Oviedo Uviéu (Asturian)
—  Municipality  —
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Benemérita, invicta, heroica, buena, muy noble, muy leal (Meritorious, undefeated, heroic, good, very noble, very loyal)
Oviedo Location in Asturias
Oviedo Location in Spain
Coordinates: 43°21′36″N 5°50′42″W / 43.36°N 5.845°W / 43.36; -5.845Coordinates: 43°21′36″N 5°50′42″W / 43.36°N 5.845°W / 43.36; -5.845
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Principado de Asturias
Province	Asturias
Comarca	Oviedo
Capital	Oviedo
Government
• Alcalde	Gabino de Lorenzo (PP)
Area
• Total	18.665 km2 (7.207 sq mi)
Elevation	232 m (761 ft)
Population (2009)
• Total	224,005
• Density	12,000/km2 (31,000/sq mi)
Demonym	ovetense or carbayón
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	33001 and 33013
Official language(s)	Castilian
Website	Official website

Oviedo (Asturian: Uviéu; Spanish pronunciation: [oˈβjeðo], asturian pronunciation: [uˈβjew]) is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain. It is also the name of the municipality that contains the city.

Oviedo, which is the administrative and commercial centre of the region, also hosts the annual Prince of Asturias Awards. This prestigious event, held in the city's Campoamor Theatre, recognizes international achievement in eight categories. Award winners in 2007 include Bob Dylan in the category of Arts and Al Gore in the category of International Cooperation. Oviedo University's international campus attracts many foreign scholars from all over the globe.

History[link]

Santa María del Naranco (Pre-Romanesque shrine)

San Julián de los Prados (Pre-Romanesque shrine)

San Miguel de Lillo (Pre-Romanesque shrine)

Cathedral of San Salvador (founded in 781 A.C.), and the Statue of La Regenta.

San Isidoro el Real Church

It is said that two monks, Máximo and Fromestanus, founded the city in 761. That settlement was soon to be completed with the construction of a small church dedicated to Saint Vincent. Nevertheless, the archaeological register has shown traces of occupation since the 1st century, in Roman times.

King Fruela I of Asturias, the fourth of the Asturian monarchs, was the first decided promoter of the city as may be witnessed by his construction of both a palace and a nearby church. Oviedo owes to a later king, Alfonso II The Chaste (791-842), its establishment as a capital city and ruling seat as a result of the moving of the court from Pravia and the creation of the Pilgrim’s Route to Santiago de Compostela, a major event in the history of Oviedo, a church dedicated to The Saviour, the Cathedral of San Salvador, and a royal palace formed the nucleus and motive power of Oviedo.

During this period the city became the centre of an original and unique architectural expression, inheritor of Visigothic, Roman and Nordic traditions, which was to reach its high point during the reign of Ramiro I of Asturias. Ramiro I sponsored many unique construction projects, which remain a signature of Oviedo to this day.

The moving of the royal court to León, after the death of Alfonso III, The Great, links the life of the city to the relics preserved in its cathedral and the passing of pilgrims that visit El Salvador, and continue on their way to Santiago de Compostela. The following centuries (12th-16th) witness the development of the medieval city, the outlines of which are still preserved today, the construction of the city walls, a devastating fire which took place on Christmas Eve in 1521, and the aqueduct works, Los Pilares, constructed in order to provide the city with water throughout the 16th century.

The foundation of the Arts College (University of Oviedo) by Fernando de Valdés Salas, at the beginning of the 17th century, opened Oviedo to a progressive urban expansion. Further impulse was in the 18th century by the regional nobility and the construction of remarkable palaces; in the 19th century by industrial growth and the suburban development of Uría Street; and finally in the 20th century by administrative and commercial development.

The Siege of Oviedo in 1936 was a memorable event in the Spanish Civil War. The army garrison rose in support of the coup d'état and stood a siege of three months by an improvised force, loyal to the Republican government until relieved in 1937.

