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Parral
Parral
	— City —
	The Plaza Guillermo Baca in downtown Parral, showing the Searcher of Dreams Fountain and the Cathedral Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, seat of the Diocese of Parral
	; Parral Location in Mexico
	Coordinates: 26°56′N 105°40′W / 26.933°N 105.667°W
Country	Mexico
State	Chihuahua
Municipality	Hidalgo del Parral
	Population (2005)
- Total	101,147

Hidalgo del Parral, is a city and seat of the municipality of Hidalgo del Parral in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It is located in the southern part of the state, 220 km from the state capital, the city of Chihuahua, Chih. The city's population was 101,147 at the 2005 census, and the municipality's population was 103,519. The municipality includes numerous very small outlying communities in addition to the city. The city was founded as San José del Parral. The name was changed after independence from Spain, in honour of Fr Miguel Hidalgo, widely considered the 'Father of the Country'.

The city is one of the most european-fashioned in all Mexico, because of the lifelong presence of Spaniards and French.

[edit] History

According to legend, Juan Rangel de Biezma came here in 1629, picked up a rock on the “Cerro la Prieta” (La Prieta Hill), licked it and proclaimed “There is a mineral deposit here.” This deposit produced silver for 340 years.^[1]

Parral was once a bustling center for silver mining. As early as 1567, the silver mines at Santa Barbara were established in the territory of the Conchos Indians. However, in 1631, a vast new silver strike was made in what is now southern Chihuahua. Later, in 1640, it was declared "Capital of the World" by monarch, Philip IV of Spain, at the very height of the Spanish Empire, that included territories in Eastern Asia, Italy, and the Low Countries^{[citation needed]}.

The strike in Parral led to a large influx of Spaniards and Indian laborers into the area of Tarahumara country north of Santa Barbara. However, the steadily increasing need for labor in the Parral mines, according to Professor Spicer, led to the "forcible recruitment, or enslavement, of non-Christian Indians...the influx of new people and the resulting development of Spanish society no doubt placed increased pressure upon the native population in the region. The large area of southern Chihuahua inhabited by the Conchos Indians included the highway between the mining districts of Parral, Cusihuiriachic, and Chihuahua."^{[citation needed]} After the end of the silver mining boom, Parral was almost completely abandoned in the early 1930s (although the surrounding district continues to be mined for silver and base metals.) It is now a small city mainly dedicated to commerce.

Parral is often associated with several historical figures, including Mexican revolutionary leader Pancho Villa, who was assassinated on July 20, 1923 and initially buried there, and border ruffian "Dirty" Dave Rudabaugh, a sometime friend and foe of Billy the Kid.

The Palacio Alvarado was once the home of one of the wealthiest mining barons in Parral.

[edit] Notable sites

El Palacio de Alvarado It belonged to one of the most prominent families in Parral, owning the silver mine called “La Palmilla.” This family was rich enough to offer the President Porfirio Díaz to pay the national external debt. The palace was constructed by Federico Amérigo Rouvier and it is now a museum and cultural center. It has preserved much of the original European-made furniture. The walls of the patio were painted by Italian painter Antionio Decanini between 1946 and 1948.

El Hotel Hidalgo This historical building was a gift from Don Pedro Alvarado to Pancho Villa and is located next to the Plaza Guillermo Baca.

La Casa de la Familia Griensen (the Griensen Family House) This is where Elisa Griensen was born. She distinguished herself in Parral history by fighting against a contingent of U.S. soldiers sent to capture Pancho Villa after he crossed the border and attacked Columbus, New Mexico.

The Francisco Villa Museum This historical building is located on the street near the spot where Villa’s enemies waited days for him to pass and ultimately assassinated him in 1923. Every year in July, his death is reenacted here.

Casa Stallforth This was beautiful and luxurious palace (during the era), with a beautiful baroque style; decorated in the facade with many beings from the Nordic mythology, that once belonged to the Stallforth family -- who along with the Alvarado family, became the towns main benefactors, contributing much to its infrastructure.^[1]

[edit] Notable events

The annual staging of the Murder of Francisco Villa, a recreation using props from the era, in the exact place of the historical event.

The annual Cabalgata Villista, is a long-distance horse ride with statewide massive participation and a spectacular visual event as thousands of horses enter the city(see Cavalcade).

[edit] Food

In addition to its diverse and rich History, Parral is famous for its traditional foods. Parral was recently named as one of the “Ten Gastronomic Marvels of Mexico,” primarily for its artisan confectioneries Dulces de Leche. These include a wide variety of candies and pastries from old recipes based on milk, sugar, and natural fruits. Some other very famous foods in Parral are the Enchiladas, the Rayadas, the Barbacoa, the Steaks and the Cabrito.

