Monterrey (/ˌmɒntəˈreɪ/ ⓘ MON-tə-RAY, Spanish: [monteˈrej] ⓘ)[7] is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico.

[5] Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, Monterrey is a major business and industrial hub in North America, and the most populous city in northern Mexico.

The first expeditions and colonization attempts were led by conquistador Alberto del Canto, who named the city Santa Lucia, but they were unsuccessful because the Spanish were attacked by the natives and fled.

In 1580, he arrived in the newly granted lands but it was not until 1582 that he established a settlement called San Luis Rey de Francia (named for Saint Louis IX of France) within present-day Monterrey.

The New Kingdom of León extended westward from the port of Tampico to the limits of Nueva Vizcaya ("New Biscay", now State of Chihuahua), and around 1,000 kilometers northward.

Tampico's port brought many products from Europe, while Saltillo concentrated the Northern Territories' trade with the capital, Mexico City.

Many of the generals in the Mexican War against France were natives of the city, including Mariano Escobedo, Juan Zuazua (b. Lampazos de Naranjo, NL) and Jerónimo Treviño.

[20] The city has hosted international events such as the 2002 United Nations Conference on Financing for Development with the participation of more than 50 heads of state and government, as well as other ministers and senior delegates from over 150 countries.

[23] In late September, the governor of Nuevo León declared the crisis over, but asked residents to voluntarily use no more than 100 liters per day.

Cerro de la Loma Larga—South of the Santa Catarina river—separates Monterrey from the suburb of San Pedro Garza García.

At the summit of the Cerro del Obispado, north of the river, is the historic Bishopric Palace, site of one of the most important battles of the Mexican–American War.

The Universidad Regiomontana[55] was founded in 1969 with the support of local leading multinational corporations such as Cemex,[56] Alfa,[57] Femsa,[58] Gamesa,[59] Protexa[60] and CYDSA.

Its urban campus[64] further stimulates the city's vibrant economy and attracts working professionals who complement and enrich the academic experience.

The Universidad de Monterrey was founded by the religious congregations of the Sisters of Immaculate Mary of Guadalupe, the nuns of the Sacred Heart and the Marist and La Salle brothers, all of them supported by an association of Catholic citizens.

[65] Monterrey generally has a very highly ranked medical infrastructure with some internationally acclaimed hospitals,[66] including three with Joint Commission accreditation.

The Síndicos are in charge of watching and legally defending city interests, as well as of monitoring the treasury and the municipal patrimony.

Although drug dealers remain a major concern, military offensives and police captures of important drug-cartel leaders have weakened the cartels trying to establish themselves Despite these challenges.

[79] The Policía Regia is responsible for protecting the downtown and main areas of the city, while State Public Safety is focuses on the outskirts.

Monterrey is also connected by at least three important railroad freight lines: Nuevo Laredo-Mexico City, Monterrey-Tampico, and Monterrey-Pacific (Mazatlán).

The average amount of time people spend commuting with public transit in Monterrey, for example to and from work, on a weekday is 85 min.

Monterrey is linked through frequent non-stop flights to many Mexican cities and to United States hubs (Atlanta, Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Houston-Intercontinental, JFK/New York, and Las Vegas).

The economic growth has fueled income disparity for the 3.86 million residents who live in the Monterrey Metro area (MMA).

[90] Today, Monterrey is home to transnational conglomerates such as Cemex (the world's third largest cement company),[91] FEMSA (Coca-Cola Latin America, largest independent Coca-Cola bottler in the world), Alfa (petrochemicals, food, telecommunications and auto parts), Axtel (telecommunications), Vitro (glass), Selther (leading mattress and rest systems firm in Latin America), Gruma (food), and Banorte (financial services).

[citation needed] After the USMCA was ratified, an industrial Chinatown with signs in both Spanish and Chinese formed in Monterrey to take advantage of tariff free trade with the United States given its proximity to Texas.

Bands include Plastilina Mosh, Control Machete, Kinky, El Gran Silencio, Celso Pina, Jumbo, Division Minuscula, Genitallica, 3Ball MTY, The Warning, GAMA, Los Claxons.

Milenio Diario de Monterrey, published by Grupo Multimedios, is another newspaper of high distribution, daily printing local editions in the most important Mexican cities.

[104] The FINA World Junior Swimming Championships were held in Monterrey in the summer of 2008 at the University of Nuevo Leon (UANL),[105] after the completion of a world-class and FINA-approved Aquatic Center.

It was scheduled to be finished by 2014, named "Estadio de Fútbol Monterrey", but was inaugurated on August 2, 2015, in a match with Benfica FC.

[citation needed] In 2003, the city unsuccessfully attempted to buy (and relocate to Monterrey) the Montreal Expos franchise of Major League Baseball.

People can also find golf, fishing, camping, and extreme-sports outdoors near the city (bungee jumping at Cola de Caballo, rock-climbing, hiking, mountain bike).