Río Frío de Juárez: how does the name of the town of Edomex relate to former president Benito Juárez

Río Frío de Juárez is a town located in the east of the State of Mexico, in the municipality of Ixtapaluca, on its borders with the state of Puebla. It is at the highest point of the highway that connects Mexico City with Puebla de Zaragoza, being historically a step between the two cities.

The curious name has a story behind it. And it is said that the name was chosen by President Benito Juárez García himself, who ruled the country in the second half of the 19th century. This, after a time when he stopped to wash his hands, and since the river water that passes through the place was very cold, he commented that “it should be called Rio Frio”. The inhabitants listened to the president and gave him the name, adding only the name “de Juárez”, so that it would be called Rio Frio de Juárez.

This population has its origin and development in the establishment of the road that connects Mexico City and Puebla, and from there it continues to the Port of Veracruz. Therefore, especially during the colonial era and the first years of independent Mexico, there was no other way to get from abroad to the capital, services such as food and lodging were then established in Rio Frio for travelers, since on many occasions it was necessary to spend the night in the town.

Being in the highest area of the mountain range that divides the Valley of Mexico and the Puebla-Tlaxcala Valley, Río Frío de Juárez is completely surrounded by lush coniferous forests, in addition, by the huge number of travelers and riches that were transported along the way, it made it possible that in the area, known as Mount of Rio Frio, gangs of assailants were established that robbed travelers and the conduits that passed through it.

During the first years of Mexico's independence, the government did not have the capacity to take care of the safety of the roads, and assaults on the course of Rio Frio became very common. The event was recounted in the famous novel Los bandidos del Río Frio, written by the author Manuel Payno.

The situation of insecurity on this road ended with the coming to power of President Porfirio Díaz, who, through the Corps of Rural Guards and to a large extent with the use of force, restored the safety of the roads.

The importance of the Haciendas in the area of the municipality of Ixtapaluca, in the State of Mexico, where the town of Rio Frio is located, during the Porfiriato, was due to the large production of corn, beans, beans, alfalfa, squash and maguey. In 1887 Iñigo Noriega acquired the Río Frio estate.

Every activity and development of Rio Frio is centered on its location, so its development has taken place alongside the Mexico-Puebla Highway. After the construction of the four-lane track, its economic activity declined as it ceased to be an obligatory stop, but later accesses to the town were built from the highway and it has become a rest and sunday stroll town for the inhabitants of the Valley of Mexico.

In addition to these activities, the population of Rio Frio de Juárez is engaged in agriculture and the exploitation of the forests that surround it, mainly in the production of charcoal.

Río Frio was originally part of the municipality of Tlalmanalco, however, according to Decree No. 37 of the Congress of the State of Mexico, on December 30, 1958, it was separated from that municipality and incorporated that of Ixtapaluca. From 1960 onwards, it was officially named Rio Frio de Juárez.

KEEP READING: