The Mexican city of León is founded by order of the viceroy Don Martín Enríquez de Almanza.
Martn Enrquez de Almanza y Ulloa, (died ca. March 13, 1583) was the fourth viceroy of New Spain, who ruled in the name of Philip II from November 5, 1568 until October 3, 1580.
Like many of the early viceroys of New Spain, Almanza was of royal heritage. He was a member of the House of Enrquez, one of the four cadet branches of the House of Burgundy, the ruling dynasty in Castile, yet never inherited a title.
Enrquez was 60 when he was appointed viceroy in New Spain. He brought strength and stability in the wake of the encomenderos' conspiracy of the son of conqueror Hernn Corts, Don Martn Corts and other encomenderos who challenged the crown's power. He was subsequently viceroy of Peru, from September 23, 1581 until his death in 1583, a post he reluctantly accepted at age 72. He was a very able administrator in Mexico, asserting crown control, and effective in establishing defenses against northern natives who threatened the vital link between the silver mines in north and Mexico's center.
León (Spanish pronunciation: [leˈon]) is the most populous city and municipal seat of the municipality of León in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. In the 2020 Intercensal Survey, INEGI reported 1,721,626 people living in the municipality of León, making it the fourth-most populous municipality in Mexico. The metropolitan area of León recorded a population of 2,140,094 in the 2020 state Census, making it the seventh most populous metropolitan area in Mexico. León is part of the macroregion of Bajío within the Central Mexican Plateau.León has a strong leather industry, offering shoes, boots, belts, jackets, and other leather accessories to national and international markets. The leather industry earned its inhabitants the nickname of "green belly" (panzaverde in Spanish) because of the green tainting in the workers' bodies resulting from treating leather. 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. 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. 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.