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Acapantzingo (Spanish: ka pan ˈzɪn go is a ''barrio'' (borough or neighborhood) in the southeastern part of the City of
Cuernavaca Cuernavaca (; nci-IPA, Cuauhnāhuac, kʷawˈnaːwak "near the woods", ) is the capital and largest city of the state of Morelos in Mexico. The city is located around a 90-minute drive south of Mexico City using the Federal Highway 95D. The na ...
, Morelos, Mexico, 2 km from the city center. The Nahuatl name means ''on the slope of the reeds'' (': reed; ': on; ' or ': slope). It is bound by the ''Río Chalchihuapan'' on the west, ''Colonia Atlacumulco'', Jiutepec to the east and south, ''Colonia Palmira'' to the south, and ''Calle Cuauhatemoc'' (Colonia Amatitlán, Fracc. Jacarandas, Fracc. Las Quintas) to the north. Acapantzingo is divided into different ''colonias'' (neighborhoods) and ''fraccionamientos'' (subdivisions), including: Colonia San Miguel Acapantzingo, Ejido de Acapantzingo, Fracc. Jacarandas, Fracc. Jardines de Acapantzingo, Fracc. Los Cisos, Pueblo de Acapantzingo, and Tabachines.


History


Prehispanic history

There are indications that the origins of Acapantzingo date to 1500
BCE Common Era (CE) and Before the Common Era (BCE) are year notations for the Gregorian calendar (and its predecessor, the Julian calendar), the world's most widely used calendar era. Common Era and Before the Common Era are alternatives to the o ...
, since early agricultural settlements are similar to those in Zacatenco (700-400 BCE) and Tucumán (400-200 BCE). Some historical antecedents indicate that the Tlahuica ceremonial center known
Teopanzolco Teopanzolco is an Aztec archaeological site in the Mexican state of Morelos. Due to urban growth, it now lies within the modern city of Cuernavaca. Most of the visible remains date from the Middle to Late Postclassic Period (1300-1521).García Mol ...
belonged to the town of Acapantzingo.


Conquest and colonialism

Hernán Cortés arrived in ''Cuauhnáhuac'' (modern Cuernavaca) on April 13, 1521; after a brief battle where he sacked and burned the city, he retired to the beautiful garden of Acapantzingo, where the ''cacique'' (warlord) ''Yoatzin'' lived. Yoatzin pledged obedience to Cortes, who spent the night there. The following morning was a Sunday, so Fray Pedro Melgarejo de Urrea celebrated what was to be the first mass in Cuernavaca before setting off to rape and pillage
Xochimilco Xochimilco (; nci, Xōchimīlco, ) is a borough (''demarcación territorial'') of Mexico City. The borough is centered on the formerly independent city of Xochimilco, which was established on what was the southern shore of Lake Xochimilco in t ...
. Cortés returned to Acapantzingo in 1524 while he built the Palace of Cortes. Acapantzingo was considered part of the ''Marquesado del Valle de Oaxaca'' property of Hérnan Cortés and his descendants until 1869 when it was integrated into the municipality of Cuernavaca after the erection of the State of Morelos. The town of Acapantzingo was one of the four main boroughs that formed the city during the colonial period. Its patron saint was originally ''San Diego de Alcalá'' and later ''San Miguel Arcángel''. Some sources say San Miguel was built in the 16th century; however, according to chronologist Juan Dubernard, the statue of St. Michael the Archangel found in the interior of the church was brought from San Miguel de Chapultepec (today called ''San Juan Evangelista'') on May 8, 1743.


