Morelos

Morelos, state (1990 pop. 1,195,059), 1,917 sq mi (4,965 sq km), S Mexico. Cuernavaca is the capital. Morelos is separated from the Federal District and from Mexico state by the east-west volcanic chain crossing central Mexico. Morelos itself is mountainous, with many broad, semiarid valleys in the south. The climate is cold in the mountains and hot in the valleys. Chiefly agricultural, the state grows sugarcane, rice, cereals, tropical fruits, and vegetables. Industrial progress is prevalent; automobile manufacturing is significant, and mining is being developed. The principal towns are Cuernavaca and Cuautla, which is famous for its defense (1812) by José María Morelos y Pavón in the war against Spain. The state, created in 1869, was named in his honor. It is one of Mexico's most densely populated states.

State (pop., 2005: 1,612,899), central Mexico. It covers 1,911 sq mi (4,950 sq km), and its capital is Cuernavaca. Located on the southern slope of the central Mexican plateau, it is one of the country's most flourishing agricultural states, with valleys that produce a variety of agricultural products. It was named for José María Morelos and was the birthplace of Emiliano Zapata, both of whom were national heroes.

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Morelos is one of the constituent states of Mexico. Morelos has an area of about , making it the second-smallest of the country's states. Morelos is bordered by Mexico State to the north-east and north-west, Distrito Federal to the north, Puebla to the east, and Guerrero to the south-west. In the 2007 census, the population of the state was 1,612,899 people.

The capital of Morelos is the city of Cuernavaca. Morelos also contains the cities of Cuautla, Jiutepec, and Temixco, and the pre-Columbian ruins of Xochicalco.

Morelos was named after José María Morelos, one of the leaders of the Mexican War of Independence.

Morelos has always had great revolutionary activity, and numerous guerrillas have made their homes and struggled for justice in the region. Most notably, the small farming hamlet of Anenecuilco in Morelos was the home town of Emiliano Zapata; the state was the center of Zapata's Mexican Revolution campaign, and a small city in the Morelos is named after him.

Morelos was traditionally a Nahuatl-speaking territory, and variants of the language are still spoken today in towns such as Hueyapan and Cuentepec, as well as Tetelcingo, where a highly distinctive dialect is used.

Communities

Morelos is subdivided into 33 municipios (municipalities).

Aside from the state capital of Cuernavaca, nicknamed La Ciudad de la Eterna Primavera (The City of Eternal Spring), other major communities include:

• Cuautla
• Emiliano Zapata
• Jiutepec
• Temixco
• Yautepec de Zaragoza

References

External links

• Tourism Site for Morelos State
• Morelos State Government Site
• Towns, cities, and postal codes in Morelos