of which is Ario de Rayón (Ario Santa Mónica). More specifically the city is found in Tziróndaro Valley (Purépecha for "Swamp place"), a large alluvial plain surrounded by mountains with a northeast-southeast orientation. The topography of the region is flat with no slopes greater than 5%. During the Cenozoic the area was a flood plain of the Duero River which deposited large amounts of basalt, breccia, calcareous tuff, tuff, andesite, and rhyolite. The dominant basalt rock found in the area give the soil a rich source of: calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, and sodium. The soils in the surrounding areas are rich and fertile making the region perfect for agriculture. The soil in the area is classified as pellic vertisol with significant amounts of chromate; the soil is of fine texture with rocky layer containing rocks smaller than 7.5 cm³. Climate The city has a humid subtropical climate (Cwa) with average annual temperature of 18.5 °C (65 °F). The warmest month is May with an average temperature of 23.3 °C (74 °F), and the coldest month is December with an average temperature of 14.7 °C (59 °F). The city has an average annual precipitation of about 900.6 mm (35.4 in) mostly falling during the summer. Education Universities Zamora has six institutes of higher education: Centro de Estudios Universitarios Veracruz “Univer”. Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Zamora Universidad de Zamora Universidad del Valle de Atemajac UPN Unidad 162 Zamora Colegio de Michoacán. UMSNH Facultad de Medicina "Dr. Ignacio Chavez" Extension Zamora Tourism A number of historic buildings dot the city center, built during Spanish colonial times (virreinato) and the 19th century. Some of these monuments are the Temple of San Francisco, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe (tallest cathedral in México); the church of San Francisco, the church of El Calvario, the Morelos Market, and the Federal Palace. One of the main tourist attractions is the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe, located on 5 de Mayo Avenue; it is a neo-gothic style architectural cathedral which its construction began on February 2, 1898, this cathedral reaches 107.5 meters in height (352.69 ft.), 95 meters long (311.67 ft.), 57 meters wide (187 ft.), and a total surface area of 5,415 square meters (58,286.57 sq. ft.) making it one of the largest cathedrals of its kind in the American continent. There is also the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Zamora has several