Amecameca de Juárez is a town and the municipal seat of the

Amecameca Amecameca is a municipality located in the eastern panhandle of Mexico State between Mexico City and the Iztaccíhuatl and Popocatépetl volcanos of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. It is located on federal highway 115 which leads to Cuautla, w ...

municipality in

Mexico State The State of Mexico ( es, Estado de México; ), officially just Mexico ( es, México), is one of the administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of the United Mexican States. Commonly known as Edomex (from ) to distinguish it from th ...

(Edomex) in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Etymology

The name Amecameca comes from

Nahuatl Nahuatl (; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahua peoples, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller ...

. It has been interpreted to mean “place where the papers signal or mark,” or “paper used ceremoniously.” The paper is called

amatl Amate ( es, amate from nah, āmatl ) is a type of bark paper that has been manufactured in Mexico since the precontact times. It was used primarily to create codices. Amate paper was extensively produced and used for both communication, record ...

, which is a bark paper used to dress images of gods and is still made as a craft. “de Juárez” was added to the name in 1887 by the government of the state of Mexico in honor of Benito Juárez.

Economy

Tourism

The area is a traditional weekend getaway for Mexico City, Puebla state and Morelos state residents. Tourists come here to enjoy the scenery, eat

barbacoa Barbacoa () is a form of cooking meat that originated in the Caribbean with the Taíno people, who called it by the Arawak word ''barbaca'', from which the term "barbacoa" derives, and ultimately, the word 'barbecue". In contemporary Mexico, it ...

, rabbit and other foods in a traditional

tianguis A is an open-air market or bazaar that is traditionally held on certain market days in a town or city neighborhood in Mexico and Central America. This bazaar tradition has its roots well into the pre-Hispanic period and continues in many cases e ...

or municipal market. It is also a local pilgrimage site to the sanctuary of the Señor del Sacromonte. The traditional entrance to the historic center of the town is a colonial era arch, which was built in 1731 and located on the southeast corner of the main plaza next to the municipal palace. It contains a medallion with an image of Christ as the "Humilladero" (humbled), which colonial travelers worshipped. The arch is made of sandstone in

Baroque style The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

with geometric fretwork. At the very top is a small column on which used to sit a statue of San Sebastian de Aparcicio. In the 1970s, a bus hit the arch and toppled the statue, which was never replaced. The main plaza has a 1950s era

kiosk Historically, a kiosk () was a small garden pavilion open on some or all sides common in Iran, Persia, the Indian subcontinent, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward. Today, several examples of this type of kiosk still exist ...

and contains two small stores in its base selling regional candies. The upper portion has a

jukebox A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media. The classic jukebox has buttons, with letters and numbers on them, which are used to selec ...

. The plaza also contains monuments to

Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Don (honorific), Don Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla y Gallaga Mandarte Villaseñor (8 May 1753 – 30 July 1811), more commonly known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or Miguel Hidalgo (), was a Catholic priest, leader ...

and Benito Juárez as well as a ring from a

Mesoamerican ball court A Mesoamerican ballcourt ( nah, tlachtli) is a large masonry structure of a type used in Mesoamerica for over 2,700 years to play the Mesoamerican ballgame, particularly the hip-ball version of the ballgame. More than 1,300 ballcourts have been i ...

of the 13th century. The pavement of the plaza was replaced in 1999 from paving stone to patterned concrete. In 2003, a

hemicycle In legislatures, a hemicycle is a semicircular, or horseshoe-shaped, debating chamber (''plenary chamber''), where deputies (members) sit to discuss and pass legislation. Although originally of Ancient Greek roots, the term and modern design de ...

dedicated to Benito Juárez was added. While it is considered to be a park, the plaza is often filled with stands on market days and during festivals, but most cultural events take place at the esplanade of the municipal palace. The green areas of the plaza contain sculptures of lions made of iron, but unlike real lions, these are shown with

nopal Nopal (from the Nahuatl word for the pads of the plant) is a common name in Spanish for ''Opuntia'' cacti (commonly referred to in English as ''prickly pear''), as well as for its pads. There are about 114 known species in Mexico, where it is ...

plants, with a boa constrictor and other poses and were donated by the former owners of the Hacienda of Chapingo. For this reason the plaza is also called the Jardin de Leones (Lion Garden). FacadeAsuncionAmeca

Facing the plaza on the east side is the Parish of the Asunción, which was originally a Dominican monastery, founded in 1553. The main portal is made of pink stone and still in good condition. This architectural style is very austere. On the facade of La Asuncion there is only sculpture of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

with the faces of angels at her feet and a window cornice, which has decorations in the form of raindrops. Inside, the main altar is Neoclassical. One of the side altars is Baroque with Biblical images surrounded by

