CUERNAVACA

'Cuernavaca' is the capital and largest city of the state of Morelos in Mexico. It is the municipal seat of the municipality of Cuernavaca. As of the 2005 census, the population of the city was 332,197; the municipality's entire population was 349,102. The municipality has an area of 151.2 km² (58.38 sq mi) and includes numerous small localities outside the city, like Ocotepec, where interesting religious celebrations take place, like the Day of the Dead in the first days of November.
Cuernavaca is located about 85 km. (50 miles) south of Mexico City on the M-95 freeway. It is known as "the city of eternal spring" because of its consistent 27 °C year-round weather. Cuernavaca is truly in the heart of Mexico, and is surrounded by some of the most beautiful and culturally rich regions of the country.
The city's name comes from Nahuatl ''Cuauhnāhuac'' "place near trees" (IPA: ), the name of the pre-Columbian altepetl at the location. The name was altered to ''Cuernavaca'' by influence of the Spanish words ''cuerno'' "horn" and ''vaca'' "cow".

Contents

Brief Description and Highlights

Famous residents

Cultural references

Sister cities

References

External links

Brief Description and Highlights

Cuernavaca lies about 700 meters lower than Mexico City, and therefore serves as a popular refuge from the heat for inhabitants of the Mexico City valley. It attracts visitors from around the world for its art, history, and Spanish language schools. Several interesting excursions to nearby attractions are easily managed within a two-hour drive: North America's oldest and most populous city (Mexico City) to hovering 6,000 meter volcanoes topped by Nahuatl ruins - are just a couple of the possibilities within a short distance from the heart of this antiquated, charming city.
Cuernavaca is appreciated for its historical richness, striking scenery, vibrant life, and delightful climate. Surrounded by undulating hills and cut by narrow, cobbled streets, Cuernavaca is a quaint colonial remnant. A wide variety of activities are available with all of the normal services of a modern city. This balance of ancient and new has protected the historical value of the city while offering modern amenities.


While the chief economic activities in modern day Cuernavaca center around manufacturing and services, some agricultural activities of old continue. Cortez introduced sugar cane cultivation to the area, and African slaves were brought in to work in the cane fields, by way of Spain's Caribbean colonies. His sugar hacienda still stands but has been converted to the impressive Hotel de Cortez. Sugar is still a main agriculture product in addition to corn (maize), beans, and tropical fruits. Floriculture and beekeeping are also important. Manufactures include processed foods, pharmaceuticals, clothing, textiles, and automobiles.
The city has examples of ancient Aztec and Tlahuica cultures as well as colonial buildings. Emperor Charles V gave Cuernavaca to Hernán Cortez as a fief, and in 1532 the conquistador built Palacio de Cortés, now the Museo Regional de Historia de Cuauhnahuac (Historical Museum of Cuauhnahuac). The museum features a mural by Diego Rivera depicting the conquest of Mexico, mammoth remains, and items from contemporary Indigenous cultures.
Behind the Casa de la Torre, in a former 16th century meteorological observatory of the Franciscan seminary, the artist Robert Brady worked and died, leaving a fascinating and rich collection of art he had collected over his lifetime. Works by Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Paul Klee and Francis Toledo are among the 1400 pieces in the collection. This museum was second choice as the location for Mexico's Guggenheim museum.
Cuernavaca also features a cathedral dating from 1552. Murals depict the journey of Mexican Saint Felipe to Japan. At the 11:00 mass on Sundays, a mariachi band accompanies the proceedings.
The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts world centre Our Cabaña opened in 1957.
The city has a number of language schools and has, for more than 25 years, been hosting visitors from around the world who want to learn Spanish. An American colony thrives here as well.
The Cuernavaca Center for Intercultural Dialogue on Development or CCIDD opened in 1977. The center is a Christian retreat house that hosts students from Canada and the United States so as to offer a firsthand perspective on the poverty and injustice afflicting a majority of the people in Latin America. CCIDD is committed to promoting and instilling a sense of social justice amongst all its students. Over 500 groups and 10,000 students have attended CCIDD since its inception.
The city's bus system is economical and easy to use.
Bus destinations from Cuernavaca include very regular services to Mexico City (1.5 hours) as well as services to Toluca, Puebla, Tepoztlan, Taxco, Acapulco and destinations throughout Morelos. There is a toll road and also a regional airport.
Cuernavaca is no longer served by rail services.

Famous residents

★ Emperor Maximilian

★ Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the exiled Shah of Iran.

★ Dwight Morrow, former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico and father-in-law to Charles Lindbergh, had a weekend home in Cuernavaca.

★ Manuel Puig, an Argentine writer, moved to Cuernavaca in 1989 and died there in 1990.

★ Erich Fromm lived in Cuernavaca around 1950.

★ Maurice Ascalon (1913-2003), the Israeli sculptor and industrial designer, spent the last years of his life in Cuernavaca, where he resided with his son, the artist Adir Ascalon.

★ Warren Zevon (1947-2003), the Chicago-born rock artist, made cryptic allusion to the city of Cuernavaca in the song ''Veracruz'', included on his 1978 breakout release, Excitable Boy.

★ Jazz figures Charles Mingus (1922-1979) and Gil Evans (1912-1988) both died in Cuernavaca after suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease and peritonitis, respectively.

★ Chicago mobster Sam Giancana spent seven years (1967-74) in exile on a lavish estate until the Mexican government (under pressure from the US Justice Department) had him deported to the United States.

★ Ivan Illich founded the Centro Intercultural de Documentación (CIDOC) in Cuernavaca in the early 1960s. This institution served as his base for many years.

★ Miahuaxihuitl, a princess from Cuauhnahuac (modern Cuernavaca), a city to the south of the Valley of Mexico was the mother of moctezuma I, an aztec emperor.

★ Tamara de Lempicka (May 16, 1898 – March 18, 1980), noted Art Deco painter, spent the last two years of her life in Cuernavaca.

Cultural references

★ Albeit somewhat disguised, Cuernavaca (or Quauhnahuac) is the setting for Malcolm Lowry's harrowing novel of alcohol-induced self-destruction, ''Under the Volcano''.

★ In Men In Black when the INS agent asks the driver of a van that transports illegal aliens from Mexico, "Where are you coming from?" the driver answers, "I was fishing in Cuernavaca."(We should note that Cuernavaca possesses no lakes or rivers of significance, just cliffs and some creeks).

★ In the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode Helpless (3x12), exactly 5 minutes into the episode, Buffy is talking to Giles in the library. "I'm way off my game. My game's left the country. It's in Cuernavaca."

★ In Heroes episode 14, "Distractions", half-way through the episode Claire's mother claims that she spent some time in Cuernavaca.

★ In Episode 12, Dul and Ucker hope to escape the paparazzi and vacation in Cuernavaca.

★ In La Usurpadora (Mexican Soup opera) 1998. Douglas Maldonado, a millionaire man who owns many enterprises mainly in petroleum industry, helped Paulina Martinez (former Paola Bracho's twin sister) to recover Bracho's Factory from banruptcy.

Sister cities

★ 'Denver', Colorado, USA

References

★ Link to tables of population data from Census of 2005 INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática

★ Morelos Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México

External links

★ [1] Photos

★ Ayuntamiento de Cuernavaca Official website

★ Cuernavaca Photos

★ Portal para la Promoción Integral de la Ciudad de Cuernavaca

★ Guia-Cuernavaca

★ Brady Museum

★ Muros Museum

★ Diario de Morelos

★ Cuernavaca Center for Intercultural Dialogue on Development

★ La Union Newspaper

★ Hoteles en Cuernavaca