Municipalities of Nuevo León


is a state in Northeast Mexico that is divided into 51 municipalities.
Municipalities in Nuevo León are administratively autonomous of the state according to the 115th article of the 1917 Constitution of Mexico. Every three years, citizens elect a municipal president by a plurality voting system who heads a concurrently elected municipal council responsible for providing all the public services for their constituents. The municipal council consists of a variable number of trustees and councillors. Municipalities are responsible for public services, street lighting, public safety, traffic, supervision of slaughterhouses and the maintenance of public parks, gardens and cemeteries. They may also assist the state and federal governments in education, emergency fire and medical services, environmental protection and maintenance of monuments and historical landmarks. Since 1984, they have had the power to collect property taxes and user fees, although more funds are obtained from the state and federal governments than from their own income.
The most populous one is Monterrey, which also serves as the capital of the state. Outside the Monterrey Metropolitan Area the municipalities tend to be scarcely populated. Aside from Cadereyta Jiménez, Juárez, Linares and Montemorelos, no other municipality surpasses 50,000 inhabitants. The largest municipality by area is Galeana. One of the smallest ones, Hualahuises, is an enclave of Linares.

Municipalities

INEGI-codeMunicipalityAdministrative seat
001AbasoloAbasolo
002AgualeguasAgualeguas
003AllendeAllende
004AnáhuacAnáhuac
005ApodacaApodaca
006AramberriAramberri
007BustamanteBustamante
008Cadereyta JiménezCadereyta Jiménez
009El CarmenEl Carmen
010CerralvoCerralvo
011ChinaChina
012Ciénega de FloresCiénega de Flores
014Doctor ArroyoDoctor Arroyo
013Doctor CossDoctor Coss
015Doctor GonzálezDoctor González
016GaleanaGaleana
017GarcíaGarcía
018General BravoGeneral Bravo
019General EscobedoGeneral Escobedo
020General TeránGeneral Terán
021General TreviñoGeneral Treviño
022General ZaragozaGeneral Zaragoza
023General ZuazuaGeneral Zuazua
024GuadalupeGuadalupe
025HidalgoHidalgo
026HiguerasHigueras
027HualahuisesHualahuises
028IturbideIturbide
029JuárezJuárez
030Lampazos de NaranjoLampazos de Naranjo
031LinaresLinares
032Los AldamaLos Aldamas
033Los HerreraLos Herreras
034Los RamonesLos Ramones
035MarínMarín
036Melchor OcampoMelchor Ocampo
037Mier y NoriegaMier y Noriega
038MinaMina
039MontemorelosMontemorelos
040MonterreyMonterrey
041ParásParás
042PesqueríaPesquería
043RayonesRayones
044Sabinas HidalgoSabinas Hidalgo
045Salinas VictoriaSalinas Victoria
046San Nicolás de los GarzaSan Nicolás de los Garza
047San Pedro Garza GarcíaSan Pedro Garza García
048Santa CatarinaSanta Catarina
049SantiagoSantiago
050VallecilloVallecillo
051VillaldamaVillaldama

List of municipalities with additional information

INEGI code
Municipality
Municipal seat
Formed
Origin and older names
Etymology
Population
Area
Density
Map
001AbasoloAbasolo1826Founded as the Hacienda of Eguía de Viudas in 1648, renamed as Abasolo in 1826Mariano Abasolo a Mexican revolutionist during the War of Independence5.22
002AgualeguasAgualeguas1793Founded by Friar Diego Vázquez as a Spanish mission named Santa Teresa de Alamillo, in 1675 changed its name to San Nicolás Gualeguas Mission, then it was renamed Agualeguas in 1793Its current name comes from the now extinct Gualeguas, a Native American nomadic tribe, which scarcely inhabited this area before the Spanish settlement5.55
003AllendeAllende1850Previously known as Rancho del Reparo formed in 1825Ignacio Allende a captain of the Spanish Army who came to sympathize with the Mexican independence movement177
004AnáhuacAnáhuac1933Merged on May 5, 1933, it is the youngest municipality of the state, prior to 1933, most of its area was part of the Lampazos and Vallecillo municipalities in Nuevo León, the rest was bought by the governor of Nuevo León, Bernardo Reyes from the Juárez municipality in the state of Coahuila in order to expand Nuevo León's border with Texas and to compete with the bordering Mexican states of Coahuila and Tamaulipas in the import-export marketIt is named after the region which comprises the "Valle de México" or "Meseta de Anáhuac"4.20
