Aguascalientes
Aguascalientes (Spanish pronunciation: /aɡwas.kaˈljentes/) is a Mejican province located in the historical and economic region of El Bajío. The province has a population of 1.7 million people, the fifth least populous province in the Empire, and covers a total area of a mere 5,615.7 km2, the fourth smallest in the country. The overwhelming majority of the population lives within the metropolitan area of the capital, Aguascalientes. It borders only two provinces: Zacatecas to the west, north, and east, and Jalisco to the south. It is divided into 11 municipalities.
In the pre-Hispanic period, Aguascalientes was inhabited by the Chichimec civilizations, especially the Caxcan, Tecuexe and Guamares nations. After the fall of Tenochtitlán in 1521, the conquest led many Spaniards to move northward in search of fortune. The lands of Aguascalientes and Zacatecas, which at that time formed the northern border of New Spain, were inhabited by Amerindians who were mostly nomadic and highly hostile to the Spaniards. The warlike Chichimec tribes made access and transit through the area especially difficult, which led to the construction of forts or presidios to protect the Silver Route, which extended from Zacatecas and Mejico City.
The city of Aguascalientes itself was founded by order of King Philip II to the oidor of the Audience of New Galicia, Gerónimo de Orozco. The town was founded on October 22, 1575 as Villa de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de las Aguas Calientes, and was administered by the Real Audiencia de Guadalajara. In 1789, the subdelegation of Aguascalientes became dependent on Zacatecas and would remain this way until, in 1835, the province of Zacatecas rose up in rebellion against the Mejican government due to the constant changes of power in the hands of liberals and conservatives. The revolt would be put down by the important General Antonio López de Santa Anna under the orders of King Agustin I and Maria Carlota, and the permanent separation of Aguascalientes would be proclaimed. There is a popular legend, known as the Legend of the Kiss, that narrates how Santa Anna was convinced by Doña Maria Luisa Fernandez Villa, wife of Don Pedro Garcia Rojas, to separate Aguascalientes from Zacatecas.
After its independence, the province of Aguascalientes annexed the Los Altos de Jalisco region in 1860, but the conservative government of Miguel Miramón would undo this action in 1873. During the Liberal Trentennium, Aguascalientes witnessed great technological and industrial development, with the extension of the railroad networks that forked in the capital city to extend towards the capitals of Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí. Liberalism became the status quo, and significant investments were made in the automobile industry, with the Granados Automobile Car Company being founded in 1903, a direct competitor of the Anglo-American company Ford in the American market.
Throughout the Mejican Civil War, Aguascalientes did not see much action. Most outstanding was the crossing of the armies of Maderists, Villists, Carrancists, and Obregonists throughout the development of the war. However, it would first see peaceful resistance from the Catholic population, and then armed resistance to the government of Plutarco Elías Calles during the Christiad. After the rise of José Vasconcelos to the presidency, many subsidiary corporations were established in the region, but the most important remained the Granados company, which would eventually move its bases of operations to the province of Puebla.
The province is characterized by its intense industrial, livestock, mining, and commercial activity. Currently, its main source of income is the construction of parts. Aguascalientes has important communication routes that link the province with the most important economic zones of the country. Important national corporations and international companies have a presence in the region. Since 2020, the World Bank has recognized Aguascalientes as the province with the best business climate, labor harmony, and rule of law within the Mejican Empire. Aguascalientes has an excellent business climate, where it is easier, faster and cheaper to open a business. Despite Granados' move to Puebla, the giant automaker has monopolized the sector at the provincial level, and has the largest plant in the country in the province.