Indiana Sister Cities: Indianapolis, Indiana & Santiago de Queretaro, Mexico

Indiana Sister Cities: Indianapolis, Indiana & Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico

In January of 2023, Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico and Indianapolis, Indiana became sister cities. Santiago de Querétaro is Indianapolis’ first sister city in Mexico and the tenth sister city overall.

The joining of Santiago de Querétaro and Indianapolis via sister cities is a commitment to a relationship that promotes peace, friendship and understanding through exchanges that focus on arts and culture, youth and education, business and trade and community development.

 

Indianapolis and Santiago de Queretaro:

	Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico	Indianapolis, Indiana
Year Established	1531	1821
Population	1,594,212	882,039
Size	140.2 mi²	367.9 mi²

About Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico:

Santiago de Querétaro is the capital of the State Querétaro, located in central Mexico.  Querétaro is one of the smallest states in Mexico and is situated on the Mesa Central, a high plateau region in central Mexico. The Mesa Central is known for heavy rainfall which makes the land favorable for agriculture and farming. Santiago de Querétaro is surrounded by rolling hills and the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range.

Indianapolis is Santiago de Querétaro’s fourth American sister city. Santiago de Querétaro is sister cities with Bakersfield, California; Orange, California; and Holland, Michigan.  Santiago de Querétaro has 15 sister cities around the world.

Early History:

The indigenous group called Otomi lived in this region for centuries. The Spaniards arrived in the mid-13th century and began to conquer many of the indigenous populations across the country. The Otomi aligned themselves with the Spaniards to defeat the Aztecs living in the Querétaro region. Once the battle had been won, a leader of the Otomi converted to Roman Catholicism as a symbol of loyalty to the Spaniards. This Otomi leader changed his name to Fernando de Tapia and founded the city of Santiago de Querétaro in 1531. The Otomi and the Spaniards lived peacefully together during the 17th and 18th centuries; a time known as the golden age.

 

Due to Santiago de Querétaro’s long history, today the city is known for its well-preserved Spanish colonial architecture. This architecture includes Querétaro’s Aqueduct, the Temple of Santa Rosa de Viterbo, St. Francis’ Temple, the Theater of the Republic, and Teresitas Temple. Querétaro’s Aqueduct was built more than 200 years ago and is still used today to transport clean water to the city. The aqueduct consists of 74 arches, the tallest of which stands at 75 feet. This incredible feat of engineering demonstrates how advanced and capable the city was during the 18th century.

In 1810, a plan against Spain was made in Querétaro which led to the uprising that overthrew Spain. As the place that started the revolution, Santiago de

Querétaro is often known as the birthplace of Mexican Independence when the country gained its independence from Spain in 1821. In 1824, Querétaro was declared a state due to its strong economy and prosperous land, with Santiago de Querétaro as its capital city.

Santiago de Querétaro Today:

Today Santiago de Querétaro is not only a place filled with history and unique architecture, but also a fast-growing metropolitan city. Santiago de Querétaro has many large industries operating in the city which attracts many workers from other parts of Mexico. This city has experienced growth in industrial and economic development in the 21st century and now has one of the highest incomes per capita in Mexico.

 

Santiago de Querétaro – Indianapolis Connection:

Indianapolis and Santiago de Querétaro are two cities of similar size and are growing both economically and industrially.  The friendship established by becoming sister cities will allow each city to work together and support one another to grow and progress.

The partnership with Santiago de Querétaro, Indianapolis’s first sister city with Mexico, helps to further support Indianapolis’s growing Latino community. The International and Latino Affairs (OILA) works to engage, support, and invest in Indianapolis’ minoritized populations. This partnership helps to make Indianapolis a more inclusive, prosperous, and welcoming city for all. The sister cities will now be able to exchange knowledge, ideas, experiences, traditions, and work together to celebrate the cultural differences of each city.