León, Guanajuato

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Lore & Background

León was founded on 20 January 1576 by order of Viceroy Martín Enríquez de Almanza, carried out by Juan Bautista de Orozco. The area had earlier been inhabited by Chupícuaro, Teotihuacan, Toltec, and Chichimeca peoples. During the colonial period, Spanish settlers introduced farming and cattle-raising around 1546, but faced constant threat from Chichimecas who recognized them as invaders. The city attained the rank of 'alcaldía mayor' in 1580, governing much of the surrounding land from the Sierra de Comanja to the Lerma River. The Jesuits arrived in 1731, founding the "Compañía Vieja" and beginning construction on the Temple of the New Company, which would become the cathedral, though they never finished it as they were expelled from Mexico in 1767. An image of Our Most Holy Mother of Light arrived on 2 July 1732, and she was declared the patron saint of the city in 1849. The population suffered epidemics in 1643, droughts in 1630 and 1712–1714, famines in 1714 and 1786, and flooding in 1637, 1749, 1762, and 1803. Independence forces under José Rafael de Iriarte arrived on 4 October 1810, but royalist forces under Felix Calleja retook the locality two months later, with insurrectionist sympathizers facing reprisals. About 2,000 insurgents on horses attacked but were repulsed by Count Pérez Gálvez. The town remained in royalist hands until the end of the war when Agustín de Iturbide arrived. It became a city in 1830. During La Reforma, the city changed hands various times between Liberal and Conservative forces between 1858 and 1860, and even separated for a time from the rest of the state of Guanajuato in 1859. From 1863 to 1866, the French occupied León during the French Intervention, with Emperor Maximillian visiting in 1864, celebrated with fireworks and a hot air balloon exhibition by the Alemán brothers. On 2 January 1946, a mob gathered in the plaza to protest elections seen as illegitimate and was fired upon, killing many; the plaza has been named the "Plaza of the Martyrs" in their honor.

Reader's Guide

León's significance stems from its role as a major industrial and commercial hub in central Mexico, particularly for its large leather industry, which produces shoes, boots, belts, jackets, and other leather accessories for national and international markets. This industry earned its inhabitants the nickname "green belly" (panzaverde in Spanish) because of the green tainting in the workers' bodies resulting from treating leather. The city is also noted for its environmental initiatives, receiving a "City Water Champion" award in March 2012 for progress in sanitation, wastewater reuse, and energy cogeneration from biogas. Its integration of a network of bike lanes into the SIT system has contributed to a high number of cyclists. León is part of the macroregion of the Bajío within the Mexican Plateau and is the seventh most populous metropolitan area in Mexico. The city's history includes pre-Columbian settlements, colonial founding, and involvement in the Mexican War of Independence, La Reforma, and the French Intervention. About 70 percent of all shoes made in Mexico come from León and the surrounding area. The presence of the automotive industry includes a General Motors plant in the nearby municipality of Silao. León is home to the national headquarters of Banco del Bajío and to the regional headquarters of Banamex and HSBC, among other banks.

Did You Know?

• León's inhabitants are nicknamed 'panzaverde' (green belly) because of the green tainting on workers' bodies from treating leather.
• The city received a 'City Water Champion' award in March 2012 for progress in sanitation, wastewater reuse, and energy cogeneration from biogas.
• About 70 percent of all shoes made in Mexico come from León and the surrounding area.
• Emperor Maximillian visited León in 1864 during the French occupation, and his arrival was celebrated with fireworks and a hot air balloon exhibition by the Alemán brothers.
• The latest snowfall recorded in León was in 1997.

Demographics & Geographic Position

León de Los Aldama sits at the heart of Mexico's Bajío macroregion, nestled within the broad Mexican Plateau that stretches across the country's center. By the 2020 census conducted by INEGI, the city proper was home to 1,579,803 residents, while the wider municipality counted 1,721,215 inhabitants. These figures place León as the fourth-largest city and the third-largest municipality in all of Mexico. When the surrounding metropolitan area is included, the total reaches 2,140,094 people, ranking it seventh among the nation's metropolitan zones. This concentration of population in the geographic middle of the country has made León a natural commercial and logistical hub, connecting the northern and southern halves of the Mexican Plateau. Its central positioning within the Bajío region has historically drawn trade routes and migration, contributing to sustained demographic growth over centuries and cementing its role as one of the most significant urban centers in the country.

The Leather Industry & Urban Identity

León's economic soul has long been stitched into leather. The city's large leather industry produces shoes, boots, belts, jackets, and a wide array of leather accessories destined for both national and international markets. This trade left a mark on the physical appearance of workers, whose skin took on a greenish taint from prolonged exposure to tanning chemicals. The condition earned León's inhabitants the enduring nickname "panzaverde," or green belly, a term that persists as a point of local identity. Beyond leather, the city has cultivated a robust hotel and service sector, offering residents and visitors numerous options for entertainment, gastronomy, leisure, arts, and recreation. León has also distinguished itself on the environmental front. Its public transit system, the SIT, integrates a network of dedicated bike lanes, contributing to a notably high cycling culture among residents. In March 2012, the city was honored as "City Water Champion" for significant advances in sanitation, wastewater reuse, and energy cogeneration from biogas, cementing its reputation as one of Mexico's most environmentally friendly cities.

Colonial Founding & Religious Heritage

The story of León as a formal settlement begins in 1575, when Viceroy Martín Enríquez de Almanza ordered the establishment of a city in the region to consolidate Spanish control. Juan Bautista de Orozco carried out the directive on 20 January 1576, laying out initial streets and creating the first town council. By 1580, the settlement had earned the rank of "alcadía mayor," granting it governing authority over a vast stretch of territory from the Sierra de Comanja to the Lerma River, encompassing towns such as San Miguel and Coecillo. The Jesuits arrived in 1731, founding what became the Temple of the Immaculate and beginning construction of the New Company temple that would later serve as the cathedral—though they never completed it before their expulsion from Mexico in 1767. In 1732, an image of Our Most Holy Mother of Light arrived in the city, and by 1849 she was formally declared its patron saint. The colonial era was also marked by recurring hardship: epidemics struck in 1643, droughts ravaged the area in 1630 and again between 1712 and 1714, famines hit in 1714 and 1786, and flooding recurred in 1637, 1749, 1762, and 1803.

Political Upheaval from Independence to French Occupation

León's political history is a record of contested loyalties and shifting power. Independence forces under José Rafael de Iriarte entered the town on 4 October 1810, yet royalist troops under Félix Calleja retook it just two months later, with insurrectionist sympathizers facing reprisals. A mounted force of roughly 2,000 insurgents attacked but was repulsed by Count Pérez Gálvez, and Francisco Javier Mina's 1817 assault also failed. The town remained in royalist hands until Agustín de Iturbide's arrival at war's end, and its first Grito de Dolores was not celebrated until 1825. During La Reforma between 1858 and 1860, the city changed hands repeatedly between Liberals and Conservatives; General José Iniesta's February 1859 assault stands out, and León briefly separated from the rest of Guanajuato that same year. The French Intervention brought Emperor Maximilian to the city in 1864, greeted with fireworks and a hot-air balloon exhibition staged by the Alemán brothers. After Liberal forces regained permanent control, tensions flared: in September 1867, Colonel Cecilio Delgado Estrada ordered shots fired over the heads of citizens praying in the streets, wounding several.