Durango, along with other Mexican states, signed the Plan of Iguala in 1821, which freed Mexico from Spanish rule.Ī major concern in the Durango capital during the latter part of the 19th century was persistent violence by Tarauhmaras and Tepehuanos Indians as well as Apaches who drifted into the region from the north.

Later in the decade, Pedro Celestino Negrete overthrew Durango’s Spanish royalists and rallied support for the country’s independence. When Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla called for Mexico’s independence in 1810, several priests in Durango supported his efforts and similarly attempted to unite the population however, local authorities loyal to Spain suppressed their efforts and curbed any pro-rebellion enthusiasm. Throughout the colonial period, northern tribes raided the city and caused general mayhem among the Spanish colonists. Indigenous revolts–mainly among the Tepehuanos and Northern Tarahumara tribes–slowed the economic efforts of the colonizers. In 1562, Viceroy Don Luis de Velasco named Ibarra governor of the province.įranciscan and Jesuit priests arrived in the area around 1770, built missions and attempted to convert the indigenous groups to Christianity. Ibarra dedicated his first years in the area to exploring new territories and founding cities, including Nueva Viscaya and Durango. The conquistadors encountered little resistance from the natives of the region and quickly began establishing cities. The Spanish arrived in the Durango area around 1554, led by Captain Francisco Ibarra. Historians believe that the Zacatecas and the Tepehuanos, who established villages throughout a large territory along the Sierra Madre Occidental, occupied the area between 8 A.D. It is speculated that the nomadic Nahoan Indians drifted down from the northern part of the continent (present-day United States) two millennia ago and roamed the area. Very little information exists about Durango’s pre-colonial past. Durango has also been the setting for several Mexican and American films. Many historical museums, art exhibitions, annual festivals and live music venues provide entertainment for residents and tourists alike. Durango offers a diversity of outdoor activities, like canoeing, mountain and rock climbing, camping and nature tours. The Silent Zone frequently is compared to the Bermuda Triangle, the Egyptian Pyramids and the Sacred Cities of Tibet, all being located between parallels 26 and 28.Famous as Pancho Villa’s home state, as well as for its scenic waterfalls, hot springs and nature preservers, Durango is also a leading supplier of timber and wood products. It is called Silent Zone because of a myth which states that radio waves cannot be transmitted due to local magnetic fields. Their studies were focused on Hertzian waves and showed that the horizontal propagation of radio waves was normal but that the vertical was cut off completely, thus causing the phenomenon of 'silence.' These scientists concluded that this anomaly was not a function of position, but of time. In 1976, the National Institute of Nuclear Energy sent two engineers to the Zone: Ray Cruz, winner of the National Science Prize, and Jorge Aguilera, an expert in electronic design. It was also confirmed that Geiger counters register high concentrations of energy in the area. According to de la Pena the results were positive. The University of Monclova explored and tested for iron ore in the region. The University of Guadalajara sent 30 investigators to the area, including biologists, geologists, and zoologists.

In 1975 the Historical Studies society of Chihuahua focused attention on the Zone with a program of research, seminars and conferences. Scientific curiosity led him to investigate the phenomenon further, and his findings caused quite a stir. By chance, he discovered that there were certain places where it was impossible to communicate by radio. In the 1960's, an engineer by the name of Harry Augusto de la Pena was assigned to explore the area, now known as the Zone of Silence, by PEMEX, the Mexican state petroleum industry. The Zone of Silence is part of the great Mapimi Basin, one of the most important depressions in the Mexican highlands, which drop from an average of 2,000 to 1,000 meters above sea level, thus forming the beginning of the prairies of western North America. Its area is unknown, but has been roughly estimated as a circle with a radius of 50 kilometers, and the center is the Vertice de Trino, a point which marks the juncture of the states of Durango, Coahuila and Chihuahua. The Zone of Silence is located between the 26th and 28th parallels, along the 104th meridian. La Zona Del Silencio, by Richard Ogulnick

Zona del silencio mexico