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Monterrey is the capital and largest city of Nuevo León, Mexico, and a major North American business and industrial hub. Learn about its prehispanic, colonial, and modern history, its culture, its GDP, and its quality of life.
- Overview
- History
- The contemporary city
Monterrey, city, capital of Nuevo León estado (state), northeastern Mexico. At an elevation of about 1,765 feet (538 metres) in the west-central part of the state, Monterrey sprawls over the semiarid floodplain of the Santa Catarina River, which spills eastward from the flanks of the Sierra Madre Oriental. Parts of the city are set against the scen...
Founded as a Spanish settlement in 1596, Monterrey grew slowly, owing to Indian resistance, periodic floods, and a lack of mineral wealth. By 1775 it had only a few hundred residents, but in the 19th century the city mushroomed into a major population centre. During the Mexican-American War (1846–48) it was captured by U.S. troops, many of whom rav...
Monterrey is the heart of one the country’s largest urban agglomerations. With a mixture of services and manufacturing, it is also the key to Nuevo León’s status as the third largest state economy in Mexico, after the Federal District and the state of México. Heavy industries such as ironworks and steelworks produce steel sheet-rolls and an array of other metal products. Monterrey’s wide range of light manufactures include textiles, beer, processed foods, chemicals, and glass and plastic products. On the piedmont to the north and east of the city, irrigated crops are grown, including cotton, citrus fruits, sugarcane, cereals (especially corn [maize] and wheat), and vegetables. Monterrey is the chief Mexican beneficiary of the large Falcon (Falcón) Dam and Reservoir project, on the lower Rio Grande (Río Bravo del Norte); local rivers also provide hydroelectric power.
High-rise hotels and office buildings mark the central business district, above which looms the lava-red Lighthouse of Commerce, a 230-foot (70-metre) observation tower symbolizing the economic aspirations of the city. The city’s amenities also include shopping malls, golf courses, and a convention centre, which hosts large trade shows. The varied urban landscape—with slums and fashionable districts sometimes in close proximity—reveals Monterrey’s blend of wealthy, middle-class, and poor residents. But its general urban development contrasts strongly with the relative poverty of smaller cities and rural districts.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Places to Visit in Monterrey. Check out must-see sights and activities: Paseo de Santa Lucia, Parque Fundidora, Parks, Art Galleries. For personalised recommendations, try our AI trip-planning product. Build your trip.
- Start at Macroplaza. Monterrey’s beating heart lies within the sprawling Macroplaza, a monumental square that ranks among the world’s largest. The main square may look pretty barren, but that’s because it had only been created in the 1980s following the demolition of a substantial chunk of prime real estate.
- Watch the Faro Light Show. Commanding attention within the Macroplaza is the striking Faro del Comercio (Lighthouse of Commerce), a towering brick-red structure soaring to a height of 70 meters.
- Visit the Catedral de Monterrey. Just across the thoroughfare from the Faro, you’ll find the baroque-style Catedral Metropolitana de Monterrey. The city’s cathedral looks surprisingly petite compared to its grandiose counterpart in Mexico City.
- Admire Contemporary Art at MARCO. To the south of the Cathedral is the Museo de Contemporaneo Arte, known as MARCO. The Museum of Contemporary Art is regarded as one of Mexico’s premier contemporary art museums.
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