Mina, Nuevo León facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mina, Nuevo León
Municipality
Country	Mexico
State	Nuevo León
Founded	1608
Government
• Type	Municipality
Area
• Total	3,915 km2 (1,512 sq mi)
Elevation	600 m (2,000 ft)
Population  (2005)
• Total	4,309
• Density	1.10064/km2 (2.8506/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)

Mina is a town and municipality in the Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is located in the northwestern part of the state. In 2005, about 4,309 people lived there.

The town is named after Francisco Javier Mina. He was a Spanish general who fought for Mexico's freedom from Spain. Mina is known as a fun place to visit, with many interesting stories and local legends.

History of Mina

Mina is part of a historic area called Valle de Salinas. This area was an important administrative region during the time Spain ruled Mexico.

Early Beginnings

Mina was founded in 1608 by a captain from the Canary Islands, Bernabé de las Casas. He and other Spanish settlers created a place called San Francisco de Cañas. This name came from Saint Francis of Assisi and the Spanish word cañas, meaning "reeds." The area had many water springs and reeds, likely near the Salinas River (Nuevo León).

San Francisco de Cañas was part of the Valle de las Salinas. This valley was one of 14 main areas in the New Kingdom of León. It included other towns like Abasolo and Salinas Victoria. On May 31, 1851, San Francisco de Cañas became its own municipality. It was then renamed Mina, honoring General Francisco Javier Mina.

Challenges and Conflicts

For many years, Mina and other parts of northeastern Mexico were quite isolated. The government far away did not always help with local problems. One big challenge was ongoing conflicts with Native American groups. These included the Cuanales and Aiguales. Later, in the 1700s and 1800s, there were frequent raids by Comanche and Apache groups from Texas.

These groups often came to steal animals and attack the people. The northern part of Nuevo León, where Mina is, was known as tierra de guerra viva. This means "fierce war land." Many battles happened here, including at the Hacienda del Muerto. This was a large farm that also served as a fort.

Peace and Revolution

By the late 1850s, the governor of Nuevo León, Santiago Vidaurri, said the conflicts had ended. However, some raids continued, though less often, until the late 1800s.

Then, the Mexican Revolution reached the area. General Mariano Escobedo won important battles against the forces of Porfirio Díaz. One big victory happened near the Hacienda del Muerto. Even though the local side won, the hacienda began to decline. It was sold in the early 1900s and later became ruins.

Recent Discoveries

In 1989, scientists found a large mammoth fossil in Mina. This exciting discovery led to the creation of the Bernabé de las Casas museum. In recent years, there has been more interest in making Mina a popular place for tourists.

Geography

Mina is the sixth-largest municipality in Nuevo León. However, it has one of the lowest populations for its size.

Location and Neighbors

Mina borders several other places. To the north is Candela. To the west is Castaños and to the southwest is Ramos Arizpe, both in the state of Coahuila. To the northeast are Bustamante and Villaldama. To the east are Salinas Victoria and Hidalgo. To the south is García. All these are in Nuevo León.

Plants and Animals

The plants in Mina are mostly desert bushes. You can find Huisache (Vachellia farnesiana), mesquite (Prosopis spp.), and different types of cactus (Echinocereus enneacanthus, Opuntia spp.). Other common plants include Lechuguilla (Agave lechuguilla) and Sotol (Dasylirion texanum).

There are also many plants that grow only in this area, called endemic plants. These include Candelilla (Euphorbia antisyphilitica) and Damiana (Turnera diffusa). In the higher areas, near the Minas Viejas mountains, you can find walnut, willow, and pine trees.

Recent discoveries show that the plants in Mina have changed over time. Scientists found old pieces of walnut, willow, and pine trees underground. These trees are not common in the desert area of Boca de Potrerillos today. This shows how the environment has changed over many centuries.

The animals in Mina include the nine-banded armadillo, coyote, American badger, and rattlesnake. You can also see deer, fox, rabbit, greater roadrunner, raccoon, great horned owl, and prairie dog. Many other types of mammals, birds, and reptiles live here too.

See also

In Spanish: Mina (Nuevo León) para niños