Durango (city)
Durango
Victoria de Durango Korian | |
|---|---|
Left to right, top to bottom: Plaza de Armas, Cathedral Basilica of Durango, Quinta del Aguacate, Santa Ana y la Sagrada Familia Parish, City Hall, San Agustín Temple, and San Juan Bautista Parish | |
| Nickname(s): La Perla del Guadiana, La Tierra del Cine | |
Location of Durango within the State | |
| Coordinates: 24°01′30″N 104°40′03″W / 24.02500°N 104.66750°W | |
| Country | Mexico |
| State | Durango |
| Municipality | Durango |
| Founded | 8 July 1563 |
| Founded by | Francisco de Ibarra |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Jorge Alejandro Salum del Palacio |
| Elevation | 1,890 m (6.201 ft) |
| Population (2020) | |
| 616,068 | |
| • Metro | 688,697 |
| • Demonym | Duranguense/Durangueño |
| GDP (PPP, constant 2015 values) | |
| • Year | 2023 |
| • Total | $12.7 billion |
| • Per capita | $19,000 |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (CST) |
| Area code | 618 |
| Website | https://municipiodurango.gob.mx/ |
Durango (Spanish pronunciation: [duˈɾaŋɡo], Southeastern Tepehuan: Korian) is the capital and largest city of the northern Mexican state of Durango and the seat of the municipality of Durango. It has a population of 616,068 as of the 2020 census with 688,697 living in the municipality. The city's official name is Victoria de Durango, renamed in honor of the first president of Mexico, Guadalupe Victoria, a native of the state of Durango. The city is at an altitude of 1,890 m (6,201 ft) in the Valley of Guadiana.
Durango was founded on 8 July 1563, by the Spanish explorer Francisco de Ibarra. During the Spanish colonial era the city was the capital of the Nueva Vizcaya province of New Spain, which consisted mostly of what became the Mexican states of Durango and Chihuahua. The city was founded due to its proximity to the Cerro del Mercado, in the northern part of the modern city, which was believed to contain large amounts of silver. Eventually, an important iron deposit was discovered.