• Around Mexico City
  • Mexico
  • Tlaxcala
  • Puebla
  • Morelos
  • Hidalgo
• Colonial States
  • Queretaro
  • Guanajuato
  • Aguascalientes
  • San Luis Potosí
  • Jalisco
  • Zacatecas
  • Michoacán
• The Pacific
  • Sinaloa
  • Chihuahua
  • Coahuila
  • Nuevo León
  • State of Durango
  • State of Nayarit
  • Tamaulipas
• The North
  • Sonora
  • Chihuahua
  • Colima
  • Colima
  • Mexico
• Baja Peninsular
  • Baja California Sur
  • Baja California Norte
• The South
  • Oaxaca
  • Chiapas
  • Tobasco
  • Veracruz
• The Yucatan Peninsular
  • Yucatán
  • Quintana Roo
  • Campeche

• Famous Mexican Cities
• Maya Civilization
• Useful Resources
• News Aarchives

Mexico Travel :: States around Mexico City

State of Morelos

The mild climates of the state of Morelos have always attracted more powerful cultures from less agreeable lands. Chalcatzingo lay on the western frontier of the Olmec expansion; a series of bas-reliefs on boulders here give glimpses of the Olmec religion. Xochi-calco, just southwest of Cuernavaca, became an important center after the fall of Teotihuacan around AD 700. The city was probably inhabited by a tribe of Chontal-speaking Putun Maya, called the Olmeca-Xicallanca (no relation to the Olmecs), from the Gulf coast who worshipped the Feathered Serpent that surrounds the main temple here. In 1426, the kingdoms of Morelos were defeated by the Aztecs and huge piles of tribute were sent over the mountains to Tenochtitlan. The Aztec Emperor Motecuhzoma I built a luxuriant garden in Oaxtepec near Cuernavaca (then called Cuauhnahuac), which may have inspired the first European botanical gardens. In 1521, Cortes conquered the region, made it part of his encomienda and constructed the New World's first sugar refinery. He also built a palace in Cuernavaca, to which he retreated whenever the colonial politics became too much for him. Many other Spaniards also purchased sugar plantations in Morelos and imported African slaves to replace the Indians who died of disease and overwork. For centuries most of Morelos' land has been concentrated in the hands of a few, usually absentee landlords from Mexico City, and agrarian reform has been a burning issue here. Cuernavaca became the favorite vacation spot of first the criollo elite, then Emperor Maximilian, and now movie stars and politicians. The first bandoleros, peasant revolutionaries, sprang up in 1856 and were later crushed by Porfirio Diaz. Bandolerismo returned with a vengeance under the leadership of Emiliano Zapata. After his 'Liberating Army of the South' ousted Diaz' followers, he instituted his own brand of peasant communism and redistributed millions of acres of land to campesinos. The rich fled Cuernavaca for Mexico City. Zapata was assassinated on April 10, 1919 in a treacherous ambush ordered by President Carranza. At the end of the Revolution, Morelos' economy lay in ruins and reconstruction took decades.

Featured Mexico Travel Destinations

Getting to Mexico

Getting to Mexico All countries in Latin America officially require travellers who enter their territory to have an onward or return ticket. In 2000-2001 this

Missing woman apparently found in Mexico

Missing woman apparently found in Mexico A young woman from Saudi Arabia who disappeared in St. Paul last week has apparently been found in Tijuana, Mexico.

Art Festival at Todos Santos: Cabo San Lucas

Art Festival at Todos Santos Casa de la Cultura (Gral Topete) Cabo San Lucas, Mexico Attraction Type: Things to do

Biblioteca Universitaria: Monterrey

Biblioteca Universitaria: Monterrey This historic library features an art gallery displaying the work of local artists and students. This library is part of the Universidad Autónoma

President Vicente Fox Visits Moll Mexico

President Vicente Fox Visits Moll Mexico Mexico's President Vicente Fox honored Moll Mexico, a plastic injection molder and contract manufacturer, visiting its newly constructed plant in

Casa Historica: Guadalajara

Casa Historica: Guadalajara We are in process of collecting information about this sight....

Cycling in Mexico

Unless you are planning a journey almost exclusively on paved roads - when a high-quality touring bike such as a Dawes Super Galaxy would probably

Mexico City: SunTrust Racing race report

Mexico City: SunTrust Racing race report SunTrust Team Clinches Daytona Prototype Championship and Tenth Podium Finish at Mexico City Finale Mexico City, Mexico (November 5, 2005)

Katrina Strengthens on a Path Through Gulf of Mexico (Update2)

Katrina Strengthens on a Path Through Gulf of Mexico (Update2) Katrina strengthened as it headed into the Gulf of Mexico after it swept across southern

Sasken plans development center in Mexico

Sasken plans development center in Mexico Sasken Communication Technologies Ltd has announced its plans to set up its international Development and Support Center in Nuevo