Architecture[link]

• Cathedral of San Salvador, from 13th century, erected in 1288 over the previous cathedral, which was founded in the 8th century.
• Cámara Santa de Oviedo. Dating from 802. It is located within the Cathedral, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Santa María del Naranco Hall, 9th century. A relatively large pavilion, part of the palace complex built for and by King Ramiro I.
• San Miguel de Lillo (small church), 9th century.
• Basilica of San Julián de los Prados.
• La Foncalada. Fountain of the 9th century. It is the only preserved Pre-Romanesque civil work in the whole of Europe.
• The University of Oviedo was created in 1574, but only inaugurated on September 21, 1608, the feast of Saint Matthew. It was funded by the terms of the will of Archbishop D. Fernando Valdés Salas, minister and General Inquisitor under Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and Philip II.
• Town Hall (Casa Consistorial). Dates from 1662.
• La Balesquida Chapel (13th century). Associated with Oviedo's taylors' guild. Repeatedly restored in the 17th, 19th and 20th centuries. It is dedicated to the Virgin of Hope.
• House of the Llanes (18th century). It is the best Baroque façade in the whole of Asturias.
• Deán Payarinos' House (20th century). A building on the Beaux Arts style. Nowadays, it houses the Eduardo Martínez Torner Conservatory.
• The Monastery of San Vicente (8th century). At the moment, home of the Archaeological Museum of Asturias.
• The Convent Church of Santo Domingo, Oviedo (16th century). One of the monastic settlements outside the city walls. The original building burnt down in 1934 and it was heavily reconstructed after the Civil War.
• El Fontán Market (17th-18th centuries). A simple but rather monumental complex; an 18th century porticoed square, which housed the vegetable market. It fell victim to speculative manoeuvres. It was left to deteriorate on its own; claiming that it was beyond repair, it was then demolished on 1998 and rebuilt offering all modern amenities, but with its original proportions radically changed; the original complex being much lower than its modern replacement.
• Casas del Cuito, early 20th century Art Nouveau apartment building

Culture[link]

Castle of San Juan de Priorio

Statue dedicated to the traveller in Oviedo.

Fine Arts Museum of Oviedo of the Asturies.

Prince Felipe Auditorium

Campoamor Theatre

Building of the executive of the Principality of Asturies

The Jirafa Building, in the commercial zone of the city.

Oviedo inspired the fictional city of Vetusta in Leopoldo Alas' La Regenta. Other Spanish writers were inspired by the city, including Ramón Pérez de Ayala in Tigre Juan and Dolores Medio in her novel Nosotros los Rivero.

Oviedo was featured prominently in Woody Allen's movie Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

Museums in Oviedo:

• Archaeological Museum of Asturias
• Fine Arts Museum of Asturias
• Camara Santa within the Cathedral
• Diocesan Museum
• Tabularium Artis Asturiensis
• Center for the reception and understanding of Preromanesque Art
• (future) Museum of the Militar Technology and Industry

List of Museums

Other cultural centres in Oviedo:

• Campoamor Theatre
• Filarmónica Theatre
• Prince Felipe Auditorium
• Princess Letizia Congress Palace

Sports[link]

Teams based in Oviedo[link]

• Real Oviedo, football team. (Segunda División B league)
• Esfer Oviedo, roller hockey team. (OK Liga, first division)
• Oviedo CB, basketball team. (LEB Plata, third division)

Annual sports events[link]

• International Showjumping Competition
• City of Oviedo Horse Show
• City of Oviedo San Silvestre
• City of Oviedo Trial Indoor
• Outdoor Sports Climbing
• Vuelta a España (Cycling)
• Tour of Asturias (Cycling)
• Ascent of Naranco (Cycling)
• City of Oviedo Mountain Bike Open
• City of Oviedo Cycle Criterium
• Base Hockey International Tournament
• International Icehockey Tournament
• Prince of Asturias International Rally
• National Auto-Cross Championship
• International Hurdles Competition
• International Chess Open
• Boxing Nights
• City of Oviedo Weightlifting Championship
• Ascension Bowls Tournament
• San Mateo Bowls Tournament

Feasts and traditions[link]

The Festive Calendar:

• Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos de Oriente: The traditional Twelve Night parade, where the Three Wise Men of the East and their retinue parade through the city main streets, reaching the Cathedral Square, where they make their offering to the Child Jesus.
• L'Antroxu (Carnival)
• Feast of the Ascension
• La Foguera de San Xuan (Saint John's Bonfire):
• La Balesquida or Martes del Bollu:
• The Feast of San Mateo
• El Desarme (Disarmament's Day), commemorating the cunning victory of the locals over a Carlist army during the First Carlist War, during the 1830s

