917 that the state adopted a new constitution.

Post-revolution era

Disputes and tensions continued after the revolution. For example, those carried out by the followers of Pancho Villa and Venustiano Carranza, two revolutionary leaders. In the decades that followed, land reform was also a source of disagreement.

In more recent times, although livestock, agriculture and mining recovered after the Mexican Revolution, the economic situation has been unstable.

Due to the aridity of the terrain, the agricultural sector remains vulnerable to drought and especially to variations in the price of cotton.

Added to this, production at some mines (including Cerro de Mercado) has decreased. These conditions have encouraged emigration.

References

1. Durango. (s / f). In Go Gringo. Retrieved on November 1, 2017, from gogringo.com.
2. Standish, P. (2009). The States of Mexico: A Reference Guide to History and Culture. Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group.
3. Pacheco Rojas, J. (2016). Durango. Brief story. Mexico City: Fund for Economic Culture.
4. Durango. (s / f). In Encyclopedia of the Municipalities and Delegations of Mexico. Retrieved on November 1, 2017, from siglo.inafed.gob.mx.
5. Schmal, JP (s / f). The history of indigenous Durango. Retrieved on November 1, 2017, from houstonculture.org.
6. Pasztor, SB (2004). Durango. In DM Coerver, SB Pasztor and R. Buffington, Mexico: An Encyclopedia of Contemporary Culture and History, pp 147-150. California: ABC-CLIO.
7. Durango. (s / f). In Nations Encyclopedia. Retrieved on November 1, 2017, from nationsencyclopedia.com.
8. Saragoza, A. (2012). Mexico Today: An Encyclopedia of Life in the Republic, Vol. 1. California: ABC-CLIO.