Cuautla, Morelos

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Cuautla (kwau-tlah), officially La heroica e histórica Cuautla de Morelos, (The Heroic and Historic Cuautla of Morelos), H. H. Cuautla de Morelos, is a city and municipality in the Mexican state of Morelos. In the 2005 census the city had a population of 145,482, while the municipality had 160,285 people. The municipality's geographical size is 153.651 km² (59.325 sq mi). Located at 18°49′N 98°57′W, Cuautla is the third most populous city in the state, after Cuernavaca and Jiutepec. The city was founded on 4 April 1829 and gets its name from the Nahuatl: "Cuauhtlan" meaning forest or orchard. The current municipal president (mayor) is Sergio Valdespín.

Contents 1 History 2 Attractions 3 Weather 4 References 5 External links

[edit] History

Cuautla was the warzone of one of the fiercest battles of the Mexican War of Independence from Spanish control. The war began on February 19 and ended on May 2, 1812. The city was taken by forces of the priest and General José María Morelos y Pavón who defended it against the Spaniard General Félix María Calleja for weeks before having to retreat.

During the Mexican Revolution Cuautla was the first city conquered by the forces of Emiliano Zapata, who was born in Anenecuilco, just south of Cuautla.

For several decades in the late 20th century, the city was essentially controlled by Jorge Abuxapqui Aviles, an immigrant from Yucatán who famously arrived in Cuautla with nowhere to live and nothing to eat, and ended up owning a chain of ice cream shops, fried chicken restaurants, furniture stores, bakeries, car wash establishments, and optical shops, as well as controlling regional distribution for Pepsi.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Attractions

The area is known as a tourist-friendly region abundant in hot springs and health spas/resorts. It also has many archeological sites such as Chalcatzingo. Many tourists also visit the indigenous communities of Tepoztlán and Tetelcingo among others. Agua Hedionda (Spanish: Smelly Water), classified as one of the spring waters in the world, due to its chemical composition, is also located in this little city. These waters have a characteristic smell that reminds one of rotten eggs because of its concentration of sulfur.

The Morelos Museum contains artifacts and descriptions about Mexico's War of Independence from Spain. It honors José María Morelos whose rebel troops managed to hold off Royalist troops for 58 days. The Museum adjoins the old narrow-gauge railroad which was used to haul sugar cane to the local mills. The narrow-gauge was retired in 1973. The tomb of the famous Mexican revolution hero Emiliano Zapata is also located in this city, and every year several festivities are held around the anniversary of his death.

[edit] Weather

The weather in Cuautla is very pleasant; the average temperature during the sunlit hours in winter is about 84F (29C) and at night temperatures usually decline to about 57F (14C). The temperature is very consistent throughout the year; annually, only about three days record temperatures above 90F.

[edit] References

(Spanish)

• 2005 Census population data statistics INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática (National Institute of Statistics, Geography, and Information)

• Morelos Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México (Encyclopedia of Mexican Municipalities)

[edit] External links

(Spanish)

• Ayuntamiento Constitucional de Cuautla (Constitutional Council of Cuautla) Official website
• Guide to Cuautla attractions