Gastronomy:

El Fontán Market

• Fabada, bean stew with selected cuts of pork, etc.
• Callos, tripe
• Carne gobernada, (chunks of meat, prepared with onion, garlic and white wine sauce)
• Chorizo a la sidra, (chorizo sausage prepared in cider)
• Paxarines
• Carbayones, Oviedo's typical almond pastry
• Sidra, (cider), Asturian typical drink, fermented apple cider
• Arroz con leche, similar to milk pudding
• Frixuelos, similar to crepes

Climate[link]

Notable people[link]

Valdecarzana-Heredia Palace

• Emilio Alarcos Llorach, linguist
• Leopoldo Alas Clarín, 19th century novelist and literary critic
• Fernando Alonso, Formula One driver and a two-time world champion
• Antonio Gamoneda winner of the 2006 Cervantes Prize
• Ángel González, poet
• Melendi, popular singer
• HRH Letizia Princesa de Asturias the consort of the Spanish Crown Prince
• Ramón Pérez de Ayala, writer
• Carmen Polo, wife of Spain's dictator Francisco Franco
• Indalecio Prieto, socialist politician. One the leaders of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party up to the end of the Civil War and the posterior exile
• Samuel Sánchez, cyclist. 2008 Olympic Road Race Champion.
• Tioda, 9th century architect who designed several of the city pre-romanesque buildings.

Other places in the municipality[link]

• Trubia
• Colloto (divided between two municipalities: Oviedo and Siero)
• San Claudio
• San Esteban de les Cruces
• Latores
• Olloniego

International relations[link]

Oviedo's City Hall.

"Estatua del León" (data from XVII c.) outside at City Hall.

Twin towns — sister cities[link]

Oviedo is twinned with:

• Valparaíso, Chile, since 1976
• Bochum, Germany, since 1979
• Buenos Aires, Argentina, since 1983
• Veracruz, Mexico, since 1983
• Clermont-Ferrand, France, since 1988
• Tampa, Florida, United States, since 1991
• Santiago de Compostela, Spain, since 1993
• Santa Clara, Cuba, since 1995
• Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, since 1998
• Sucre, Bolivia, since 2000
• Zamora, Spain, since October 9, 2001
• Torrevieja, Spain, since January 2, 2004
• Hangzhou, China, since 2006
• Valencia de Don Juan, Spain, since 2006
• Oviedo, Florida, United States, since 2006
• Viseu, Portugal, since April 10, 2007
• Maranello, Italy, since April 28, 2010

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Oviedo

• (English) Asturias Cities
• (Spanish) Municipality of Oviedo
• (English) Municipality of Oviedo and touristic informations
• (Spanish) University of Oviedo
• (English) Spanish Pre-Romanesque Art Guide; San Julian de los Prados.
• (English) Spanish Pre-Romanesque Art Guide; Santa María del Naranco.
• (English) Spanish Pre-Romanesque Art Guide; San Miguel de Lillo.

v t e World Heritage Sites in Spain For official site names, see each article or the List of World Heritage Sites in Spain. North West Caves of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain1 · Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of the Asturias · Roman Walls of Lugo · Route of Santiago de Compostela1 · Santiago de Compostela · Tower of Hercules North East Caves of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain1 · Mudéjar Architecture of Aragon · Pyrénées - Mont Perdu2 · Rock-Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula1 · Route of Santiago de Compostela1 · San Millán Yuso and Suso Monasteries · Vizcaya Bridge  · Cave of Altxerri  · Cave of Santimamiñe  · Cave of Ekain Community of Madrid Aranjuez Cultural Landscape · El Escorial · University and Historic Precinct of Alcalá de Henares Centre Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida · Archaeological Site of Atapuerca · Ávila with its Extra-mural Churches · Burgos Cathedral · Cáceres · Cuenca · Las Médulas · Rock-Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula1 · Route of Santiago de Compostela1 · Salamanca · Santa María de Guadalupe · Segovia and its Aqueduct · Toledo · Prehistoric Rock-Art Sites in the Côa Valley and Siega Verde East Archaeological Ensemble of Tarraco, Tarragona · Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boí · Ibiza (Biodiversity and Culture) · Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona · Palmeral of Elche · Poblet Monastery · Rock-Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula1 · Silk Exchange in Valencia · Works of Antoni Gaudí South Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada · Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias, Seville · Córdoba · Doñana · Renaissance Monuments of Úbeda and Baeza · Rock-Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula1 Canary Islands Garajonay · San Cristóbal de La Laguna · Teide National Park 1 Shared with other region/s · 2 Shared with France

