WATSONVILLE — Watsonville officials welcomed in a small delegation from Tangancícuaro on Friday, taking another step in forging a sister city relationship with the city located in Michoacán, México.
Tangancícuaro has a population of nearly 33,000, and its economy is driven by an agricultural industry that produces crops such as raspberries, onions, zucchinis, tomatoes and more.
It is comprised of a number of townships, including Gómez Farias, Valle de Guadalupe, San Antonio Ocampo and others.
In November, the Watsonville City Council agreed to start the process of forming a sister city relationship.
Tangancícuaro Mayor Arturo Hernández Vázquez and Watsonville Mayor Lowell Hurst both signed an agreement Friday in the City Council Chambers that states the two cities will share their cultures with each other in the coming years. Councilman Oscar Rios said city officials will travel to Tangancícuaro in the future to sign a similar document.
Hernández Vázquez said this week marked the first time he visited Watsonville, calling it a “beautiful city.” He added that many families in Watsonville are from Tangancícuaro, and the two cities share the same values of “love, hard work and discipline.”
“This helps us build our friendship and exchange our culture,” Hernández Vázquez said through a translator about the sister city relationship. “It’s more than economic, it deepens our ties.”
Hurst said Friday’s ceremony is a start to the growing relationship between the two cities.
“We are really excited to have this taking place, and are honored to have our guests here with us,” he said.
After the signing, city officials led the delegation on a tour of Watsonville’s Municipal Service Center and Wastewater Treatment Facility, as well as Salud Para La Gente’s clinic.
Watsonville has three other sister city relationships: Kawakami-Mura, Japan; Pinghu, China; and San Pedro Masahuat, El Salvador.
