Mayor Castro Tapped By White House To Attend National Celebration In Mexico

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Sept. 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro has been selected to be one of four members of an official Presidential Delegation traveling to Mexico City for the 200th anniversary of Mexico's independence from Spain.

The one-day visit concludes with a dinner on Tuesday, September 14, hosted by Mexican President Felipe Calderon.

"I'm honored to be part of a delegation commemorating an event that shaped the course of history not only in Mexico, but in the United States and the world," Mayor Castro said. "By virtually any measure – trade, culture or a common history – the relationship between our two nations is inextricably linked."

U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis will lead the delegation named by President Barack Obama, which also includes U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Carlos Pascual and Maria Otero, the undersecretary of state for democracy and global affairs in the U.S. Department of State.

With a population of about 1.3 million residents, San Antonio is the nation's seventh-largest city. About 60 percent of its residents are Hispanic, the vast majority of whom are of Mexican ancestry.

San Antonio also played an important historical role in the 1910 Mexican Revolution. After being imprisoned by Mexican dictator Porfirio Diaz, Francisco I. Madero fled to San Antonio where he wrote the "Plan of San Luis Potosi," which is considered to be a flashpoint of the Revolution.

"San Antonio is not just a witness to history," Mayor Castro said. "Today, it represents the new face of the American Dream – a diverse community teeming with economic opportunities and a great quality of life.

"In the years to come, Texas and the United States will look much like San Antonio does today, and there is much to learn from San Antonio's success," he said.

Fast facts:

• In 1953, San Antonio became the first U.S. City to have a Mexican Sister City with Monterrey, Nuevo Leon.
• San Antonio has the longest standing municipal trade office program in Mexico; CASA San Antonio just completed its 18th year of service.
• According to U.S. Department of Commerce statistics, in 2008, exports from the San Antonio metropolitan area totaled more than $5 billion, up from $3.6 billion in 2007.
• In October 1992, the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, was signed in San Antonio.

SOURCE City of San Antonio