Piedras Negras ( ) is a city and seat of the surrounding municipality of the same name in the Mexican state of Coahuila. It stands at the northeastern edge of Coahuila on the Mexico–United States border, across the Rio Grande from Eagle Pass in the U.S. state of Texas.
In the 2015 census the city had a population of 163,595 inhabitants, while the metropolitan area had a population of 245,155 inhabitants. The Piedras Negras and the Eagle Pass areas are connected by the Eagle Pass–Piedras Negras International Bridge, Camino Real International Bridge, and the Union Pacific International Railroad Bridge.
In English, translates to 'black stones' – a reference to coal deposits in the area. Across the river, coal was formerly mined on the U.S. side at Dolchburg, near Eagle Pass. This mine closed around 1905, after a fire. Mexico currently operates two large coal-fired power stations named "José López Portillo" and "Carbón 2" located south of Piedras Negras. These two coal-fired power plants are currently operated by Comisión Federal de Electricidad, the state-owned Mexican electric utility.
History On June 15, 1850, a group of 34 men (commanded by Andrés Zapata, Gaspar Salazar and Antonio Ramírez) met with Colonel Juan Manuel Maldonado to give the news that they had created a pass point at Piedras Negras, to the right of the Rio Grande, south of Fort Duncan. They named it Nueva Villa de Herrera, but it later became Villa de Piedras Negras. In Otto Schober's "Breve historia de Piedras Negras," the local historian points out that the 34 men were repatriates (Mexican Americans) who arrived on June 15, 1850, in what was then called "Colonia Militar de Guerrero en Piedras Negras."
In 1855, the town was looted by a small force of 130 Texans that had been organized by Texas slaveholders for a punitive expedition against a nearby border settlement the Texans claimed contained fugitive slaves and Native Americans. The force was led by a captain of the Texas Rangers. As it happened, the incursion was opposed and "repelled by a superior force of Negroes, Native Americans, and Mexicans who were waiting in ambush" inside Mexico. But the Ranger-led expedition then looted Piedras Negras while returning to Texas.
Following the discovery of huge deposits of coal in the region, in 1881 a railroad track was begun that was completed in 1883. The regional economy flourished and on December 1, 1888, it was granted city status; this time with the name of Ciudad Porfirio Díaz. After the fall of Diaz in 1911, the city reverted to being named Piedras Negras.
On April 26, 2004, flooding killed 31 people with up to 60 reported missing.
On April 24, 2007, an F4 tornado struck the city, killing three people there and seven in Eagle Pass, Texas.
From June 14–15, 2013 over 10,000 homes were damaged by flooding and one person was killed.
On the night of June 8, 2018, former Piedras Negras mayor was shot in the back of the head by an unknown man while Purón was taking a selfie with an admirer. Purón died on the spot, becoming the 112th candidate or politician to be killed since Mexico's electoral campaign began in September 2017. Purón was supposed to run in the 2018 Mexican election on July 1 as a congressional candidate of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). Sonia Villarreal, current mayor of Piedras Negras and fellow member of PRI, suspended her mayoral reelection campaign in response to Purón's murder to concentrate on her current duties, stating that "We don't (want) his name to be just one more added to the list of candidates who have been victims of these deplorable acts."
Geography Demography The Northern Region of Coahuila has approximately 300,000 inhabitants. According to the National Institute of Statistics, Geography and Data Processing (INEGI), in 2005 the population of the municipio of Piedras Negras was 143,915 inhabitants, equal to 5.77% of the population of Coahuila. 17% of the population of Piedras Negras came from other states, 3% were foreigners, and the rest were born in Coahuila. Piedras Negras has a high population growth due partly to its status as a border city fueled by U.S.-bound exports from several factories and also by persons who hope to cross the border into the United States. It is estimated that in a couple of years it will become the third most populated city of the state of Coahuila, surpassing Monclova. Nowadays Piedras Negras has more than 200,000 inhabitants.
Climate Piedras Negras has a hot semi-arid climate, having some influences of the dry-winter humid subtropical climate (Cwa). During summer the temperatures often surpass . The hottest months are May through September with a daily average (mean) temperature between and .
The high temperatures recorded in Piedras Negras have earned it recognition as one of the hottest cities in the country.
Highest precipitation months are May, June and September with an average monthly downfall in excess of but that is highly sporadic lending to frequent drought conditions. The period of lowest precipitation is between December through March, with a monthly average of .
Natural resources
This region generates a large amount of the national production of coal, one of the most economically important non-metallic minerals in the state.
