Monterrey is one of the most developed cities in all of Mexico, the country’s second richest city and the capital of the north-eastern state of Nuevo Leon.
Monterrey was founded towards the close of the 16th century and became an important business centre after the Mexican War of Independence. Some consider Monterrey to be a very ‘Americanised’ city.
Facts
• Monterrey has more higher-education institutions than any other Mexican city.
• Over 20 percent of all computers in Mexico can be found in Monterrey.
• Monterrey is also known as ‘City of the Mountains’.
• The Faro de Comercio, or Tower of Commerce, in Monterrey is Mexico’s highest monument.
• Monterrey is a major producer of cement.
Top Things to See and Do
The Santa Lucia artificial river walk in Mexico was constructed between 1996 and 2007 and is 1.55 miles long. It contains several fountains and motorboats and connects the Fundidora Park with the Macroplaza. The reason why the construction of the Santa Lucia river walk took so long was because building was halted for 9 years due to economic concerns.
The Parque Ecologico Chipinque (Ecological Park) is within the boundaries of the Monterrey National Park and covers a vast area. Due to its different altitudes (which vary from 800 to 2200 meters above sea level) fauna as diverse as desert scrub and pine-oak forest can all be found here. This is a great place to go hiking, cycling or exploring!
MARCO (or the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo) is one of Mexico’s leading museums of contemporary art. The building itself was designed by renowned Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta and just outside its entrance is an 18 foot bronze dove sculpture created by artist Juan Soriano.
Just 30 km outside Monterrey is a famous set of caves, the Grutas de Garcia. The caves are believed to have been formed around 55 million years ago and lie within the belly of the El Fraile Mountain.
In 1978 the Alfa Planetarium was opened and it’s been one of Monterrey’s top attractions ever since. This fully interactive museum promotes technology, science and the social progress of Mexicans. The building itself is also highly unique; the unusually shaped structure is made of concrete and covered in aluminium.