Durango is one of the constituent states of Mexico, with a population of 1,509,118. It has Mexico's second-lowest population density, after Baja California Sur. The city of Durango is the state's capital. History Francisco de Ibarra, the first to colonize Durango, settled this part of the vast northern province of Nueva Vizcaya in 1563, when he founded the capital city and named it Durango for the Basque town Durango, Biscay, Spain, Europe. The foundation was just one in his larger program of i… (More on Durango)