Coahuila, Federated state in northern Mexico
Coahuila is a federated state in northern Mexico stretching from the Rio Grande to the eastern slopes of the Sierra Madre, where desert flats in the west meet mountain ridges in the east. The region covers 38 municipalities and links dry plains with forested highlands along the Texas border.
Spanish settlers founded Saltillo in 1575 and brought Tlaxcala families from central Mexico to populate the area. The border location later shaped regional development through trade and immigration from northern neighbors.
The name comes from an indigenous word meaning roughly 'place of trees', though much of the territory now appears as dry plains. Vineyards in the southern valleys supply grapes for cellars with roots reaching back to the 1500s.
Border crossings at Ciudad Acuña and Piedras Negras allow travelers to enter from Texas, with waiting times varying by weekday. Desert areas in the west require plenty of water and sun protection, while mountain zones in the east offer cooler temperatures and more moisture.
The Cuatro Ciénegas nature reserve holds more than 200000 acres with hundreds of freshwater pools hosting species found nowhere else on Earth. Some organisms there resemble ancient lifeforms and help researchers understand early planetary history.
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