v t e Municipalities in Asturias Allande Aller Amieva Avilés Belmonte de Miranda Bimenes Boal Cabrales Cabranes Candamo Cangas de Onís Cangas del Narcea Caravia Carreño Caso Castrillón Castropol Coaña Colunga Corvera de Asturias Cudillero Degaña El Franco Gijón/Xixón Gozón Grado Grandas de Salime Ibias Illano Illas Llangréu/Langreo Laviana Lena Llanera Llanes Mieres Morcín Muros de Nalón Nava Navia Noreña Onís Oviedo Parres Peñamellera Alta Peñamellera Baja Pesoz Piloña Ponga Pravia Proaza Quirós Las Regueras Ribadedeva Ribadesella La Ribera/Ribera de Arriba Riosa Salas San Martín de Oscos San Martín del Rey Aurelio San Tirso de Abres Santa Eulalia de Oscos Santo Adriano Sariego Siero Sobrescobio Somiedo Soto del Barco Tapia de Casariego Taramundi Teverga Tineo Valdés Vegadeo Villanueva de Oscos Villaviciosa Villayón Yernes y Tameza

v t e Capitals of provinces of Spain A Coruña Albacete Alicante Almería Ávila Badajoz Barcelona Bilbao Burgos Cáceres Cádiz Castellón de la Plana Ciudad Real Córdoba Cuenca Donostia-San Sebastián Girona Granada Guadalajara Huelva Huesca Jaén Logroño Las Palmas León Lleida Lugo Madrid Málaga Murcia Ourense Oviedo Palencia Palma Pamplona Pontevedra Salamanca Santander Santa Cruz Segovia Seville Soria Tarragona Teruel Toledo Valencia Valladolid Vitoria-Gasteiz Zamora Zaragoza

Blind Pilot is an American indie folk band based in Portland, Oregon. Their debut album, 3 Rounds and a Sound, reached number 13 on the Billboard Top Digital Albums chart.

The band completed a bicycle tour in 2008,^[1] biking from Bellingham, Washington to San Diego, California, carrying their instruments on custom bicycle trailers they fashioned themselves. They made more than two dozen stops along the way, including Port Townsend, Seattle, Olympia, Portland, Corvallis, Eugene, Coos Bay, Arcata and Santa Cruz.

In 2009, Blind Pilot added four more touring members, Luke Ydstie (upright bass, backing vocals), Kati Claborn (banjo, dulcimer, backing vocals), Ian Krist (vibraphones), and Dave Jorgensen (keyboards, trumpet), to match the sound of their album, 3 Rounds and a Sound. The group started a new U.S. tour in March 2009, the first with the six-member lineup. They headlined in clubs across the country. The band also filled support slots for Langhorne Slim and Gomez on a handful of dates during this tour. In May 2009, the band traveled to Europe for a series of gigs opening for Counting Crows and The Hold Steady. Blind Pilot returned to the U.S. in June to join The Decemberists on the road as their opening act. They followed this run with another tour of clubs in the Northeast, Mid-West and Canada.

In May 2009, Blind Pilot performed at the Sasquatch! Music Festival at the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington. In August 2009, the band performed at the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago, Illinois, and the Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival in San Francisco, California.

On December 29, 2009, the band released an iTunes only live EP. This EP featured a cover of Gillian Welch's "Look At Miss Ohio".^[2] The EP also included new versions of previously released songs, along with a new song, titled "Get It Out". The EP was mixed and recorded by Tucker Martine, who has also mixed for The Decemberists, Death Cab for Cutie, and R.E.M.

