| Settlement Type: | City and municipality |
| Total Type: | City |
| Official Name: | Celaya |
| Nickname: | The Golden Gate of the Bajío[1] |
| Motto: | "De Forti Dulcedo" (La Dulzura del Fuerte) |
| Pushpin Map: | Mexico |
| Coordinates: | 20.5231°N -100.8139°W |
| Subdivision Name: |  Mexico |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Guanajuato |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name2: | Celaya |
| Established Title: | Foundation |
| Established Date: | October 12, 1570 |
| Established Title2: | Founded as |
| Established Date2: | Villa de la Purisíma Concepción de Zalaya |
| Founder: | Martín Enríquez de Almanza |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Javier Mendoza Márquez |
| Area Total Km2: | 65.3 |
| Area Blank1 Title: | Municipality |
| Area Blank1 Km2: | 553.1 |
| Elevation M: | 1767 |
| Population Total: | 340,387 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 census |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Municipality |
| Population Blank1: | 521,169 |
| Population Density Blank1 Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | GDP (PPP, constant 2015 values) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Year |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 2023 |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Total (Metro area) |
| Demographics1 Info2: | $15 billion[3] |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Per capita |
| Demographics1 Info3: | $21,200 |
| Timezone: | Central Standard Time |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Timezone Dst: | Central Daylight Time |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 38000 - 38159 |
| Area Code: | 461 |
| Blank Name: | Airport |
| Blank Info: | Aeropuerto Nacional Capitán Rogelio Castillo |
| Website: | http://www.celaya.gob.mx |
| Population Metro: | 717,616 |
Celaya (pronounced as /es/;, Otomi:) is a city and its surrounding municipality in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, located in the southeast quadrant of the state. It is the third most populous city in the state, with a 2005 census population of 310,413. The municipality for which the city serves as municipal seat, had a population of 415,869. The city is located in the geographic center of the municipality, which has an areal extent of 553.1km2 and includes many smaller outlying communities, the largest of which are San Miguel Octopan, Rincón de Tamayo and San Juan de la Vega.
There are many smaller towns around Celaya including Rincón de Tamayo, Tarimoro, Villagrán, La Moncada, Panales Jamaica (Cañones), Panales Galera, La Calera, La Estancia, La Noria, Los Fierros, El Acebuche, Cacalote, and Charco Largo. It is also not far away from Cortazar, Salamanca, Salvatierra, Apaseo el Grande, Querétaro City and among others. The city was founded in 1570 as Villa de la Purisíma Concepción de Zalaya. The word Zalaya is of Basque origin and means "Flat Land".
Celaya was a frontier region between the Purépecha and the Chichimecas.[4]
General Álvaro Obregón defeated Pancho Villa in the Battle of Celaya in 1915, as referred by Martínez[5] Celaya was also the Guanajuato state capital for a short period.
An explosion in a gunpowder and fireworks warehouse in September, 1999, killed over 60 people and injured over 300 people.[6] [7]
On 23 May 2022, eleven people were murdered in a massacre linked to the Mexican drug war.[8]
Celaya has a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh).[9]
The Ball of Water reservoir has been a city icon since 1908; it continues to supply water to portions of downtown. The tank was manufactured in Germany and assembled on site, and is unique in being assembled using rivets rather than welds. It is believed to be the only one of its kind with a spherical shape (it is rumored that there was another similar water ball in Stuttgart, Germany that was destroyed during the Second World War). Traditionally, locals tell visitors that it is filled with cajeta, taking them to visit the "Bola del Agua" on Sundays, the traditional day for visiting the Independencia Lane. A plaque at the base of the water tower features the legend (in Spanish):
The work was carried out under the command of German Enrique Schöndube, although it is known that payment for the construction took ten years due to the start of the Mexican Revolution, so it was paid once the new government established. During the Mexican Revolution, Villa's officers thought the hydraulic tower had such a large amount of water that destroying it would drown the population of Celaya. One of Villa's generals ordered his artillery to destroy it. Captain Gustavo Duron, in charge of a 75mm battery, followed the orders but shot around the tower, avoiding it and protecting the monument, as mentioned by local historian Herminio Martínez. The construction resulted in the neglect of the people handing out water at home from the mayor's office called water carriers. Commercial advertising on its surface was allowed for several years to cover the costs of the reservoir, ending on September 8, 1980, when, in celebration of upcoming 410th Anniversary of the Foundation of Celaya, the mayor in charge decreed that the Ball of Water would be a symbol that would represent the city, and the placement of advertisements was banned.
Celaya is also known for the artisanal production of cajeta, a type of milk candy.
The Celaya Airport had (as of January 22, 2007) commercial flights to Santiago de Querétaro and connections from there to other destinations; these services were dropped in 2008. Celaya lies along the El Paso Spur of the Pan-American Highway which is known locally as Mexican Federal Highway 45.
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