History

Monterrey has a rich historical background that testifies to the fortitude and determination of its rugged inhabitants. The people of Nuevo León, decidedly bent on obtaining fruits from laboring the hard and rough soil, managed to turn this region into one of the nation's most prosperous. There is evidence that the Chichimeca nomadic tribes settled here, leaving cave paintings and petroglyphs in the Cañón de la Huasteca and in the town of Mina. The city was officially founded in 1596 when Don Diego de Montemayor arrived with twelve families and settled in the valley. Construction on the Catedral Metropolitana de Nuestra Señora de Monterrey was begun in 1770 but was not completed until 1833. Some years earlier, in 1824, the Free and Sovereign State of Nueva León was established as part of the Mexican Republic. Bernardo Reyes was named provisional governor in 1885, transforming the region and laying the foundations for industrialization and economic development. During this period, the Palacio de Gobierno was built, banking institutions were founded, and the Gran Plaza or Macroplaza and the pavilion at the Plaza Zaragoza were erected. Industry and commerce are inseparable players in the history of the modern city and state. So it is that two of the oldest factories, the brewery, Cervecería Cuauhtemoc and the Compañía Fundidora de Fierro y Acero de Monterrey, a foundry for steel and iron, were established at the end of the 18th century. The concern for education has been a constant and in 1870 the first Escuela Normal (primary school) was established. It was not until 1933, however that the Universidad de Nueva León was founded and soon after, in 1943, the prestigious Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey. Both the Universidad Regiomontana and the Universidad de Monterrey followed later in 1969.