Cuautla, Morelos
Encyclopedia
Cuautla officially La heroica e histórica Cuautla de Morelos, (The Heroic and Historic Cuautla of Morelos) or H. H. Cuautla de Morelos, is a city and municipality
Municipalities of Mexico
Municipalities are the second-level administrative division in Mexico . There are 2,438 municipalities in Mexico, making the average municipality population 45,616...
in the Mexican state of Morelos
Morelos
Morelos officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Morelos is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 33 municipalities and its capital city is Cuernavaca....
. In the 2005 census the city population was 145,482 and the municipality population was 160,285. The municipality covers 153.651 km² (59.325 sq mi). Cuautla is the third most populous city in the state, after Cuernavaca
Cuernavaca
Cuernavaca is the capital and largest city of the state of Morelos in Mexico. It was established at the archeological site of Gualupita I by the Olmec, "the mother culture" of Mesoamerica, approximately 3200 years ago...
and Jiutepec
Jiutepec
Jiutepec is a city and its surrounding municipality in the Mexican state of Morelos.It stands at .The name Jiutepec comes from the Nahuatl name "Xiutepetl" that means "the precious stones hill". It has tourist attractions like spas. It has the hotel Ex-Hacienda de Cortez. It is a hotel and Hernan...
. The city was founded on 4 April 1829 and gets its name from the Nahuatl
Nahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
: "Kuahtlán", meaning "forest". The current municipal president (mayor) is Luis Felipe Xavier Güemes.
History
Cuautla was the scene of one of the fiercest battles of the War of IndependenceMexican War of Independence
The Mexican War of Independence was an armed conflict between the people of Mexico and the Spanish colonial authorities which started on 16 September 1810. The movement, which became known as the Mexican War of Independence, was led by Mexican-born Spaniards, Mestizos and Amerindians who sought...
during a siege which began on February 19 and ended on May 2, 1814. 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
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
Cuautla was the first city conquered
Battle of Cuautla (1911)
The Battle of Cuautla was a battle between the forces of Emiliano Zapata and the federal army of the Mexican government that took place in the state of Morelos from May 11–19, 1911, during the Mexican Revolution. It has been described as the "six of the most terrible days of battle in the whole...
by the forces of Emiliano Zapata
Emiliano Zapata
Emiliano Zapata Salazar was a leading figure in the Mexican Revolution, which broke out in 1910, and which was initially directed against the president Porfirio Díaz. He formed and commanded an important revolutionary force, the Liberation Army of the South, during the Mexican Revolution...
, who was born in Anenecuilco, just south of Cuautla.
Attractions
The area is a tourist-friendly region with abundant hot springs and health spas/resorts. It features many archeological sites such as ChalcatzingoChalcatzingo
Chalcatzingo is a Mesoamerican archaeological site in the Valley of Morelos dating from the Formative Period of Mesoamerican chronology. The site is well-known for its extensive array of Olmec-style monumental art and iconography. Located in the southern portion of the Central Highlands of Mexico,...
and indigenous communities such as the Tepoztlán
Tepoztlán
Tepoztlán is a town in the Mexican state of Morelos. It is located at in the heart of the Tepoztlán Valley. The town serves as the seat of government for the municipality of the same name. The town had a population of 14,130 inhabitants, while the municipality reported 41,629 inhabitants in the...
and Tetelcingo among others. Agua Hedionda
Agua Hedionda
Agua Hedionda may refer to:* The Agua Hedionda Spa, a mineral spring day spa in Cuautla, Mexico* The Agua Hedionda Lagoon, a lagoon in Carlsbad, California...
, classified as one of the important water springs of the world due to its chemical composition, is also located in this little city. These waters have a characteristic smell reminiscent of rotten eggs because of their sulfur
Sulfur
Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...
content.
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 revolutionary hero Emiliano Zapata
Emiliano Zapata
Emiliano Zapata Salazar was a leading figure in the Mexican Revolution, which broke out in 1910, and which was initially directed against the president Porfirio Díaz. He formed and commanded an important revolutionary force, the Liberation Army of the South, during the Mexican Revolution...
is also located in this city, and every year several festivities are held around the anniversary of his death.
Weather
The city is quite warm year-round.In the winter, there is a slight decrease in both the daytime and nighttime temperatures, and because of Cuautla's proximity to the Tropic of Cancer
Tropic of Cancer
The Tropic of Cancer, also referred to as the Northern tropic, is the circle of latitude on the Earth that marks the most northerly position at which the Sun may appear directly overhead at its zenith...
and its altitude (about 4,500 feet above sea level), the nighttime temperatures year-round usually average about 57°F (14°C). On the other hand, because Cuautla is somewhat close to the Equator
Equator
An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
, temperatures year-round tend to reach into the mid 80s to lower 90s°F (upper 20s°C to the lower 30s°C) even during the winter, and in spring on many days the daytime temperatures may reach well into the upper 90s°F (upper 30s°C).