Monterrey, Major industrial city in northeastern Mexico.
Monterrey is a large industrial city in northeastern Mexico, spreading across a wide valley surrounded by mountain ranges, with the saddle-shaped Cerro de la Silla rising above the skyline. The metropolitan area stretches across several neighboring municipalities, forming the third largest urban region in the country.
Diego de Montemayor led a group of settlers to establish the town in 1596, creating a small colonial outpost in the northern territories of New Spain. During the 19th century, it grew into a center for steel production and heavy manufacturing.
Families gather at Parque Fundidora on weekends, walking between old factory buildings, picnicking on lawns, and cycling along shared paths. Street vendors sell grilled corn and tamales nearby, while younger residents meet at cafés along the Paseo Santa Lucía riverwalk in the evening.
The international airport offers connections to many destinations across Mexico and the United States, located about an hour from the city center. Most points of interest are accessible by major roads, though summer months can be very hot and dry.
A former steel plant was transformed into a public park, where blast furnaces and smokestacks remain standing beside playgrounds and bike paths. Visitors can skate on an outdoor ice rink surrounded by early 20th-century industrial architecture.
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