Fresnillo (Spanish pronunciation: [fres'nijo]) is a city in north central Mexico, founded in 1554 by Francisco de Ibarra.

Between 1551 and 1552, Diego Fernández de Proaño embarked on several explorations in the Zacatecas region, searching for a legendary hill purported to contain great mineral wealth.

He returned to the city of Zacatecas to report his findings to the Viceroy, but apparently there was not much interest in his discovery and Proaño's Hill was forgotten over the years.

[1] A second expedition, headed by 15-year-old Francisco de Ibarra, arrived on September 2, 1554 at a place where there was a freshwater spring, in whose border was a "Pequeño Fresno" (small ash).

Due to the heavy losses suffered by the settlers in those early years, the Viceroy, Martín Enríquez de Almanza, ordered the construction of a presidio in the town.

[3] In the summer of 2021, it was reported that 96% of the residents of Fresnillo felt unsafe, primarily due to the violence from drug cartels.

[4] In the superior part of the shield is the Latin phrase: "Orat Atque Laborat Ab Urbe Condita", which means: "Since its Founding a City that Works and Prays".

The coat of arms is divided into three boxes: first in the left superior part, there appears the Virgin of Candlemas, Pattern of Fresnillo, which is identified by the candle in her right hand.

In the inferior part (the third box) there appears a spring, in whose margin there is an Ash tree, and a depiction of the bottom of the Proaño Hill with some clouds, symbolizing the rainy month of September.