005ApodacaApodaca1871Founded by the Portuguese settler Gaspar Castaño de Sosa as the Hacienda of San Francisco in 1585Salvador de Apodaca, a former bishop of the city of Linares, Nuevo León1675
006AramberriAramberri1877Founded as the Santa María de los Angeles de Río Blanco Mission by the Spanish friar Lorenzo Cantú in 1648, later known as Villa de Río Blanco from 1660 to 1877José Silvestre Aramberri, a general from this municipality who fought in the War of Reform5.38
007BustamanteBustamante1832Prior to 1832, was known as San Miguel de Aguayo, founded in 1686Anastasio Bustamante, a president of Mexico, who was during its presidency when Bustamante was renamed5.92
008Cadereyta JiménezCadereyta Jiménez1825Founded as Villa de Cadereyta in 1637, later known as Villa de San Juan Bautista de Cadereyta In honor of the marquis of Cadereyta, Spain Lope Díez de Armendáriz, marqués de Cadereyta, also viceroy of the New Spain. Mariano Jiménez, precursor of the independence in Nuevo León62.16
009El CarmenEl Carmen1852Founded in 1614 by Bernabé de las Casas as Hacienda de Chipinque, which was part of the administrative area of Valle de las Salinas, created as a municipality in 1852El Carmen, in honor of Nuestra señora del Carmén, 37.33
010CerralvoCerralvo1626The Villa of San Gregorio de Cerralvo, the oldest municipality of the state as it was the first Spanish settlement in Nuevo León which took place in 1582 in what is now Cerralvo. It was the first capital of the stateIn honor of the marquis of Cerralvo, Spain and fifteenth Viceroy of New Spain Rodrigo Pacheco y Osorio, marqués de Cerralvo,,8.6
011ChinaChina1812It was formed in 1719 as a ranch named San Felipe de Jesús of China, renamed simply as China in 1812, prior to 1868 included the Rancho El Toro and Rancho del Zacate which are now General Bravo and Doctor Coss municipalitiesSaint Philip of Jesus, , a Mexican Catholic missionary in China and Japan, who became one of the Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan2.92
012Ciénega de FloresCiénega de Flores1863Formed as the Hacienda of Ciénega de Flores, prior to 1634, the area was part of the Valle del CarrizalCienega, a Spanish word for "boggy", and Flores, the surname of an early rancher of the area42.94
013Doctor ArroyoDoctor Arroyo1828Previously known as Valle de la Purísima ConcepciónDr. José Francisco Arroyo, a doctor, theologist, and the first delegate of the Nuevo León's state congress7.24
014Doctor CossDoctor Coss1882Formed in 1740 as the Rancho del Zacate. prior to 1882, the area was part of what is now China, Nuevo LeónDr. José María Coss, a distinguished member of the insurgent Congress2.92
015Doctor GonzálezDoctor González1883Prior to 1883, the area was known as Hacienda de Ramos which was part of the Valle de las SalinasDr. José Eleuterio González, a doctor, philanthropist, writer and governor of Nuevo León in 18704.53
016GaleanaGaleana1678Founded as San Pablo de Labradores Mission, and later known as The Valle of San Pablo de GaleanaHermenegildo Galeana, a soldier of the insurgent army during the Mexican War of independence5.52
017GarcíaGarcía1851Founded as Pesquería Grande in 1583Joaquín García, governor of Nuevo León and 33
018General BravoGeneral Bravo1863Formed as Rancho del Toro in 1790, Prior to 1863, the area was part of what is now China, Nuevo León municipalityNicolás Bravo Rueda, a Mexican president and general2.79
019General EscobedoGeneral Escobedo1868Prior to 1868, was known in 1624 as Hacienda of Topo de los AyalaMariano Escobedo, a New Leonese army general, and governor of Nuevo León 513.86
020General TeránGeneral Terán1851The area was part of Valle de la Mota which was founded in 1746Manuel Mier y Terán, a general of the Mexican war of independence6.27
021General TreviñoGeneral Treviño1868Formed as Rancho del Puntiagudo in 1688Jerónimo Treviño, a general who participated in the War of reform and against the French intervention in Mexico4.33
022General ZaragozaGeneral Zaragoza1866Founded in 1626 as San José de Río Blanco Mission by Friar Lorenzo Cantú, then in 1660 became part of what is now Aramberri, Nuevo León until 1866Ignacio Zaragoza, a Texan general of the Mexican army during the Battle of Puebla5.03