Blind Pilot completed a tour in July 2011 that included five Colorado stops in Winter Park (SolShine Festival and Smokin Moe's), Boulder (Chautauqua w/ Josh Ritter), Telluride (Sheridan Opera House), and Aspen (Belly Up) as well as Salt Lake and Santa Fe. Their second full-length album, We Are the Tide, was released in September 2011.

Discography[link]

• 3 Rounds and a Sound (2009)
• iTunes-only EP (2009)
• We Are the Tide (2011)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Blind Pilot on Myspace
• Blind Pilot at Allmusic
• Blind Pilot page at NPR Music
• Blind Pilot Concert Review from ZapTown
• Blind Pilot interview from Burnside Writers Collective

Arturo Elías Ayub (b. April 27, 1966)^[1] is a Mexican businessman, currently Director of Strategic Alliances of Telefonos de Mexico, CEO of the Telmex Foundation and Director of UNO Noticias.

Biography[link]

Elías Ayub was born in Mexico City, on April 27, 1966, he is the youngest brother of Alfredo Elías Ayub. Graduated as Bachelor of Business Administration by the Universidad Anáhuac (Anáhuac University) and later studied a postgraduate course in Business Management at the IPADE.^[2]

Is married with Johanna Slim, daughter of the Mexican businessman Carlos Slim, and they have three children.^[3]

Professional activity[link]

He entered TELMEX in the year of 1996^[2] as Advisor of the Directorate and in 2001 took over as Chairman of the Board of the Club Universidad Nacional, commonly known as the "Pumas" in Mexico.^[4] During his tenure at the club managed to get a "double championship" in the Clausura 2004 and Opening 2004.^[5] In 2005 decided not to be re-elected in the patronage.^[6]

Currently serves on the Board of Directors of Grupo Carso,^[7] Grupo Inbursa,^[8] Telmex, CEO of Telmex Foundation^[3] and Chairman of the Instituto Telmex del Deporte (TELMEX Institute for Sports).^[9]

See also[link]

• Grupo CARSO
• Telmex

References[link]

External links[link]

• Arturo Elías Ayub on Twitter
• Grupo Carso's Website

Carlos Slim
Carlos Slim, October 24, 2007
Born	(1940-01-28) January 28, 1940 (age 72) Mexico City, Mexico
Residence	Mexico
Nationality	Mexican
Ethnicity	Lebanese
Alma mater	Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Occupation	Chairman & CEO of Telmex, América Móvil and Grupo Carso
Known for	World's wealthiest person (2007, 2010, 2011)
Net worth	US$ 69 billion (2012)[1]
Religion	Christian[2]
Spouse	Soumaya Domit (m. 1967–1999)
Children	Carlos Marco Antonio Patrick Soumaya Vanessa Johanna
Parents	Julián Slim Haddad (deceased) Linda Helú
Website
Carlos Slim

Carlos Slim Helú (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkaɾlos esˈlim eˈlu]; born January 28, 1940) is a Mexican business magnate and philanthropist who is currently ranked as the richest person in the world in 2012.^[1] Slim has been ranked the richest person in the world since 2010. His extensive holdings in a considerable number of Mexican companies through his conglomerate, Grupo Carso, SA de CV, have amassed interests in the fields of communications, technology, retailing, and finance. Presently he is the chairman and chief executive of telecommunications companies Telmex and América Móvil.

América Móvil, which in 2010 was Latin America’s largest mobile-phone carrier, accounted for around US$49 billion of Slim's wealth by the end of 2010.^[3] His corporate holdings as of March 2012 have been estimated at US$69 billion.^[1]

Early life[link]

Slim was born in Mexico City, Mexico in 1940 to Maronite Christian parents Julián Slim Haddad and Linda Helú, both of Lebanese descent.^[4][5] His father, born Khalil Slim Haddad, immigrated to Mexico at the age of 14 in 1902 and changed his first name to Julián.^[4] As it was not uncommon for Lebanese children to be sent abroad before they reached the age of 15 to avoid being conscripted into the Ottoman army, four of Haddad's older brothers were already living in Mexico at the time of his arrival.^[6]