19th century

Maximilian I of Mexico Maximilian I (german: Ferdinand Maximilian Josef Maria von Habsburg-Lothringen, link=no, es, Fernando Maximiliano José María de Habsburgo-Lorena, link=no; 6 July 1832 – 19 June 1867) was an Austrian archduke who reigned as the only Emperor ...
arrived in Mexico in 1861 and declared himself emperor in 1864. He bought the
Borda Garden Borda may refer to: *Qaṣīda al-Burda, a famous Sufi poem. *Borda (building) or borde, traditional cattle farmers' buildings in the Pyrenees, a barn, sheepfold, or stable * Places in India ** Borda, Goa, a town and suburb of the city of Margao i ...
in downtown Cuernavaca as a vacation home and took the daughter of his gardener ''La India Bonita,'' as his mistress. He purchased a ''finca'' (estate) for her in front of the Church of San Miguel Acapantzingo; calling it ''El Olido'' in membrance of the lovers created by Italian poet Torquato Tasso: ''Olindo and Safronia''. The townspeople of Acapantzingo soon called it, ''El Olvido,'' suggesting he went there to forget his crazy wife, Carlota. Today it is the ''Jardín Etnobotánico en Cuernavaca''. (Max didn't completely forget Carlota; he named the bridge across the ''Río Chalchihuapan'' "La Emperatriz.") In 1876, Governor Carlos Pacheco established the first Regional School on the Acapantzingo estate of the former emperor. In 1923 the Secretary of Agriculture converted this to an experimental farm, and it 1976 it became a botanical garden under the direction of the
Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia The Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH, ''National Institute of Anthropology and History'') is a Mexican federal government bureau established in 1939 to guarantee the research, preservation, protection, and promotion of th ...
(National Institute of Anthropology and History, INAH).


20th century

In 1914, during the
Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...
, the bridge built on Calle 5 de Mayo (today called Calle
Rufino Tamayo Rufino del Carmen Arellanes Tamayo (August 25, 1899 – June 24, 1991) was a Mexican painter of Zapotec heritage, born in Oaxaca de Juárez, Mexico.Sullivan, 170-171Ades, 357 Tamayo was active in the mid-20th century in Mexico and New York, ...
) was destroyed to keep the
Zapatistas Zapatista(s) may refer to: * Liberation Army of the South, formed 1910s, a Mexican insurgent group involved in the Mexican Revolution * Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN), formed 1983, a Mexican indigenous armed revolutionary group based ...
out of the city; it was rebuilt in 1927 and widened in 1999. The revolutionaries for their part sacked and destroyed the chapel of ''San
Diego Diego is a Spanish masculine given name. The Portuguese equivalent is Diogo. The name also has several patronymic derivations, listed below. The etymology of Diego is disputed, with two major origin hypotheses: ''Tiago'' and ''Didacus''. E ...
Alcalá'' (affectionately called ''San Diegito'') on Galeana Street; the chapel was rebuilt in 1943. The Ejido de Acapantzingo, consisting of , was created on January 17,
1925 Events January * January 1 ** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the I ...
. Juan B. Carral bought of this land in exchange for land in the state of
San Luis Potosí San Luis Potosí (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of San Luis Potosí ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí), is one of the 32 states which compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and i ...
. After Carral's death, were sold to Mauricio Urdaneta for the construction of the Tabachines subdivision and the golf club located there. Other lands were sold to Luis Paganoni to construct the subdivisions Jardines de Acapantzingo and Los Cisnos. During the 1980s a dispute between followers of
Traditionalist Catholicism Traditionalist Catholicism is the set of beliefs, practices, customs, traditions, liturgical forms, devotions, and presentations of Catholic teaching that existed in the Catholic Church before the liberal reforms of the Second Vatican Council (1 ...
and mainline Roman Catholics led to the construction of the Church of the ''
Virgen de Guadalupe Our Lady of Guadalupe ( es, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe), also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe ( es, Virgen de Guadalupe), is a Catholic title of Mary, mother of Jesus associated with a series of five Marian apparitions, which are believed t ...
'' on Ruíz Cortinez Street in Colonia San Miguel Acapantzingo. The priest responsible for this construction, Fr. Juan Guerrero (d. 2021) also built chapels in Jardines de Acapantzingo (''Espiritu Santo'' or "Holy Spirit"), Tabachines, and the Ejido ('' San Isidro Labrador''). In 1990 the traditionalists were expulsed from the churches of San Miguel and San Diegito, and they built the church of ''La Divina Providencia'' (or "Divine Providence") on Calle 16 de Septiembre. In
1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nels ...
, the office of Secretary of Development of the Environment (SEDAM) proposed seizing of land from the Ejido de Acapantzingo to make an Ecological Park. The ''ejidatarios'' resisted, and in the year
2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
the ''Parque Ecológico San Miguel Acapantzingo'' opened on the site of the former state penitentiary in the Jacarandas subdivision, on the north side of Av. Atlacumolco.


