User:Memo Sotelo/sandbox

Calle Libertad (Liberty street)
Calle Libertad (Liberty street) is located in Chihuahua´s downtown (Mexico). This is one of the most representative, touristic, oldest and most traditional streets of Chihuahua. At the beginning of the twentieth century, this road was known for being a meeting point for citizens who wanted to buy, trade and sell goods and services. Nowadays, “Calle Libertad” is a place of family coexistence, of history, to go buying, eating and doing several touristic activities. Large numbers of individuals who visit this street every year, only know the present, but not the origins, or the past of it.

History
Over the years, the street has undergone several transformations. Some of these have harmed or benefited the inhabitants of Chihuahua, but part of their past has also been preserved. Now, some of the 1930s constructions can be admired, including antique cars that keep circulating around the zone.

In the past, this street was crowded with stately homes, of one and two stories high, which were built in the colonial era. In the early 1800s, many stores in the commercial plaza closed at dusk because they did not have electricity, therefore people stayed in their homes earlier. Consequently, people had to make tallow candles and lighters at night, and the dark streets were covered with fog, make it difficult for people to walk around.

With the passing of years, oil along with many technological advances arrived to Chihuahua (1865). This arrival had a significant impact for the citizens. However, not all were benefited by it, some candle retailers were replaced by oil bulbs. After that public lighting was installed in the city (1893-1902). These innovations allowed people to leave their homes safely at night.

This street has changed its name over the years. Names that identify it for what it has or what was around it. At the beginning, it was called “la Liber”, then “Calle del Canoa”; because of the stream that passed through there, and by the end, it was "Del Perico", "De Matamoros", "De la Botica antigua", and "De la Libertad". Since this street was called by many names throughout time, the government council decided to combine all these characteristics and create a single name for it, leaving it as “Calle Libertad".

Currently, Liberty Street or “Calle Libertad”, besides of having the oldest buildings from the 1930s and also undergone by many transformations, it has a vast variety of shops and places to spend time with family. For example: restaurants, shops, museums, churches, pubs, hotels, etc., and it is as well known for its cultural events and for being a street that has evolved and adapted to the demand of their modern population.