Carlos Slim's mother, Linda Helú, was born in Parral, Chihuahua, of Lebanese parents who had immigrated to Mexico in the late 19th century. Her parents upon immigrating to Mexico had founded one of the first Arabic language magazines for the Lebanese-Mexican community, using a printing press they had brought with them.^[6]

In 1911, Julián established a dry goods store, La Estrella del Oriente (The Star of the Orient). By 1921, he had purchased real estate in the flourishing commercial district of Mexico City. These enterprises became the source of considerable wealth.^[6]

In August 1926, Julián Slim and Linda Helú married. They had six children: Nour, Alma, Julián, José, Carlos and Linda. Julián senior, who had been influential in the Lebanese-Mexican business community, died in 1953.^[6]

Business career[link]

This section relies largely or entirely upon a single source. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources. Discussion about the problems with the sole source used may be found on the talk page. (February 2011)

Slim and his siblings were taught basic business practices by their father, and at the age of 12, Slim bought shares in a Mexican bank. At the age of 17, he earned 200 pesos a week working for his father's company.^[7] He went on to study engineering at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, while simultaneously teaching algebra and linear programming there. In 1965 he incorporated Inversora Bursátil and then bought Jarritos del Sur. In 1966, already worth US$40 million,^[8] he founded Inmobiliaria Carso. Three months later he married Soumaya Domit Gemayel (the Carso name derives from the first three letters of Carlo and the first two of Soumaya) and they remained married until her death in 1999.^[6]

Construction, real estate and mining businesses were the focus of his early career. By 1972 he had established or acquired a further seven businesses in these categories, including one which rented construction equipment. In 1976 he branched out by buying a 60% interest in a printing business and in 1980 he consolidated his business interests by forming Grupo Galas as the parent company of a conglomerate that had interests in industry, construction, mining, retail, food and tobacco.^[6]

In 1982 the Mexican economy, which had substantially relied on oil exports, contracted rapidly as the price of oil fell and interest rates rose worldwide. Banks and other businesses were nationalized, crippled or collapsed and the peso was devalued.^{[citation needed]} At this time, and during the period of recovery to 1985, Slim invested heavily. He bought outright, or a large percentage of, numerous Mexican businesses, including Reynolds Aluminio, General Popo (General Tire's trading name in Mexico), Bimex hotels and Sanborns, a food retailer. He also acquired a 40% interest in the Mexican arms of British American Tobacco and 50% of that of Hershey's. He moved into financial services as well, buying Seguros de México and creating from it, along with other purchases such as Fianzas La Guardiana and Casa de Bolsa Inbursa, the Grupo Financiero Inbursa. Many of these acquisitions were financed by the cash flows from Cigatam, a tobacco business which he bought early in the economic downturn.^[6]

He added the Nacrobre group of companies – which trade in copper and aluminium products – in 1986, along with a chemicals business, Química Fluor, and others.^[6]

In 1990 the Grupo Carso was floated as a public company, with share placements initially in Mexico and then worldwide.^[6]

Later in 1990 he acted in concert with France Télécom and Southwestern Bell Corporation in order to buy landline telephony company Telmex from the Mexican government.^[6] By 2006, 90 percent of the telephone lines in Mexico are operated by Telmex, whilst his mobile telephony company, Telcel, operates almost eighty percent of all the country's cellphones.^[9] Telcel was created out of the Radiomóvil Dipsa company.^[6]

In 1991 he acquired Hoteles Calinda (today, OSTAR Grupo Hotelero) and in 1993 increased his stakes in General Tire and Grupo Aluminio to the point where he had a majority interest.^[6]

In 1996 Grupo Carso was split into three companies – Carso Global Telecom, Grupo Carso, and Invercorporación – and the following year Slim bought the Mexican arm of Sears Roebuck.^[6]

1999 saw Slim expanding his business interests beyond Latin America. He set up Telmex USA and also acquired a stake in Tracfone, a US cellular telephone company. At the same time he established Carso Infraestructura y Construcción, S. A. (CICSA) as a part of the Grupo Carso, this being a construction and engineering company.^[6] It was also at this time that he had heart surgery and subsequently passed on much of the day-to-day involvement in the businesses to his children and their spouses.^[9]