023General ZuazuaGeneral Zuazua1863Founded as the Hacienda of Santa Helena in 1660Juan Zuazua, a New Leonese general of the War of Reform and the Mexican–American War48.5
024GuadalupeGuadalupe1825Founded in 1714 as a Spanish mission named Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe MissionIts name comes from the name of the early Spanish mission in the area,, in honour of the Virgin of Guadalupe4,429
025HidalgoHidalgo1828Founded by the Spanish Canarian settler Bernabé de las casas as Hacienda de En medio, renamed as El pueblito, and later San Nicolás HidalgoMiguel Hidalgo y Costilla, the priest who raised the call for Mexico's independence from Spain53
026HiguerasHigueras1863Founded in 1714 as Santa Teresa de las Higueras by the Spanish settler Diego GonzálezHigueras, the Spanish word for the Common fig tree, which is abundant throughout the area2.28
027HualahuisesHualahuises1715Founded in 1646 as the Mission of San Cristóbal de los Hualahuises by the Spanish settler Martín de Zavala, but it was almost unpopulated until 1715, in 1908 the area around the municipality was annexed into the Linares municipality, thus making it an enclave of that municipalityHualahuises, a Native American tribe which inhabited the area before the Spanish settlement in 164626.4
028IturbideIturbide1850Prior to 1850 was known as Hacienda de los San PedrosAgustin de Iturbide, One of the national liberators of the Mexico's independence from Spain, and the first emperor of Mexico from 1822 to 18234.84
029JuárezJuárez1868Founded in 1604 as Hacienda de San JoséDon Benito Juárez García, a former president of Mexico100.84
030Lampazos de NaranjoLampazos de Naranjo1877Founded as the Mission of Nuestra señora de la Punta de Lampazos by Friar Diego de Salazar in 1698, created as municipality in 1877Lampazos was named in honor of the plant that grows in this area Xanthosoma Robustum, the Naranjo part was named in honor to the New Leonese general Francisco Naranjo who was from this municipality1.32
031LinaresLinares1712Previously known as San Felipe de Linares, founded in 1712Its name honours Fernando de Alencastre, a viceroy and duke of Linares, Spain25.8
032Los AldamasLos Aldamas1820Founded as a Mission, later named Villa de Hoyos, renamed Santa María de los Aldamas and finally created as municipality and renamed as Los Aldamas in 1820In honour of the brothers, Juan and Ignacio Aldamas, initiators of the independence of Mexico along with Miguel Hidalgo5
033Los HerrerasLos Herreras1874Formed as Rancho de la Manteca around 1760, created as a municipality in 1870In honor of the New Leonese brothers, José Martín Herrera and the colonel Rafael Herrera, who participated in the Battle of San Bernabé7.68
034Los RamonesLos Ramones1912Prior to 1847 the area was part of the Cerralvo municipality and the area was known as Rancho del Capadero, later annexed to the Cadereyta municipality and was known as Valle de San José de los Ramones, and was created as a separate municipality until 1912In honor of the brothers Juan Ignacio Ramón and Buenaventura Ramón, notable precursors of the Mexican independence movement5
035MarínMarín1804Formed in 1684 as a ranch named Rancho de San Antonio de los Martinez, renamed as Villa de San Carlos de Marín in 1804 and subsequently known as MarinPrimo Feliciano Marín de Porras, a bishop of the New kingdom of León and honor chaplain of the Spain's king26
036Melchor OcampoMelchor Ocampo1924Formed as a ranch named Charco Redondo in 1702Melchor Ocampo, Foreign Secretary during the War of Reform7
037Mier y NoriegaMier y Noriega1849Founded around 1715 by Spanish settlers as Hacienda de San Antonio de MedinaFriar Servando Teresa de Mier,, a Roman Catholic priest from Monterrey and a famous preacher and politician in New Spain, also one of the most prominent figures of Nuevo León during the independence movement of New Spain6