21st century

On May 22,
2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in ...
, during the
COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico The COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The virus was confirmed to have reached Mexico in February 2020. Ho ...
, 17 confirmed cases of the virus were reported in Acapantzingo, fourth highest in the municipality. Also in 2020, the
National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. N ...
was sent to patrol the streets of Acapantzingo at the request of Gerardo Abarca Peña, ayundante municipal. Acapantzingo was included in the list of colonias with high infection rates during the
COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico The COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The virus was confirmed to have reached Mexico in February 2020. Ho ...
in December 2020.


Points of interest and activities

The chapel of ''San Diego Alcalá'' was probably built by Franciscans in the 16th century. Located on Calle Galeana (formerly Calle San Diego), it was burned and sacked during the
Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...
and rebuilt in 1943. It has an atrium surrounded by a short wall topped with inverted arches; the façade has hollow arches for three bells with a cross above. The Feast of ''San Diegito'' is celebrated with a fair including
Chinelos Chinelos are a kind of traditional costumed dancer which is popular in the Mexican state of Morelos, parts of the State of Mexico and the Federal District of Mexico City, especially the boroughs of Milpa Alta and Xochimilco. The tradition arose fr ...
, a brass band, and fireworks, on November 13. The 18th-century parish church ''San Miguel Arcángel'' is located on Calle Matamoros. Its entrance has a semicircular arch and a flower can be seen in relief. Above the entrance, there is a small gable. On the left side of the façade there is a two-level tower with a pinnacle in each of its angles and a cupola. The church of San Miguel has a single nave, with a barrel vault running through it and a skylight on top. There is a neoclassical altar with a stucco statue of St. Michael, and there is a choir loft. The sacristy is on the north side. The atrium has several large plum trees for shade, and there is an outside chapel built in the 2010s. The feast of San Miguel is celebrated with a fair including mechanical rides, a brass band, Chinelos, and fireworks on September 29. The church of San Miguel is built along a cobblestone street. There is a large cross located on the southeast corner of Calles Matamoros and Arteaga. Across from the church is the country estate ''El Olvido'' built by Emperor Maximilian I in 1865. The farm was named ''El Olindo'' in memory of the lovers created by the Italian poet Torquato Tasso: ''Olindo and Sophrania: A Tragedy'' (1758). It is frequently called ''la Casa de la India Bonita'' and today it houses the ''Jardín Etnobotánico y Museo de la Medicina Tradicional'', which opened in 1979. A wide variety of medicinal plants, cacti, condiments, and ornamental plants such as orchids can be seen. The visitor will find a permanent exhibition on the historical background of the species that are reported in 16th-century codices as well as current studies on traditional medicine. The ''Ecological Park San Miguel Acapantzingo'' is built in what was the Atlacomulco Penitentiary (1935-2000). It has green areas with a playground, a jogging track, and the Science Museum. One of the original prison cells still stands, and there is a traditional ''Cuexcomate'' (adobe and straw silo), a Byzantine-style mural titled ''Despertar en Primavera'' (Waking in Spring) by Yolanda Iñiguez, and a ''dancing fountain'' accompanied by a light show and music. Located at Ave. Atlacomulco 136, Acapatzingo. The ''Cuernavaca Spring Fair'' is celebrated in the ''Ejido de Acapantzingo'' during Holy Week. The fair features mechanical rides, internationally known musicians, cockfights, handicrafts, and food from every corner of Mexico. The fair was canceled in 2018 due to concerns about crime. For recreation, one can visit the Golf Club in ''Tabachines'' or the ''Unidad Deportiva Chato Balderas de Acapantzingo'' (soccer field) on Calle Galeana. The Sección Cuauhnahuac of the ''Asociación Mexicana de Orquideología'' (Mexican Orchid Association) holds an annual exhibition around the Day of the Dead (November 2). In recent years, this has been held at the Universidad Guizar y Valencia, Av. Atlacomulco s/n esq, Calle Morelos.


