Durango, full name Victoria de Durango, city, central Mexico, capital of Durango State, in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains. The city, on a major highway, also has rail and air facilities. The region surrounding Durango is rich in minerals, particularly silver, iron, copper, gold, and coal. The Cerro del Mercado, a hill near the city, contains much unusually pure iron ore. In addition to being a mining center, Durango is an important manufacturing city and a commercial center for the surrounding agricultural and timber areas. Industrial establishments include iron foundries, cotton and wool mills, sugar refineries, glass works, flour mills, and tobacco-processing factories. Because it has a pleasant climate and a nearby thermal iron-water spring, Durango is an important resort city. It is the seat of Juárez University of Durango State (1856). Founded in 1563, Durango became the political and ecclesiastical capital of the Spanish colonial province of Nueva Viscaya, which comprised the present-day Mexican states of Chihuahua and Durango. Population (1995) 464,566.
