Salamanca, Guanajuato

Salamanca Xidoo "Place of Tepetate"
City and municipality
Clockwise from upper left: Presidencia Municipal, Parroquia Antigua, Santuario de Guadalupe , Refinería de Salamanca, Jardin de Salamanca, Ignacio Allende, and the Church of San Agustin.
Coat of arms
Nickname(s):  Spanish: Ciudad Petrolera (English: Oil/Petroleum City)
Salamanca Location within Guanajuato Show map of Guanajuato Salamanca Location within Mexico Show map of Mexico
Coordinates: 20°34′13″N 101°11′50″W / 20.57028°N 101.19722°W / 20.57028; -101.19722
Country	Mexico
State	Guanajuato
Foundation	January 1, 1603
Government
• Mayor	Julio César Ernesto Prieto Gallardo (Morena)
Area
• City	36.11 km2 (13.94 sq mi)
• Municipality	755.6 km2 (291.7 sq mi)
Elevation	1,721 m (5,646 ft)
Population  (2020 census)[1]
• City	160,682
• Density	4,400/km2 (12,000/sq mi)
• Municipality	273,417
• Municipality density	360/km2 (940/sq mi)
Demonym	Salmantino (a)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
Area code	464
Website	www.salamanca.gob.mx

Salamanca (Otomi: Xidoo "Place of Tepetate") is a city and municipality in the Mexican state of Guanajuato.

The city was founded on January 1, 1603, as 'Villa de Salamanca' by the Viceroy Gaspar de Zúñiga, fifth Count of Monterrey, who was originally from Salamanca (Spain). The town was founded in the lands of the Bajío, after cattle ranchers and poor farmers, a few Spaniards, and small groups of Otomis who formerly occupied a village named Xidoo, already lived in the area.

In recent years, many refineries have opened, and Salamanca has grown rapidly to become an important site for manufacturing and service industry in the region. Also, the University of Guanajuato has made many scientific contributions to develop agricultural and industrial technologies, giving a boost to the local and regional industries.

The city reported a 2020 census population of 160,682. The fourth largest city in the state (behind León, Irapuato, and Celaya), it is also the largest of four places called "Salamanca" in Mexico.