Schools and education

There are seven early learning centers (''CENDI'') and preschools (''Prescolar''); two are public) in Acapantzingo. There are nine ''primarias'' (elementary schools, grades 1-6); two are full-time public schools. There are six ''secundarias'' (middle school, grades 7-9); one is public. There are three private ''preparatorias'' (high schools, grades 10-12) and five institutions of higher education: * Centro de Actualizacion del Magisterio Cuernavaca (public), Calle Narciso Mendoza #9 (for teacher training), * Colegio Estatal de Seguridad Publica (public), Narciso Mendoza #47 (police academy), * Encuentros Comunicacion y Cultura (private), Calle Jose Maria Morelos #36 (engineering), * Universidad Americana de Morelos (private), Calle del Ejido #30, Colonia Ejido de Acapantzingo (university), and * Universidad Guizar y Valencia (private), Calle Morelos s/n esq. Atlacumolco (university).


People from Acapantzingo

The best-known residents of Acapantzingo are Emperor
Maximilian Maximilian, Maximillian or Maximiliaan (Maximilien in French) is a male given name. The name " Max" is considered a shortening of "Maximilian" as well as of several other names. List of people Monarchs *Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (1459� ...
and Concepcion Sedano, his mistress. There is a plaque on the outside of the house located at the corner of Calle Morelos and Calle Rufino Tamayo that states, ''Casa de
Diego Rivera Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez, known as Diego Rivera (; December 8, 1886 – November 24, 1957), was a prominent Mexican painter. His large frescoes helped establish the ...
1951-1957''. Artist
Rufino Tamayo Rufino del Carmen Arellanes Tamayo (August 25, 1899 – June 24, 1991) was a Mexican painter of Zapotec heritage, born in Oaxaca de Juárez, Mexico.Sullivan, 170-171Ades, 357 Tamayo was active in the mid-20th century in Mexico and New York, ...
(1899-1991) had a home on the same street, formerly called ''Cinco de Mayo''.
Princess Maria Beatrice of Savoy Princess Maria Beatrice of Savoy (born 2 February 1943) is the youngest daughter of Italy's last King, Umberto II, and his wife, Queen Marie José. Life Born Principessa Maria Beatrice Elena Margherita Ludovica Caterina Romana di Savoia, she ...
(b. Italy, 1943) lived with her family on Calle Matamoros from 1971 until her husband's murder in 1999.
Gutierre Tibón Gutierre Tibón (16 July 1905 – 15 May 1999) was an Italian-Mexican writer. He wrote widely on issues of cultural identity, mixing ideas from anthropology, linguistics, psychology, philosophy, ethnology, sociology, and political science. Early ...
, an Italian-Mexican writer, lived in Acapantzingo for 40 years; Cristina Cassy, a classic and impressionist painter and Rodolfo Becerril Straffon (b. Cuernavaca, 1943), writer, journalist, former federal deputy (PRI, 1991-1994), and one-time candidate for governor; live in Acapantzingo. The Yucateco composer,
Armando Manzanero Armando Manzanero Canché (7 December 1935 – 28 December 2020) was a Mexican Mayan musician, singer, composer, actor and music producer, widely considered the premier Mexican romantic composer of the postwar era and one of the most successf ...
, had a vacation home on Calle 16 de Septiembre.


See also

*
Cuernavaca Cuernavaca (; nci-IPA, Cuauhnāhuac, kʷawˈnaːwak "near the woods", ) is the capital and largest city of the state of Morelos in Mexico. The city is located around a 90-minute drive south of Mexico City using the Federal Highway 95D. The na ...
*
Cuernavaca Municipality The Cuernavaca Municipality is one of 36 municipalities in the State of Morelos, Mexico. Located in the northwest of the state, it consists of the City of Cuernavaca, which is the state and municipal capital, as well as other, smaller towns. The ...
*
List of people from Morelos, Mexico The following are people who were born, raised, or who gained significant prominence for living in the Mexican state of Morelos: ''This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by exp ...


References


External links


Schools
{{Coord, 18.9, N, 99.217, W, display=title People from Cuernavaca People from Morelos Populated places in Morelos Nahua settlements