page_title: Nacozari de García
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Nacozari de García / History
context_page_description: Nacozari de García is a small mining town surrounded by its municipal area in the northeast of the Mexican state of Sonora.
context_section_description: In 1660, copper was found in the area, and mines were created. A village was begun, called Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Nacozari ('Our Lady of the Rosary of Nacozari').
  The mines were owned by the Anglo American U.B. Teader mining company in 1867. They later sold them to the Moctezuma Copper Co., which part of the Phelps Dodge company.  American-style houses were built. A library and a small hospital were also built.  When the mines were opened, copper was carried by mules. In 1904 the railroad was built, so the copper was moved by train. By 1907, Nacozari had become the metropolis of far northeastern Sonora. The population was 5,000 people, mostly Mexicans and Americans, with some Chinese people.  Phelps kept the mines until 1948 when the copper had all been taken out.
  A large mine, La Caridad, was found about 32 kilometres (20 mi) southeast of Nacozari in 1968. By 1979, the population of Nacozari was about 3,000 again. The federal government spent hundreds of millions of dollars to develop La Caridad (which was also called Mexicana de Cobre). They also re-opened other mines in the area. Nacozari was estimated to have a population of 18,600 people in 1986, and 30,000 in 1989.  La Caridad is ranked the third largest copper mine in the world.
  The town was first called Placeritos de Nacozari but changed its name to Nacozari de García. The town was named after the railroad engineer Jesús García, who saved the town from a dynamite explosion on 7 November 1907. There are monuments to Jesús García in many other Mexican cities and towns. November 7 is the Day of the Railroader in Mexico. Everybody who works on the railroad has a day off from work, apart from essential employees of the National Railways of Mexico. Many streets in Mexico are named Jesús García or the Héroe de Nacozari. Poems and songs have been written about him and about the accident.
  The name Nacozari is an word from the language of the Opata people who used to live in the area. It means "a lot of nopal (the fruit of the Prickly pear)".
caption: Bust of Jesus Garcia in Nacozari
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