| Leon, Guanajuato
The city of León, formally León de los Aldama is the fifth most populous city in Mexico and the first in the state of Guanajuato. It is also the seat of the municipality of León. It has a strong leather industry, offering shoes, boots, belts, jackets, and other leather accessories both to national and international markets.
León was inhabited in pre-Hispanic times by diverse native groups, such as the Toltecs, Chichimecas, Guamares, among others. The archaeological sites of Alfaro and Ibarrilla, close to the city of León, reveal that the oldest settlements of this zone date from Preclassical times.
The city of León was founded January 20, 1576 with the name Villa de Leon, by the order of the Virrey Don Martín Enríquez de Almaza, for the purpose of creating a defense against the attacks of the Chichimecas. In 1580 it was elevated to the category of Alcaldía Mayor, separating it from Guanajuato and had jurisdiction in the present municipality of León.
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In June of 1830 it was elevated to the rank of city with the official name: León de los Aldama. During the Mexican War of Independence, it suffered in the political, social, and economic areas. Because many people abandoned the mines of Guanajuato because of the war, many workers were re-established themselves in León. Agriculture was the main economic activity to the 18th century, until the craft and the production of footwear began to compete with it.
The post-revolution years were, for León, ones of prosperity and material progress, as well as of population growth. The economic development resulted in extraordinary agricultural and industrial growth and the wealth of 1923.
The cities main professional soccer team is Club León, which is one of the foremost teams in Mexico, five-time league champion, now playing in the Primera División A. The team's stadium is called Estadio León, also known as Nou Camp, where FIFA World Cup games have taken place (1970 and 1986). World-class stars, such as Diego Maradona, Pelé, Franz Beckenbauer and Michel Platini have played in both official and exhibition games.
One of the most notable resident is Vicente Fox, President of Mexico from 2000 to 2006 and Governor of Guanajuato, owned a ranch in San Francisco del Rincón
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