A few years after the Real de Minas de Parral was founded, news was received of the appointment awarded by the King of Spain, Felipe IV, declaring Parral "The capital of the silver world."
A few years after the Real de Minas de Parral was founded, back in the year 1640, to the surprise and delight of its inhabitants -who would surely barely reach a hundred-, news was received of the appointment awarded by the King of Spain , Felipe IV, who declared Parral "The capital of the world of silver." Taking into account that 359 years have passed since that memorable event, it is explained that the Parralenses of heart today proclaim their city as the “capital of the world”.
Like many mining estates in northern Mexico, Parral extended its ties with the world thanks to the richness of its mineral core. The infinite line of the Chihuahuan desert and the adverse conditions of the landscape have always forged parralenses of great conviction and fortitude to overcome difficulties, far from the entire known world.
Parral arrived in the nineteenth century to experience, well into years, the time of its greatest splendor. The presence of immigrants, mainly Europeans, who arrived in the second half of the century, influenced the habits of a community that thanks to its own efforts could enjoy what is known as the privileges of modernity.
In the last years of the 19th century, the mining boom caused by the renewal of the silver extraction processes in the old “La Prieta” mine and in others that were going through their prime, the face of the city changed. It was then that several palaces were built, among which the Pedro Alvarado, the Griensen House, the Palace and the Estalforth House stand out, as well as other high-quality residences built by prominent families.
For the city of Parral, the 20th century meant the arrival of novelties such as trams, silent movies, Galeana radio; the social gatherings at the Hidalgo Theater and the first tennis tournaments organized in northern Mexico. As if all this were not enough, it must be added that the legendary Don Pedro Alvarado discovered, before the end of the 19th century, one of the richest silver mines in the world, which he baptized as "La Palmilla", an event that allowed him to create an emporium and try to pay the national debt.
We could not put aside the singular fact, which occurred in 1914, in which Don Pedro's niece, Elisa Griensen, led a group of adolescents in an act of repudiation against the North American troops that invaded Parral on that date. , as part of the campaign known as "the punitive expedition", which had the purpose of finding General Francisco Villa dead or alive.
It was in 1923 when the newspapers of the whole world published the news of the murder of General Villa in this city.
No less curious is the fact that in 1943 Archbishop Luis María Martínez, with pontifical investiture, baptized Parral as the “Branch of Heaven” in recognition of the faith and will of its inhabitants.
Today, by visiting Parral and walking through its streets in the company of the city's chronicler, Mr. Alfonso Carrasco Vargas, it is possible to reconstruct the events in the same settings that have become part of the history of Chihuahua, Mexico and the world.
Source: Aeroméxico Tips No. 12 Chihuahua / summer 1999
