Torreón is the largest city in the Laguna region, straddling the border between Coahuila and Durango in northern Mexico. It grew rapidly in the late 19th century as a railway hub and cotton-processing centre, and today it's a busy industrial and commercial city with a population of around one million. It lacks the colonial architecture of older Mexican cities, but it's a useful stopping point on the route between Chihuahua and Zacatecas.
The city's most distinctive feature is its proximity to the Bolsón de Mapimí — the basin that includes the Zona del Silencio, a remote desert region with unusual magnetic properties that has attracted curious visitors for decades. Torreón also has a small-but-active arts scene, several good regional museums, and a baseball stadium that draws passionate crowds.