038MinaMina1851Founded in 1608 by the Spanish Canarian settler Bernabé de las Casas as the Hacienda de San Francisco de Cañas, also known as "Valle de San Francisco de las Cañas" and San Francisco de las Cañas which was an administrative area of the Valle de las Salinas, it was declared as a municipality in 1851Francisco Javier Mina,, a Spanish lawyer and army officer who sympathized with the Mexican independence from Spain, convinced by Friar Servando Teresa de Mier that it was possible to fight the absolute monarchy of Ferdinand VII in his own colonies.1.28
039MontemorelosMontemorelos1825Prior to 1825, the area was part of the Valle de San Mateo del Pilón established in 1701, which was founded in 1653 by the Spanish Captain Alonso de LeónComposed of the words Monte, and Morelos, a precursor of the independence of Mexico from Spain30.9
040MonterreyMonterrey1596Founded in its first attempt in 1577 by Alberto del Canto as Santa Lucía, re-founded by Luis Carvajal y de la Cueva in 1582 as San Luis rey de Francia but it still was unpopulated, and was finally declared founded with success on September 20, 1596 by Diego de Montemayor as Nuestra Señora de MonterreyThe city is named Monterrey in honor of the Count and Countess of Monterrey, Spain, also viceroy of New Spain Gaspar de Zúñiga y Acevedo and his wife2461
041ParásParás1851Previously formed as a ranch called Rancho del Huizachal de los Canales, created as a municipality in 1851José María Parás y Ballesteros, First governor of Nuevo León as a Mexican state1
042PesqueríaPesquería1844Founded in 1699 as Hacienda del Espíritu Santo, later known as Hacienda of Pesquería ChicaPesquería in Spanish means 'fishery', it was named so because of the Pesquería River, which cross the area27
043RayonesRayones1851Merged in 1851 as Rayones, prior to 1851, the municipal seat was a ranch named San Miguel del Tasajal, which was part of the Valle del Pilón now MontemorelosIn honor of the brothers, Ramón, Ignacio and Francisco Rayón, who fought in the Mexican war of Independence2.88
044Sabinas HidalgoSabinas Hidalgo1826Founded in 1693 as Valle de Santiago de las Sabinas, created as a municipality in 1826Sabinas, the Spanish word for "Junipers", coniferous plants abundant in the area19.4
045Salinas VictoriaSalinas Victoria1826Founded by the Portuguese settler Luis Carvajal y de la Cueva as "Villa de Cueva" in 1586, subsequently known as Valle de Salinas, which was the administrative area's seat of the Valle de las Salinas, one of the five original administrative areas of the New kingdom of León"Salinas" was chosen because the lands present saline characteristics. "Victoria" after the first presidentof Mexico Guadalupe Victoria.19.4
046San Nicolás de los GarzaSan Nicolás de los Garza1830Founded in 1596 when the lands were transfer by Diego de Montemayor, to Diego Díaz de Berlanga and his wife Mariana. It was known as San Nicolás de los Garza, created as a municipality in 1830In honor of Saint Nicholas, and the last part in honor of the Garza surname of Pedro de la Garza, an early Spanish settler and rancher of the area5,724
047San Pedro Garza GarcíaSan Pedro Garza García1882The lands were passed in November 20, 1596 to Diego de Montemayor's son, Diego de Montemayor el mozo, the area was called San Pedro de los Nogales in 1725, later known as the Valle de San Pedro, and created as a municipality in 1882"San Pedro", in honor of Saint Peter, and "Garza Garcia", in honor of the governor of Nuevo León, Genaro Garza García1,815
048Santa CatarinaSanta Catarina1864Founded in November 20, 1596 by the Spanish captain Lucas García as the Hacienda de Santa Catarina, later known as Valle de Santa Catarina, created as a municipality in 1864In honor of Saint Catherine, as it was founded on the eve of Saint Catherine's day 230
049SantiagoSantiago1831Founded in 1648 as Valle de Santiago del Huajuco by Diego Rodríguez de Montemayor "Santiago", a Spanish name version of the apostle James, son of Alphaeus48.2
050VallecilloVallecillo1825Founded in 1768 as Real de San Carlos de VallecilloIn honor of El Vallecillo, a Spanish municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain1.16
051VillaldamaVillaldama1826Founded in 1690 as Boca de Leones or Real Boca de Leones, created as a municipality in 1826 with the name of VillaldamaJuan Aldama, one of the precursors of the independence of Mexico4.87