Dulces de Leche

They are cooked-milk confections found nationwide in Mexico; however, Parral has been historically acclaimed since the 1930's because of the exquisite taste and delicious flavor of its Dulces de Leche -- mainly candys with hard-shelled nuts like pecans, peanuts, hazelnuts, apricot, pineapple, coconut and several others. Parral's candies have been shipped around the world, some notorious destinations include: Vatican City, Washington DC, and London.

These traditional confectioneries arrived to Parral in the early 1900s, originally from the South of Mexico. The origin of such recipes is unknown; although, it is believed that they arrived to Mexico from Europe during the colonial times. Then these recipes were transfered to newer generations, predominantly in the South of Mexico.

Among the most famous confectionery artisans in Parral was Don Pablo Rodriguez founder of ' La Gota de Miel '. Don Pablito, as the Parralenses better knew him, was born in Teocaltiche, Jalisco in the late 1800s. He and his wife arrived to Parral in the early 1900s, after working for several years in the State of Coahuila as a baker and a cooker respectively; in an hacienda in San Pedro and in the Hacienda del Rosario (now Parras de la Fuente) for Francisco Madero and Mercedes González (parents of Francisco I. Madero). It is believed that their recipes might have acquired some influence from professional chefs also working in these haciendas at the time.

Several local artisans in Parral had recently -- in the late 90s -- attempted to imitate Don Pablito's original recipe.

Enchiladas

They are a specialty Mexican plate also found nationwide, and Parral is also traditionally famous for its delicious Enchiladas. They are a rolled maize tortilla stuffed with meat and covered with a tomato and chile sauce. Also, enchiladas can be filled with a variety of ingredients, including meat, cheese, beans, potatoes, vegetables, or seafood.

These other tradition in Parral, started in the early 1900s and they gained notoriety in the mid-late 1900s. (The History of how the Enchiladas (as a business) started in Parral is needed here). Enchiladas originated in Mexico. Anthropological evidence suggests that the indigenous people living in the lake region of the Valley of Mexico traditionally ate corn tortillas folded or rolled around small fish. Writing at the time of the Spanish conquistadors, Bernal Díaz del Castillo documented a feast enjoyed by Europeans hosted by Hernán Cortés in Coyoacán. In the nineteenth century, as Mexican cuisine was being memorialized, enchiladas were mentioned in the first Mexican cookbook, El cocinero mexicano ("The Mexican Chef"), published in 1831, and in Mariano Galvan Rivera's Diccionario de Cocina, published in 1845.[4][8] Probably as with the Dulces de Leche, this recipes arrived to Parral from immigrants from the South of Mexico.

Among the most famous cooker of Enchiladas in Parral was ' Doña Cuca ', located nearby of the historical Calicanto bridge. ( A brief biographical review of Doña Cuca is needed here; and a brief history of her dishes)

Rayadas (bread)

They are a bread-specialty traditionally made in Parral elaborated with wheat flour, cinnamon, piloncillo, anise and honey. (The complete History of how the Rayadas-recipe started in Parral is needed here)

Barbacoa

Is meat from cattle or sheep slowly cooked over an open fire, or more traditionally, in a hole dug in the ground covered with maguey leaves; although the interpretation is loose, in the present day it may refers to meat steamed until tender.

During colonial and post-colonial times, Parral was famous because of its delectable Barbacoa or Birria de Hoyo. Such barbacoa, contained ingredients as laurel (bay leaf), garlic, maguey, onions, and some other condiments. It was one of the luscious foods of the executives, foreigner, and miners working in the silver mines at Parral.

Among the most famous barbacoa in Parral was (The complete History of how the Barbacoa-recipe started in Parral is needed here)

[edit] Sports

Judo
Parral has one of the best clubs of Judo throughout Latin America: Judokan Parral. It is a Judo academy in one of the most isolated places in Mexico, in terms of the sport speaking;however, the instructors and students are recognized worldwide. Sensei Andres Martinez is in charge of the club. The instructors are José Andrés Martinez and Gabriel González. Among the most recognized alumni of Judokan is Vanessa Zambotti. She is an Olympic judo-fighter with international experience. She started practicing the sport at Judokan Parral (for her complete history see: [1]). (The history of how judo started in Parral is needed here)

Judokan is increasingly becoming one of the most important cultural landmarks for future generations -- who follow the sport closely -- in the North of Mexico. Right now, some historians are working on achieving oral testimonies and photographs to sketch part of northern Mexico popular history, and they will include the impact of judo among practitioners (this needs verification and further elaboration).

Baseball
Parral is famous, primarily in the North of Mexico, for its baseball team Los Mineros de Parral (The complete history of baseball in Parral goes here).