Cuernavaca

 

(kwārnävä'kä) , city (1990 pop. 279,187), capital of Morelos state, S Mexico, in the Cuernavaca Valley. Increasingly a suburb of Mexico City (to the north), Cuernavaca has flour mills and beverage, textile, and cement industries. It is also a popular tourist and health resort. In the city are beautiful churches, monasteries, a 16th-century Franciscan convent, a palace built by Hernán Cortés and decorated with murals by Diego Rivera, and a formal garden that was frequented by Emperor Maximilian and Empress Carlotta. Nearby is the Toltec ruin, Xochicalco, built over limestone caves.

Cuernavaca
Location in Mexico
Mexican State	Morelos
Government
- Mayor 2006-2009	Jesús Giles Sánchez
Area
- City	km²  ( sq mi)
Elevation	m ( ft)
Population (2005)
- City
- Metro
Website: http://www.cuernavaca.gob.mx/

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: [kʷawˈnaːwak]), 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".

Locale

Cuernavaca lies about  metres ( ft) 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  metre ( ft) volcanoes topped by Nahuatl ruins like in Tepoztlán or Xochicalco— 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.

Economy

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.

Tourism is also a driving force in Cuernavaca. This is mostly due to its warm weather and many water parks that attract thousands of visitors coming mainly from Mexico City.

Buildings

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, which is in fact being constructed in Guadalajara, Jalisco.

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.

Universities and science

National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) has a satellite campus located in Cuernavaca, which is aimed at research and graduate studies. It has an undergraduate program in genomics. UNAM is the best university in Latin America, Spain and Portugal according to a study by Peking University.^{[citation needed]}

Cuernavaca is the home of the following research centers: Center for Genomic Sciences (UNAM), the Institute of Biotechnology (UNAM), the Institute of Physical Sciences (UNAM), the Center for research in Energy (UNAM), the Institute of Mathematics (UNAM), the Center for Research in Engineering and Applied Sciences (UAEM), and the National Institue of Public Health. Cuernavaca has the highest concentration of scientists and researchers in Latin America.^{[citation needed]}

Universidad Autonóma del estado de Morelos (UAEM) is the state university located north of Cuernavaca. It has several faculties including Chemistry and Pharmaceutics, Mathematics, Biology, Physics, a Law School and a Medicine College.

There also other smaller universities as well, such as International University (UNINTER) and ITESM.

Education

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.^[1] CCIDD is committed to promoting and instilling a sense of social justice amongst all its students.^[2] Over 500 groups and 10,000 students have attended CCIDD since its inception.^[3]

Transportation

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.

Cuernavaca has also a small airport located south of the city.

Famous residents

• Emperor Maximilian
• 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.
• Erich Fromm lived in Cuernavaca around 1950.
• 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.
• Helen Hayes, noted American actress of stage and film, owned a home in Cuernavaca for many years.
• Ivan Illich founded the Centro Intercultural de Documentación (CIDOC) in Cuernavaca in the early 1960s. This institution served as his base for many years.
• Tamara de Lempicka (May 16 1898 – March 18 1980), noted Art Deco painter, spent the last two years of her life in Cuernavaca.
• 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.
• Dwight Morrow, former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico and father-in-law to Charles Lindbergh, had a weekend home in Cuernavaca.
• Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the exiled Shah of Iran.
• Manuel Puig, an Argentine writer, moved to Cuernavaca in 1989, and died there a year later.
• 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.

Cultural references

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• 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 RBD: La Familia Episode 12, Dul and Ucker hope to escape the paparazzi and vacation in Cuernavaca.
• In La Usurpadora (Mexican Soap 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.

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
• Cuernavaca Center for Intercultural Dialogue on Development
• Photos and turistical information of Cuernavaca
• Ayuntamiento de Cuernavaca Official website
• Website of the Center for Genomic Sciences
• Website of the Institute of Biotechnology
• Undergraduate program in Genomic Sciences
• Website of the Institute in Physical Sciences
• Website of the Center of Research in Engineering and Applied Science
• Cuernavaca Photos
• Portal para la Promoción Integral de la Ciudad de Cuernavaca
• Guia-Cuernavaca
• Brady Museum
• Muros Museum
• Diario de Morelos
• La Union Newspaper

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Coordinates: 18°55′04″N, 99°13′36″W

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