Its first-class services and hotel industry make it an important commercial center in Mexico with numerous options for entertainment, gastronomy, leisure activities, arts, and recreation.

[7] It is also considered one of the most environmentally friendly cities in Mexico and has a high number of cyclists, in part because of integrating a network of bike lanes into the SIT system.

[8] In March 2012, it received an award as "City Water Champion", mainly due to great progress in the areas of sanitation, wastewater reuse, and energy cogeneration from biogas.

[9] In the León area there are ten distinct archeological zones, dating from the pre-classic Mesoamerican period.

[10][11] In 1530, Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán arrived with allied Tarasco Indians to the area, naming it Nuestra Señora.

[11] Farming and cattle-raising were introduced here around 1546 by the Spaniards, but these settlers were under constant threat by the Chichimecas, who recognized the Spanish as invaders.

[10][11] As a response, viceroy Martín Enríquez de Almanza ordered the founding of a city here, with the name of León in 1575.

To carry out the order, Juan Bautista de Orozco founded the village of León on 20 January 1576, creating its first town council and laying out its initial streets.

In 1580, it attained the rank of "alcadía mayor" meaning it has governing authority of much of the land and smaller towns surrounding it from the Sierra de Comanja to the Lerma River.

Manuel Doblado (San Pedro Piedra Gorda), Huanímaro, Abasolo, Cuerámaro and Pénjamo.

However, two months later royalist forces under Felix Calleja retook the locality, with insurrectionist sympathizers facing reprisals.

The town remained in royalist hands until the end of the Mexican War of Independence, when Agustín de Iturbide arrived.

This bishop consecrated the Basilica Cathedral in 1866, even though it was not completed, giving the image of the Virgin of the Light a permanent home.

On 30 September 1867, Coronel Cecilio Delgado Estrada ordered his men to shoot over the heads of people who prayed in the streets, causing some to be wounded.

The Liberals decommissioned the convent and college of Saints Peter and Paul, converting it into offices for city government.

Leon averages 681 mm (26.8 in) of precipitation annually, which mainly occurs during the summer and early autumn (from late May through October) generally with thunderstorms in the evening.

The presence of the automotive industry includes a General Motors plant in the nearby municipality of Silao.

Clearing customs in a border city or seaport is no longer a requirement for companies located in GTO Inland Port.

León has several regional shopping malls: The main church is called the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Light and is the seat of the Archdiocese of Leon.

[22][23] Its full name is the Santuario Expiatorio del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús (Expiatory Sanctuary of the Sacred Heart of Jesus).

After the French Intervention, it was remodeled to conserve its original architecture by Coronel Octaviano Rosado to become the seat of government on 21 March 1869.

These murals were painted in 1972 and 1973 by Jesus Gallardo covering the walls of the main stairwell and the hallway of the upper floor around the patio.

[26] Not long before his death in 1959, he complained that the brick lion should be replaced with a better work of art, causing something of a commotion in the Leon community.

This caught the attention of sculptor Humberto Peraza Ojeda who made the one that sits atop the arch today.

Since 28 September 2003, the Integrated Transport Optibús has operated despite an existing need for a subway system "Metro", which originally was planned construction with two lines.

[8] The average amount of time people spend commuting with public transit in León, for example to and from work, on a weekday is 78 min.

Nowadays, there are several football teams in the city playing in the Tercera División: Atlético ECCA, Juventud Cuerera and Conmudaj, among some others.

Since 2004, León has a basketball team, Lechugueros, which plays in the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP).

These teams participated in the CIMEBA (Circuito Mexicano de Básquetbol), which was the main basketball league of Mexico in the 1970s and 1980s.

Bravos, after becoming champions of the league in 1990, and due to financial problems, were sold and moved to Minatitlán, Veracruz.