Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas is a
state in the northeast of
Mexico.
Tamaulipas borders on the states of
Veracruz to the south,
San Luis Potosí to the southwest, and
Nuevo León to the west. To the east Tamaulipas fronts the
Gulf of Mexico; to the north Tamaulipas stands on the
U.S.-Mexico border, adjacent to the
U.S. state of
Texas. According to the
2000 census, Tamaulipas had a population of some 2,750,000 people.
The capital of Tamaulipas is
Cd. Victoria. Also in Tamaulipas are the cities of
Altamira,
Cd. Madero,
Cd. Mante,
Matamoros,
Nuevo Laredo,
Reynosa, and
Tampico.
Northern Tamaulipas shares its culture with that of
Texas, and is primarily characterized by agriculture and strong growth in all industrial sectors. This region is home to many of the
maquiladoras, factories owned by foreign companies but worked primarily by Mexicans.
Southern Tamaulipas' economy is based primarily on the petro-chemical industries. There are petro-chemical production plants around
Altamira, refinery facilites in
Ciudad Madero and many oil-industry support service companies in
Tampico. Also of importance are the tourism and fishing industries, as well as much commercial shipping, based in Tampico and Altamira. The little village of La Pesca, in the municipality of Soto La Marina, about midway between Brownsville, Texas and Tampico, is a rapidly growing tourist area with lovely beaches and excellent fishing both in the Gulf of Mexico and the Rio Soto La Marina. The central zone contains the capital,
Ciudad Victoria, and is home to much foresting and farming, as well as some industrial development. About 30% of the population lives here, both in the capital and in
Ciudad Mante. Cd. Victoria is a significant educational center, home to the
Autonomous University of Tamaulipas (which also has campuses in other cities in the state), the Regional Technical Institute of Ciudad Victoria, the University of Valle de Bravo, and other institutions of learning.
As of the 1990 census, 13 percent of the homes have only dirt floors, nearly 19 percent have no running water, and over 15 percent of the homes have no electricity. This is better than the national average, but is skewed because of the high rate of development in the urban centers -- in rural communities in Tamaulipas, access to running water is available in less than 40 percent of homes.
The name of the state is derived from
Tamaholipa which is a
Huastec term, where the
tam- prefix signifies "place where". As yet, there is no scholarly agreement on the meaning of
holipa, but "high hills" is a common interpretation (however, a native population of Tamaulipas, now extinct, was referred to as the "Olives" during the early colonial period, which is a likely Spanish transformation on
holipa).
The area currently known as Tamaulipas has been inhabited for at least 8000 years. Several different cultures existed back then, the north coastal, south coastal, lowlands, and mountains.
Although
Cortés conquered the
Aztecs rather quickly, it was a gradual process by which Spain subjugated the inhabitants of Tamaulipas in the 16th and 17th centuries. The first permanent
Spanish settlement in the area was Tampico in
1554. More work along these lines was done by
Franciscan missionaries, although repeated indigenous rebellions kept the area unstable. What is now Tamaulipas was first incorporated as a separate province of
New Spain in
1746 with the name
Nuevo Santander. The local government capital during this time moved from Santander, to San Carlos, and finally to Aguayo.
After Mexico's independence from Spain, Tamaulipas continued to be an unstable region. The fight in national government between federalist and centralist factions resulted in repeated rebellions. In January of 1854 Tamaulipas was declared a state of the union during the civil war between
Santa Anna and the liberal guerrilla factions that had been in power before him. Its capital was kept as Aguayo, which would later be renamed Ciudad Victoria.
The French occupation and reign of Emperor
Maximilian during the 1860's was difficult for Tamaulipas, at least on the borders and in the city of Tampico. Portions of Tamaulipas supported the guerrilla fighters resisting the French, especially in the north. It was not until two years after French occupation began, that Tamaulipas as a state finally acceded to Maximilian's rule, and it was not until 1866 that the last French soldiers left the state, leading up to Maximilian's execution in 1867.
However, the years after Maximilian's defeat were ones of rebuilding and great growth in Tamaulipas. International trade began to blossom, especially with the coming of the railroad to Tampico, which was developing as not only a port city, but an industrial and commercial center as well. The railroad allowed goods to flow quickly from the mines and cities of the interior and the Texas border to Tampico for processing and shipment. This in turn caused significant growth in towns such as Matamoros and Nuevo Laredo.
Since the revolution of 1910, successive governments have been dedicated to building industry and infrastructure in Tamaulipas, including communications and educational systems. Norberto Trevino Zapata founded the state university system as well as reforming the state oil industry. Marte Gomez provided increased farm sizes for private family farmers. And more recently, Emilio Martinez Manautou led industrial growth. Lately a push has been to strengthen fishing, including fights to increase the price of fish and shellfish on the international market.
The state is subdivided into 43
municipios. See
municipalities of Tamaulipas.
*
Tamaulipas state government.
*
University of Tamaulipas*
Photographs of Tamaulipas*
Towns, cities, and postal codes in Tamaulipas*
Colonization Laws of the State of Tamaulipas, 1826 from
Gammel's Laws of Texas, Vol. I. hosted by the
Portal to Texas History.