América Telecom, the holding company for América Móvil was incorporated in 2000. It took stakes in various cellular telephone companies outside Mexico, including the Brazilian ATL and Telecom Americas concerns, Techtel in Argentina, and others in Guatemala and Ecuador. In subsequent years there was further investment in this sphere, including deals involving companies in Colombia, Nicaragua, Peru, Chile, Honduras and El Salvador. 2000 also saw a venture with Microsoft which led to the start of the Spanish T1msn portal, later renamed ProdigyMSN.^[6]

He formed Impulsora del Desarrollo y el Empleo en America Latina SAB de CV (IDEAL – roughly translated as "Promoter of Development and Employment in Latin America"), a Mexico-based company primarily engaged in not-for-profit infrastructure development. This was in 2005, when he also invested in the Volaris airline.^[6]

Having amassed a 50.1% stake in Cigatam, the tobacco company, Slim reduced his holdings by selling a large part of that to Philip Morris in 2007 for $1.1bn, while in the same year also selling his entire interest in a tile company, Porcelanite, for $800m. He also licensed the Saks name and opened Saks Fifth Avenue in Santa Fe, Mexico. The following year saw him take a 6.4% stake in The New York Times Company.^[6]

On December 8, 2007, Grupo Carso announced that the remaining 103 CompUSA stores would be either liquidated or sold, bringing an end to the struggling company as it was then known,^[10] although the brand continues. After 28 years he became the Honorary Lifetime Chairman of the business. He is also Chairman of Teléfonos de Mexico, América Móvil, and Grupo Financiero Inbursa.

Personal fortune[link]

On March 29, 2007, Slim surpassed Warren Buffett as the world's second richest person with an estimated net worth of $53.1 billion compared to Buffet's $52.4 billion.^[11]

On August 4, 2007, The Wall Street Journal ran a cover story profiling Slim. The article said, "While the market value of his stake in publicly traded companies could decline at any time, at the moment he is probably wealthier than Bill Gates".^[12] According to The Wall Street Journal, Slim credits part of his ability to "discover investment opportunities" early to the writings of his friend, futurist author Alvin Toffler.^[12]

On August 8, 2007, Fortune reported that Slim had overtaken Gates as the world's richest man. Slim's estimated fortune soared to $59 billion, based on the value of his public holdings at the end of July. Gates' net worth was estimated to be at least $58 billion.^[12][13]

On March 5, 2008, Forbes ranked Slim as the world's second-richest person, behind Warren Buffett and ahead of Bill Gates.^[14]

On March 11, 2009, Forbes ranked Slim as the world's third-richest person, behind Gates and Buffett and ahead of Lawrence Ellison.^[14]

On March 10, 2010, Forbes once again reported that Slim had overtaken Gates as the world's richest man, with a net worth of $53.5 billion. At the time, Gates and Buffett had a net worth of $53 billion and $47 billion respectively.^[14] He was the first Mexican to top the list.^[15] It was the first time in 16 years that the person on top of the list was not from the United States.^[16] It was also the first time the person at the top of the list was from an "emerging economy."^[17]

In March 2011, Forbes stated that Slim had maintained his position as the wealthiest person in the world, with his fortune estimated at $74 billion.^[1]

Philanthropy[link]

In 1995 he established Fundación Telmex, a broad-ranging philanthropic foundation. This followed the creation of his eponymous non-profit philanthropic foundation, Fundación Carlos Slim Helú in 1986. In 2007 Slim announced that the latter body had been provided with an asset base of $4 billion and that it would be establishing Carso Institutes for Health, Sports and Education. Furthermore, it was to work in support of an initiative of Bill Clinton to aid the people of Latin America.^[6] Because Mexican foundations are not required to publish their financial information, it is not possible to confirm Slim’s claims of charitable giving through a public source.

