Aguascalientes - Pittsburgh Sister City  

Aguascalientes Background

Aguascalientes was founded in 1575, its name derived from the number of hot springs in the area. It is located in the center of Mexico’s “Golden Triangle”: Guadalajara, Monterrey and Mexico City, where 70%+ of the country’s GDP takes place and 60% of the population lives. The population of the city is 663,671 (2005).  The metro population is 723,043 (2005).  They have a young and highly educated population. Seventy two percent are younger than 34 years old, with the average age being 21.

Even though the city is over 400 years old, you will still find beautiful Spanish colonial architecture in the historic center.  A few of the historic sites worthy of note are:

Baroque Government Palace, dating from 1664.
Baroque Cathedral:  Oldest building in the city (1575).
San Marcos Garden and San Marcos Church.

Manuel María Ponce Cuéllar (1882-1948) was born in the city, a distinguished Mexican composer, music educator and scholar of Mexican music connected the concert scene with a usually forgotten tradition of popular song and Mexican folklore. Many of his compositions are strongly influenced by the harmonies and form of traditional songs.
Jose Guadalupe Posada (1852-1913) was born in this city too. Posada's best known works are his Calaveras, which often assume various costumes, such as the Calavera de la Catrina, which satirize the life of the upper classes during the dictator Porfirio Diaz. His images have become associated with the Mexican Holiday Día de los Muertos, (the Day of the Dead).

La Feria de San Marcos (St. Mark’s Fair) has been celebrated for one hundred and eighty  years.  It is the largest fair in Mexico, attracting almost 7 million visitors every year.  It takes place from the middle of April to the beginning of May, always including St. Mark’s Day, April 25th.  The city also hosts many conventions every year. It benefits from its excellent central location. The city is also famed for its environment of relaxation, and for its safety and cleanliness, as it is often described by visitors.

According to the National Fine Arts Institute, Aguascalientes is one of the Mexican states that invest the most in culture.  It has eight museums of history, the arts, and science/ technology. The city has four theaters for symphonic orchestra, opera, ballet and theatrical performances. It has cultural centers for dance, music, plastic arts, literature and acting. In addition, Aguascalientes has 55 movie theaters and an Imax theater.
The city is home to the soccer team, Necaxa, which plays in the Primera Division de Mexico.  The team left Mexico City and relocated to Aguascalientes following the 2003 opening of Estadio Victoria (Victoria Stadium). One professional Baseball team Los Rieleros  (The Railers), and one professional Basketball Las Panteras (The Panthers).

Aguascalientes has earned first place ranking according to national and international institutions such as: The World Bank; Financial Times; Mundo Ejecutivo; CNN; IMCO; and KPMG Mexico.  According to The World Bank, “Aguascalientes has the most business-friendly environment in Mexico”.  If Aguascalientes were an independent country, it would rank 33.  Mexico ranks 67 out of 155 countries.  There have been no strikes in the industrial sector in the last 40 years.

Aguascalientes has 5 Design and Technical Development Centers, and 4 Scientific and Technological Research Centers.  Its industrial policy is based on clusters. They include: Textiles and Garments; Furniture; Automotive; Electronics; Information Technologies; Commerce and Services; Exports; Food and its Technologies; Robotics; and Transport and Logistics.

The Automotive and Spare Auto Parts Industry has been one of the more significant industries. The largest Nissan plant outside Japan is located in the city. Nissan has invested more than 2.5 billion USD, employing almost 7,000 employees. Together with Renault, they produced 346,000 vehicles in 2005.  Rolcar, a national leader in the spare parts sector employs 1,200 employees.

Another particularly significant industry has been that of Information Technologies. There are 25 companies in this cluster.  The 3 largest software developers in Mexico are in Aguascalientes. The Public University Autonomous of Aguascalientes is ranked in the three first places in the country for its Quality Education and Certification Administrative Process.  The city is home to the National Institute of Statistic, Geography and Informatics (INEGI) which makes all official statistics of the Country.
 

Fundado en 1758, Pittsburgh se hizo el gigante industrial del mundo, fabricando acero, hierro, aluminio y vidrio. Hoy en día, tiene industrias florecientes y prósperas en materiales avanzados, tecnología informática, ciencias biomédicas, energía, servicios comerciales y educación superior.
 

Todavía se puede ver evidencia de los muchos inmigrantes que empezaron a llegar en 1880 desde Europa. Los alemanes vivian en el lado norte de Pittsburgh. Los italianos vivían en el barrio de Bloomfield. Tenemos un barrio que todavía se llama Polish Hill (Colina Polaca).  Los judios vivían en el barrio de Squirrel Hill.

La población de la ciudad de Pittsburgh es 334,563. La del condado de Allegheny es 1.33 millones y la del suroeste de Pensilvania es 2.6 millones.

Pittsburgh tiene el puerto interior más concurrido del pais.

Hay 29 colegios privados y universidades en el suroeste de Pensilvania incluyendo la Universidad de Duquesne (católica), la Universidad de Pittsburgh, y la Universidad de Carnegie Mellon. Pittsburgh es una de las principales ciudades de jóvenes instruidos – solamente después de Washington D.C., Boston y San Francisco.
Los principales equipos deportivos son: los Pingüinos (hockey sobre hielo); los Piratas (béisbol); y los Acereros (fútbol americano).

La importancia Económica de Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
El crecimiento y la economía de la ciudad de Pittsburgh fue causada inicialmente por comercio excesivo del acero. Sin embargo hoy en día, las industrias primarias han cambiado más hacia la alta tecnología, como la robótica, médica, ingeniería nuclear, turismo, biomédica, financiera, y de servicios.  El sistema educativo es uno de los mas grandes empleadores desde los niveles básicos a los universitarios. La ciudad de Pittsburgh mantiene su status como ciudad residente de por lo menos 7 de las 500 mejores empresas del mundo. Además, la ciudad de Pittsburgh es una de las ciudades importantes del estado de pensilvania, el cual es considerado como la economía número 17 más grande en el mundo.