Toluca

From Freepedia

Toluca (formally: Toluca de Lerdo) is the state capital of México State in central Mexico, located at 19°29′ N 99°67′ W. It is only a 45 minute drive west of Mexico City and 30 minutes from its fast-growing suburb, Santa Fe.

1 Toponymy
- 1.1 Meaning of the name
- 1.2 Coat of Arms
2 Geographical Information
3 Sport and culture
4 External links

Toponymy

Meaning of the name

The name Toluca is a hispanization of the Náhuatl "Tollocan", which means "Place of the God Tollo". Its Náhuatl symbol was in use as the municipality symbol until 1979, when its Coat of Arms was created to replace it in official documents.

Coat of Arms

The center of the shield contains a map of Toluca with a red background delimited in red; the internal part of the map contains the Nahuatl symbol of Tollocan in green. The lower part depicts two oval shapes in red and yellow, and at the bottom of the shield there is a banner reading "Municipio de Toluca" (Municipality of Toluca).

Geographical Information

In 2003, Toluca had an estimated population of about 475,000 people. The climate is cool, particularly at night, not surprising considering its altitude of 2,680 m (8,790 ft) above sea level. Toluca is an important industrial center, with a large Chrysler plant and many other factories. It also has excellent educational facilities, including a campus of the prestigious Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM). The municipality of Metepec adds another 450,000 to the population and directly borders the city of Toluca.