Piedras Negras in music, television, and film 1980: "Mi Piedras Negras," Frankie y los Matadores. 1992: "Safe Side," James McMurtry. 1993: Like Water for Chocolate 2004: "Joe Mark Arizmendi" 2007: No Country for Old Men (scene in the town square were filmed in Piedras Negras) 2016: From Dusk Till Dawn season 3 May 27, 1902 – March 11, 1984: Gladys Pearl Monroe (also known as Gladys Pearl Monroe Baker Mortensen Eley) was the mother of American actress Marilyn Monroe. Gladys was born in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico. The town, previously called "Porfirio Díaz", is located across the border from Eagle Pass, Texas. (Gladys Pearl Baker - Wikipedia)
Tourism
Piedras Negras' main tourist attractions are: The Macro Plaza (Designed and Built by Cesar Dominguez, AIA, LEED AP) a large square surrounded by restaurants, shops and other businesses The ruins of San Bernardo Mission (18th century) The Handicrafts Museum The Culture House The Hunting and Fishing Club De La Ventana Caverns Mercado Zaragoza, known simply as El Mercado ("the Market"), a traditional Mexican market where one is able to buy a variety of hand-made arts and crafts from the state: vases, leatherworked items, clay and ceramic wares, as well as traditional Mexican candy from the region. El Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, Built in 1859 of ashlar, cement and wood, this church has survived the battles of the Cristero movement in 1927 and an explosion in 1934, leading to its renovation in 1935. The construction of its current towers began in 1950. Plaza de las Culturas (Cultures' Plaza), a new park completed in 2005. The Plaza is a homage to Mexico's three main indigenous cultures: Aztec, Mayan, and Olmec. It features a replica of a pyramid representative of the style of each of the cultures, the biggest one being a replica of the Pyramid of the Sun, located in Teotihuacan, near Mexico City. Estadio Piedras Negras Estadio Sección 123 Catedral de Piedras Negras (Diócesis de Piedras Negras) Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Built in 1859 of cement and wood, this sanctuary survived the Cristeros movements in 1927 and an explosion in 1934, it was remodeled in 1935. The construction of its towers began in 1950). Presidio militar de Monclova Viejo (1773 ruins) Casa Redonda o Maestranza (Where constitutionalist cannons were built) Antiguo Hotel del Ferrocarril (Ruinas) Antigua Presidencia Municipal (Soon to be Museo de la Frontera Norte) Plaza de las Culturas Plaza de Toros Monumental "Arizpe" Monumento a Venustiano Carranza (Blvd. Carranza) Monumento al Centenario de la Independencia (Inaugurated on September 16, 1910, by President Porfirio Díaz, located between the streets of Zaragoza and Fuentes, to be later transferred to the Central Square of Colonia Roma on July 15, 1963) Monumento a los Niños Héroes de Chapultepec (Macroplaza I) Monumento a las víctimas de la inundación del 04/04/04 y el tornado del 24/04/07 en Villa de Fuente Monumento al Venado Cola Blanca Monumento '"Héroes de Coahuila" Misión de San Bernardo (Guerrero, Coah. / 40 km de Piedras Negras) Casa de la Cultura Edificios de Telégrafos y Correos Edificio de la Universidad Autónoma de Piedras Negras Antigua Hacienda de San Isidro Centro de Desarrollo Comunitario Ejido Piedras Negras Centro de Desarrollo Comunitario Col. Presidentes Centro de Desarrollo Comunitario Col. Doctores Centro de Desarrollo Comunitario Col. Lazaro Cárdenas Centro Cultural Multimedia 2000 Macroplaza I Macroplaza II Gran Bosque Urbano – El Vergel Teatro del IMSS (Hospital General de Zona #11) Teatro de la Ciudad "José Manuel Maldonado Maldonado"Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Auditorio de Piedras Negras La Gran Plaza Asta Bandera Monumental "Puente Internacional II" (50 m) Asta Bandera Monumental " La Gran Plaza" (120 m) Infoteca Museo del Niño "Chapulín" (En Construcción) Casa de las Artes Paseo del Río
Transportation Commercial air service is available via Aeropuerto Internacional de Piedras Negras.
International Day of the Nacho Much like the modern-day burrito was invented in Ciudad Juárez, nachos were invented in Piedras Negras. The International Day of the Nacho takes place every October 21. It and a three-day Nacho Fest was initiated in the 1990s in the United States and Mexico to commemorate the invention of nachos by Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya in 1943 at the Victory Club restaurant in Piedras Negras.
Bike Fest For 12 years in a row, the Annual Bike Fest has attracted visitors from Mexico and the United States. Activities last for 2–3 days and include concerts, food sales, acrobatic shows, a drive through town and a drawing with a brand new motorcycle as the grand prize. The 2016 prize was a Harley Davidson Sportster. The 2016 Bike Fest brought a revenue of Mex$1.5 million, roughly US$37,875.
Local media Newspapers Zócalo News Periódico La Voz (La Voz News) El Día News Revista Bravo! El Tranchete (tabloid)
Radio EXA FM 105.5 Di-94.5 FM Dinámica Auditiva K93 FM (Eagle Pass, Texas) Súper Estelar 107.9 FM Recuerdo 96.7 Amor 107 FM Romántica 99.9 BACK FM 100.9 FM XHBM Radio Gente FM 102.5 XHPNC La Consentida 104.4 FM Fiesta Mexicana 106.3 FM XHPSP La Mexicana 1320 AM La Norteñita 830 AM XEIK Radio Popular Fronteriza S.A. 920 AM XEMJ La Rancherita del Aire 580 AM XEMU
Local television Televisa Piedras Negras (XHPN) TV Azteca Piedras Negras Super Channel 12.1/12.2 Nu9ve Piedras Negras Multimedios TV Piedras Negras / Eagle Pass (XHAW) International Bridges Channel
Internet Internet Cablecom – Internet / Cable Infinitum by Telmex – Internet / Telephone
Internet local news Periódico Zócalo Sitio Web Agencia de Noticias INFONOR Agencia de Noticias SIP Coahuila en Línea Territorio de Coahuila y Texas ContraPunto Noticias
Incidents On April 4, 2004, the Río Escondido (a tributary of the Río Bravo) broke its banks and some 36 residents of the Piedras Negras area were killed or vanished after the resulting flash floods. In 2007, a tornado hit both Piedras Negras and Eagle Pass on April 24, killing three people in Piedras Negras and seven people in Eagle Pass. Several others were injured and homeless in both communities. See also Piedras Negras-Eagle Pass Tornadoes On Monday, September 17, 2012, at least 30, and possibly more than 100, inmates broke out of a prison here, near the U.S.-Mexico border, by digging a tunnel from the prison's carpentry section.
Religious centers Piedras Negras Cathedral (Diocese of Piedras Negras) Bishopric of Piedras Negras Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish of Christ the King Parish of Our Lady of San Juan de Los Lagos Parish of La Sagrada Familia Parish of San Antonio de Padua