Among the activities of Fundación Telmex has been the organisation of Copa Telmex, an amateur sports tournament which in 2007 was recognised by Guinness World Records as having the most participants of any such tournament in the world, a record which it extended in 2008. Together with Fundación Carlos Slim Helú, this organisation announced in the same year that it was to invest more than $250 million in Mexican sports programmes, from grass-roots level to Olympic standard.^[6]

The Fundación Carlos Slim Helú sponsors the Museo Soumaya in Mexico City which contains the world's second-largest (and largest private) collection of Rodin sculptures, including The Kiss. Named after Slim's late wife, Soumaya Domit, the Museo Soumaya holds 66,000 pieces, including religious relics, works by Leonardo Da Vinci, Pablo Picasso, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and coins from the viceroys of Spain. In particular, the museum holds the largest Dalí collection in Latin America.^[18]

In 2000, Slim, along with ex-broadcaster Jacobo Zabludowsky organized the Fundación del Centro Histórico de la Ciudad de México A.C. (Mexico City Historic Downtown Foundation), with the objective to revitalizing and rescuing Mexico City's historic downtown area to enable more people to live, work and find entertainment there.^[6] He has been Chairman of the Executive Committee for the Restoration of the Historic Jeripollas since 2001.^{[citation needed]}

In 2010 he inaugurated the first phase of the Plaza Mariana project in the Basilica de Guadalupe to reorganize tolerated commerce^{[clarification needed]} in the atrium and adjacent space.^{[citation needed]} He also inaugurated his version of the Rockefeller Center where most of his ventures will now share a common headquarters address, Plaza Carso.^{[citation needed]}

In May 2011, Slim was mentioned in Forbes' World's Biggest Givers after donating $4 billion to his foundation.^[19]

Achievements[link]

Slim has been vice-president of the Mexican Stock Exchange and president of the Mexican Association of Brokerage Houses.^[when?] He was the first president of the Latin-American Committee of the New York Stock Exchange Administration Council, and was in office from 1996 through 1998.

Slim was on the Board of Directors of the Altria Group (previously known as Philip Morris) until his resignation in April 2006. Slim was also on the Board of Directors of Alcatel. Slim currently sits on the Board of Directors for Philip Morris International. He was on the Board of Directors of SBC Communications until July 2004, when he quit to devote more time to the World Education & Development Fund, which is focused on infrastructure, health and education projects. In 1997, just before the company introduced its iMac line, Slim bought 3% of Apple Inc.'s stock.

In 2008 it was reported that Slim had shown an interest in buying the Honda Formula One team.^[20] Telmex is sponsoring the Sauber F1 team for the 2011 season.^{[21] [22] [23]}

Praise and criticism[link]

The Mexican magnate's growing fortune has caused a controversy because it has been amassed in a developing country where per capita income does not surpass $14,500 a year, and nearly 17% of the population lives in poverty.^[24] Critics claim that Slim is a monopolist, pointing to Telmex's control of 90% of the Mexican landline telephone market. Slim's wealth is the equivalent of roughly 5% of Mexico's annual economic output.^[25] Telmex, of which 49.1% is owned by Slim and his family, charges among the highest usage fees in the world, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.^[26]

According to Professor Celso Garrido, an economist at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Slim's domination of Mexico's conglomerates prevents the growth of smaller companies, resulting in a shortage of paying jobs and forcing many Mexicans to seek better lives in the United States of America.^[27]

Slim has stated, "When you live for others' opinions, you are dead. I don't want to live thinking about how I'll be remembered," claiming indifference about his position on Forbes list of the worlds richest people and has said he has no interest in becoming the world's richest person. When asked to explain his sudden increase in wealth at a press conference soon after Forbes annual rankings were published, he reportedly said, "The stock market goes up ... and down", and noted that his fortune could quickly drop.^[25]

Awards[link]

Slim has been awarded the Entrepreneurial Merit Medal of Honor from Mexico's Chamber of Commerce. He is a "gold patron" of the American Academy of Achievement,^[28] a Commander in the Belgian Order of Leopold II, CEO of the year in 2003 by Latin Trade magazine, and one year later CEO of the decade by the same magazine.

In 2008 his philanthropy was recognised with the award of The National Order of the Cedar by the Lebanese government.^[6]

On May 20, 2012 Slim was awarded an honorary degree from The George Washington University

Personal life[link]

Slim was married to Soumaya Domit from 1967 until her death in 1999. Among her interests were various philanthropic projects, including the creation of a legal framework for organ donation.^[6]

Slim has six children: Carlos, Marco Antonio, Patrick, Soumaya, Vanessa, and Johanna.^{[citation needed]}

Notes[link]

External links[link]