Tampico - Trivia

22°18N 97°52W, pop (2000e) 327 000. Seaport in Tamaulipas state, NE Mexico, on the Gulf of Mexico; airport; railway; oil refining, oil products, boatbuilding, timber, fishing, fish processing.

Tampico, located at 22.22° N 97.85° W, is the main city in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico, and the Mexican Gulf's main economic powerhouse. Although oil is the largest export of the port of Tampico, it also is a major exporter of silver, copper, lumber, wool, hemp, and other agricultural products.

The present city was founded with the granting of its formal charter in 1824, although an earlier settlement, known as Tampico Alto, was founded by Spain in 1554. According to the INEGI 2005 census, the population of Tampico was 303,924 while its metropolitan area population was about 659,597 people, this includes the cities of Ciudad Madero and Altamira.

The name "Tampico" is believed to be of Huastec origin: tam-piko, meaning "place of otters", (literally "water dogs").

In 1921, Mexican commercial aviation started here, as its first flight, by Mexicana de Aviación, took off from Tampico's General Francisco Javier Mina International Airport (IATA airport code: TAM) to Mexico City International Airport in Mexico City.

In 1926, the first Coca-Cola bottling plant in Mexico was built there.

Tampico's Country Club, the Campestre, and its golf course, is one of the oldest in Mexico.

Jimmy Buffett wrote the song "Tampico Trauma" about his experiences there.

Tampico's downtown architecture is an eclectic mix and reflects the growth of the city during the Porfiriato (the period of rule by President Porfirio Díaz). It includes many New Orleans inspired balconies (mostly built of English cast iron) in Plaza de Libertad, a fine Neo-classical Town Hall (or Palacio Municipal) in Plaza de Armas, and a superb English redbrick Customs House in the docks.

The prevalence of New Orleans-style architecture is attributed to the early years of the city, when many building supplies, including pre-built housing components, were shipped to the area during its initial construction.

The Cathedral of Tampico, also known as The Temple of the Immaculate Conception, located in Plaza de Armas, dates to the late 19th century - although its current appearance is due to many restorations.

Allegedly, the oil tycoon Edward Doheny donated much money towards the Cathedral's construction and maintenance after he based his Mexican oil operations near Tampico after 1902.

Trivia

Rafael Sebastián Guillén Vicente, whose nom de guerre is alleged to be Subcomandante Marcos, was educated in Tampico. Tampico has a type of sandwich (Mexican Spanish: torta) unique to the area. Originally made and sold only at the fence around the Tampico docks, for the benefit of the stevedores, it may now be had at street stands across the city.