Solomonic column The Solomonic column, also called Barley-sugar column, is a helical column, characterized by a spiraling twisting shaft like a corkscrew. It is not associated with a specific classical order, although most examples have Corinthian or Composite cap ...

s. The

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...

has two altars, another Baroque one with Solomonic columns and one dedicated to the Señor del Sacromonte. The most noteworthy painting here is ''The Angel of the Annuniciation'' done by Echave Orio. The two story cloister is one of the most primitive in the Americas and has four segmental arches resting on octagonal columns on each side. There are two other important chapels in the town; the Chapel of San Juan and the Chapel of the Virgen del Rosario which have functioned as points of reference for travelers since they were built. They were built for the common people of

adobe Adobe ( ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for ''mudbrick''. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is used to refer to any kind of e ...

and wood. Also near the main plaza is the municipal market, which is a traditional place to enjoy local culinary specialties. It contains central Mexican staples such carnitas and barbacoa, but the local signature dish is rabbit. Rabbit is a signature dish of the region. It is prepared as

mixote A mixiote is a traditional pit-barbecued meat dish in central Mexico; especially in the Basin of Mexico. It can also be prepared in an oven. It is usually made with mutton or rabbit, but chicken, Lamb and mutton, lamb, and pork are also used. T ...

, in

moles Moles can refer to: * Moles de Xert, a mountain range in the Baix Maestrat comarca, Valencian Community, Spain * The Moles (Australian band) *The Moles, alter ego of Scottish band Simon Dupree and the Big Sound People *Abraham Moles, French engin ...

, wrapped in corn husks and steamed, or simply covered in chili pepper and roasted. Like in other parts of Mexico,

atole ''Atole'' (, from Nahuatl '' ātōlli'' ), also known as ''atolli'' and ''atol de elote'', is a traditional hot corn- and masa-based beverage of Mexican origin. Chocolate ''atole'' is known as ''champurrado'' or ''atole''. It typically accomp ...

is popular here but there is a variation seasoned with chili pepper and

epazote ''Dysphania ambrosioides'', formerly ''Chenopodium ambrosioides'', known as Jesuit's tea, Mexican-tea, ''payqu'' ''(paico)'', ''epazote'', ''mastruz'', or ''herba sanctæ Mariæ'', is an annual or short-lived perennial herb native to Central A ...

. The municipal market offers dishes and products made from local nuts such a walnuts such as

chiles en nogada ''Chiles en nogada'' is a Mexican dish of poblano chiles stuffed with ''picadillo'' (a mixture usually containing shredded meat, aromatics, fruits and spices) topped with a walnut-based cream sauce called ''nogada'', pomegranate seeds and par ...

, chicken in a nut sauce, mixiotes with rabbit and nuts as well as a walnut liquor. In front of this market is a crafts market which sells clay items, photographs of the volcanos, local breads and turnovers filled with apple or pineapple. The market also sells a liquor from walnuts year round but it is especially during the annual Walnut Festival, which takes place in August. This permanent market is supplemented by the tianguis, or traditional outdoor market, held each Sunday. On this day, traders and craftsmen come from as far as Puebla to sell. The town has one

pulqueria Pulquerías (or pulcherías) are a type of tavern in Mexico that specialize in serving an alcoholic beverage known as pulque. Established during early colonial rule, pulquerías remained popular venues for Mexican socializing until the mid-20th ...

which serves the

pulque Pulque (; nci, metoctli), or octli, is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sap of the maguey (agave) plant. It is traditional in central Mexico, where it has been produced for millennia. It has the color of milk, a rather viscous co ...

straight or flavored. Common flavors such as strawberry,

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South a ...

guava Guava () is a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common guava ''Psidium guajava'' (lemon guava, apple guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family ( Myrtaceae), native to Mexico, Central America, the ...

and nut are available, but the owner also has original recipes for flavors such as tomato, celery, carrot and others which the owner says are "secret."

Education

The state university of UAEM (Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Mexico) has a local campus here. A major charity is the Cottolengo Mexicano, which is a project of the Obra Don Orione religious foundation. This group was founded in Italy in 1905 and has expanded to over thirty countries to offer charity, education and evangelization. The group established itself here and in

Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl Ciudad () is the Spanish word for City Ciudad may also refer to: *La Ciudad (archaeological site), Hohokam ruins in Phoenix, Arizona *La Ciudad, district of Durango City, Mexico *''La ciudad'', novel by Mario Levrero 1970 *La Ciudad ''The City'' ...

in the mid 1990s. The Cottolengo serves homeless children and those who are disabled.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amecameca de Juarez Amecameca Populated places in the State of Mexico Municipality seats in the State of Mexico 1824 establishments in Mexico Populated places established in 1824