Celaya

Celaya
The Historic District
Seal
Nickname(s): "De Forti Dulcedo"
Celaya
Coordinates: 20°31′23″N 100°48′50″W
Country	Mexico
State	Guanajuato
Municipality	Celaya
Foundation	October 12, 1570
Government
• Mayor	Rubi Laura Lopez Silva
Elevation	1,750 m (5,740 ft)
Population
• Total	310,413
Time zone	Central Standard Time (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	Central Daylight Time (UTC-6)
Area code(s)	461
Website	http://www.celaya.gob.mx

Celaya's main icon—a water tower in the heart of the city.

Celaya is a city and its surrounding municipality in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, located in the southeast quadrant of the state. It is the third most populous city in the state, with a 2005 census population of 310,413. The municipality for which the city serves as municipal seat, had a population of 415,869. The city is located in the geographic center of the municipality, which has an areal extent of 553.18 km² (213.58 sq mi) and includes many smaller outlying communities, the largest of which are San Miguel Octopan, Rincón de Tamayo and San Juan de la Vega.

There are many smaller towns around Celaya including Rincón de Tamayo, Tarimoro, Salvatierra, La Moncada, Panales Jamaica (Cañones), Panales Galera, La Calera, La Estancia, La Noria, La Acebuche, Cacalote, and Charco Largo.

General Álvaro Obregón defeated Pancho Villa at Celaya in 1915 known as Battle of Celaya. Celaya was also the capital of the state of Guanajuato for a short period.

An explosion in a gunpowder and fireworks warehouse in September, 1999, killed over 60 people and injured over 300 people. [1][2]

Celaya is also famous for the artesanal production of cajeta, a type of milk candy

The Celaya Airport has as of January 22, 2007 commercial flights to Santiago de Querétaro and there connections to other destinations. Celaya lies along the Pan-American Highway which is known locally as Mexican Federal Highway 45.

Ball of Water

The water tank has been an icon of the city from 1908 until today; it continues to supply water to portions of downtown. The tank was manufactured in Germany and assembled on site, and is unique in being assembled using rivets rather than welds. It is believed to be the only one of its kind with a spherical shape (it is rumored that there was another similar water ball in Stuttgart, Germany that was destroyed during the Second World War). Traditionally, locals tell visitors that it is filled with Cajeta, taking them to visit the "Bola del Agua" during Sundays, the traditional day for visiting the Indepencencia drive. A plaque at the base of the water tower contains the following legend:

'"This tower was built at the expense of the municipality of the city in 1910 and officially opened on 15 September, the day of the anniversary of the proclamation of the independence of Mexico as a state governor Mr . Mr. Dan. Joaquín González Obregón, who gave full moral support to the construction.'s work and everything related to the provision of drinking water, was designed and conducted by the district political head Mr. Don Perfecto I. Aranda, its total cost with intubation limited to two circuits was $ 161,520.84 (mexican old) pesos ".

During Mexican Revolution, Villa's officers thought the hydraulic tower had such a large amount of water that destroying it would drown the population of Celaya. One of Villa's generals ordered his artillery to destroy it. Captain Gustavo Duron, in charge of a 75mm battery, followed the orders but shot around the tower, avoiding it and protecting the monument, as mentioned by local historian Herminio Martínez.

The water tower has a base width of 10 meters and a height of 35 m above ground level, the single sphere has a diameter of 12 m with a capacity of "approximately 904.77 cubic meters." The work was carried out under the command of German Enrique Schondube. The construction of this work resulted in the neglect of the people who were handing out water at home from the mayor's so-called water carriers. For several years he was allowed to place commercial advertising on top to cover the costs of the tower, this was done until September 8, 1985 when, celebrating the "Anniversary of the Foundation of Celaya", the mayor's office decided that the Ball Water would be a symbol that would represent the city, and commercial advertising on it was banned.

People born in Celaya

• Francisco Eduardo Tresguerras (b. October 13, 1759, d. August 3, 1833), Architect and painter. Designed the beautiful El Carmen church in Celaya.
• Joshua Ilika Brenner (b. September 14, 1976) Olympic swimmer
• Raúl Velasco (b. April 24, 1933, d. November 26, 2006) Entertainer and TV Producer. Was the host of the popular marathonic TV program Siempre en Domingo.
• Octavio Ocampo (b. February 28, 1943) Painter famous for his "metamorphosis" style.
• Mauricio Ochmann (b. November 16, 1977), Actor.
• Ever Guzmán (b. March 15, 1988), footballer.
• Adela Patiño (b. February 11, 1965) also known as Adela Fernandez (La Gallera), Singer, Composer.
• Plácido Rodriguez (b. October 11, 1940), Bishop of Lubbock, Texas
• Eric del Castillo (b. July 22, 1930) is a well-known Mexican actor.
• Elisa Nájera (b. in Celaya, Guanjuato) Miss Mexico 2007 (4th Runner Up Miss Universe 2008)

Universities and Schools in Celaya

• Universidad de Itesba
• Universidad Latina de Mexico
• Universidad Lasallista Benavente
• Universidad de Celaya
• Instituto Tecnologico de Celaya
• Instituto Tecnologico de Roque
• Escuela Bilingue Guilford
• Colegio Mexico
• Instituto Andersen
• Colegio Marista
• Colegio Arturo Rosenblueth
• Instituto Kipling
• Westminster Royal College
• Tecnologico de Monterrey
• Instituto Sir Winston Churchill
• Instituto Bilingue Oxford
• Instituto Educativo Rosa G. de Carmona
• Centro Pedagogico de Celaya
• Instituto Británico de Celaya(BIC)

Sister cities

• Carrboro, North Carolina, United States
• Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States
• Guernica, Spain
• Oaxaca, Mexico
• Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Mexico

See also

• The Battle of Celaya in 1915 was a turning point in the Mexican Revolution
• Club Celaya a footbal club from the 1950s that was resurrected in 2003
• Atlético Celaya a former association football team
• Estadio Miguel Alemán
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Celaya

References

• Link to tables of population data from Census of 2005 INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática
• Guanajuato Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México

External links

• A casi 100 años de la Bola de Agua (Near the century of "Ball of Water"
• PODCelaya.com Business Virtual Directory
• Municipio de Celaya Official website
• Diócesis de Celaya
• Domingo Negro Explosion