city, now a suburb of Torreón (to the southeast across the Río Nazas), northeastern Durango estado (state), north central Mexico. It is an important agricultural and industrial centre in the Laguna irrigation district. In the environs, cotton and wheat are the principal crops, but corn (maize), barley, wine grapes, fruits, vegetables, sugarcane, and tobacco are also cultivated. Among the city's industries are flour and textile mills, distilleries, tanneries, iron and steel foundries, and soap factories. The city, founded in 1886 by Spanish philanthropist Santiago Lavín, who donated the land from his hacienda, bears the name of Francisco Gómez Palacio, then governor of the state. Through Torreón, Gómez Palacio is easily accessible by highway, railroad, and air. Pop. (2000) 210,113.