Gómez Palacio
Gómez Palacio is the second-largest city in Durango, Mexico with a population over 300,000 people. The city is located in the northeastern part of the state. It is an urbanized industrial area and a suburb of Torreón, Coahuila. The metropolitan area is referred to as Comarca Lagunera, it consists of the cities Gomez Palacio, Torreon, and Lerdo and has a combined population over 1.2 million and is the 8th largest metropolitan area in Mexico.
Understand
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The city's history revolves mostly around industry and revolution.
Soap was the city's first big industry, with Comarca Lagunera building its first factory in the city in 1892. With it came mills for producing oil from cotton seed. Then came textile mills. Later it would be explosives factories. Today, it's almost any product imaginable as several foreign corporations have established maquiladoras in Gomez Palacio and nearby Lerdo.
Gomez Palacio has 9 bridges that cross the Nazas River connecting it with Torreón. The oldest is the Silver Bridge at the end of Av. Miguel Aleman. The bridge was built in 1932 but has a cannon aimed across it that's even older --- the cannon marks the position of General Felipe Angeles in 1913, during the revolution, when the Division of the North attacked the city of Torreón.
While Gral. Angeles was down by the river, General Francisco "Pancho" Villa was up on a hill a mile or so away from the river, aiming his cannons to bombard Torreon...
Get in
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The best ways to get to Gómez Palacio are either by plane or bus.
By plane
[edit]- 1 Francisco Sarabia International Airport (Torreon Airport TRC IATA), Torreón San Pedro road km. 9, Center. It is the airport that serves the city and most of the Lagunera region. It connects the city with several cities in the country, such as Mexico City, Chihuahua, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana and Dallas (Texas).
By bus
[edit]- 2 Central de Autobuses, Calzada Lázaro Cárdenas S/N, Zacramento, ☏ +52 871 719 0015. Large bus station serving dozens of different bus lines with frequent departures and arrivals from everywhere. Major companies here include Grupo Senda and Estrella Blanca. The facility itself is often crowded, loud, and dirty. Good place to catch a bus, not so pleasant if you have to wait a long time between connections.
Get around
[edit]Gomez Palacios is a pretty big town, so Uber or taxis are your best bet. There are several taxi sitios around town, with 3 within a few blocks of the zocalo:
- Calle Santiago Lavin 130
- Av. Francisco Madero near the Pollo Feliz
- Av. Francisco Madero 503
See
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- 1 Eiffel Tower, Blvd. González de la Vega 18, Parque Industrial. 24 hours. A 58 meter high replica of the Eiffel Tower was built by the Collier de la Marliere family in 2007 as a gift to the people of Gomez Palacio. The tower has become a favorite city landmark, especially for taking selfies. Free.
- 2 Statue of Pancho Villa, Aldama 94, Cerro de La Pila, Zona Centro. 24 hours. Francisco "Pancho" Villa was one of the most colorful characters in Mexico's history. General of the Mexican Revolution and a former Governor of Chihuahua. His statue stands tall atop Cerro de la Pila, a hilltop from which he commanded an artillery attack on neighboring Torreon in 1913. From this vantage point, you get excellent views of Torreon and Gomez Palacio. Free.
- 3 Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Catedral de Santa María de Guadalupe), Av Hidalgo 479, Zona Centro, ☏ +52 871 714 2050. Beautiful gothic style church with a bright interior, ornate gold altarpiece with a painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Extremely popular and busy church with several daily masses and masses almost every hour on Sundays.
- 4 Plaza de Armas, Independencia 161, Zona Centro. Principal plaza in Gomez Palacios. Beautiful urban park with shade trees, benches, walking paths, fountains. Sunday it takes on a carnival atmosphere with strolling families, food vendors selling everything from ice cream to roast corn, and several wandering entertainers.
- 5 Acertijo Museo Interactivo Laguna, Dalias 226 (Blvd. Forjadores y Jesus Garcia, Col. Brittingham), ☏ +52 871 456 59 30. 09:00 - 17:00 M-F, 11:00 - 17:00 SaSu. Interactive science museum with over 70 exhibits and 5 workshops. Seasonal special exhibits. M$50.
Do
[edit]Buy
[edit]Eat
[edit]- 1 Muelle 817, Av Mina 817 norte, Zona Centro, ☏ +52 871 714 9018. 12:00 - 20:00. Good place for seafood.
- 2 El Compita, Blvd. José Rebollo Acosta 484, San Isidro, ☏ +52 871 285 2430. 10:00 - 20:00. Nice place with large selection of seafood entrees: Coctel de Camaron, Tostada de Ceviche de Camarón, Camarones a la Diabla, Filete Frito.
- 3 Picantes, Blvd González de la Vega 171, Valle del Nazas, ☏ +52 8717500542. 07:30 - 00:00. Good place for tacos and casual fun. Tasty homemade salsas. Family friendly with play area for kids.
- 4 Monster Burgers, Blvd.Gonzalez De La Vega #121, Esq.Jose A.Garcia Quintanilla, Valle del Nazas, ☏ +52 871172 4476. 07:30 - 23:30. Definitely some big burgers with names like the Baconator and the Artery Clogger. Casual and fun. M$150.
- 5 Los Farolitos, Yucatán 301, Las Rosas, ☏ +52 8717156105. 09:00 - 23:00. Hearty traditional Mexican cuisine with everything from flautas to arrachera. Frijoles charros are good as are vapiros.
- 6 Los Aguachiles, Suchil 137, Nuevo Refugio, ☏ +52 871 737 3662. 10:00 - 19:00. Clean, family friendly restaurant specializing in seafood dishes, but also offers a range of pasta and grilled meats. M$100-200.
Drink
[edit]- 1 Bar La Bola, Allende 475, Zona Centro. 15:00 - 02:00. Fun place with strong drinks and great food. Live music and billiards tables.
Sleep
[edit]- 1 Hotel Plaza Catedral, Av Hidalgo 520 Norte, Primero de Cobián Centro, ☏ +52 8717156162. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. First class hotel with comfortable rooms and many extras. Secure parking. Breakfast buffet is excellent...fresh squeezed orange juice and the chilaquiles con guisado verde is delish. Low rate for a hotel of this quality. M$1000.
- 2 Hotel La Siesta, Av. Francisco Madero 320, Zona Centro, ☏ +52 55 9085 6309. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Cheap, minimally equipped rooms with somewhat dated decor. M$450.
- 3 Hotel Valle Express, Periférico Gómez-Lerdo, Km. 4.5, Filadelfia, ☏ +52 8717230666. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Moderate motor-inn style lodging on the side of the freeway. Clean rooms and ample free parking. M$630.
- 4 Hotel Nuve, Blvd. Miguel Alemán 251, Las Rosas, ☏ +52 871 169 0253. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Renovated in 2022 with spacious rooms, off-street parking, fitness center, and swimming pool. M$1000.