Huitzilac
Huitzilac is a city and municipality in the Mexican state of Morelos. It stands at 19°01′42″N 99°16′02″W and at an altitude of 2,561 m above sea level.
The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name. With a 2020 census population of 5,347 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city in the municipality, after the town of Tres Marías.
The municipality reported 24,515 inhabitants in the 2020 census.
The name is a Spanish-language adaptation of a Nahuatl toponym meaning "in the water of the humming-birds".
The municipality
The municipality is one of 17 municipalities that border Mexico City. It borders the capital city's southside boroughs of Milpa Alta and Tlalpan. Ulises Pardo Bastida of Juntos Haremos Historia was elected municipal president in the election of July 1, 2018.Towns and villages
The largest localities are:| Name | 2010 Census Population |
| Tres Marías | 6,160 |
| Huitzilac | 4,568 |
| Coajomulco | 2,089 |
| Real Montecassino | 364 |
| Fraccionamiento Sierra Encantada | 349 |
| Total Municipality | 17,340 |
History
During the Prehispanic era, Huitzilac was a part of the domain of Cuahanahuac. After the Conquest, it became a part of the Marquesado del Valle de Oaxaca. The town was an important stagecoach stop on the route from Mexico City to Cuernavaca, but this changed with the construction of the railroad in 1897.During the Revolution, General Genovevo de la O fought against the government. Huitizlac was burned in April 1912, and de la O was able to mobilize 4,000 men plus artillery to join in the fight to liberate Cuernavaca. Thanks to the popularity of the Ejército Libertador del Sur in this region, Huitizalc and Santa María Ahuacatitlán were able to forget their old rivalries.
Iron crosses have been erected at Km 47 of the federal Mexico City-Cuernavaca highway to commemorate Francisco R. Serrano and his associates, Daniel and Miguel A. Peralta, Carlos Ariza, Carlos Vidal, Rafael Martínez de Escobar, Cecilio González, Enrique Monteverde, Alonso Capetillo Robles, Augusto Peña, Antonio Jáuregui, José Valle Arce, Octavio Almada, and Ernesto Noriega Méndez. On October 3, 1927, Serrano and his men were assassinated on the orders of President Álvaro Obregón. Martín Luis Guzman describes the incident in his novel, La sombra del caudillo.
On June 18, 2019, twelve Federal Police agents were sentenced to 34 years of prison for the August 24, 2012 murder of two CIA agents in Tres Marías.
As of May 4, 2020, there were 505 infections and 59 deaths in the state of Morelos and four confirmed infections from the COVID-19 pandemic in Huitzilac. Schools and many businesses were closed from mid March until June 1. On June 2, Huitzilac reported eleven confirmed cases and three deaths from the virus; the reopening of the state was pushed back until at least June 13. Toxic medical waste was found at Km 49 of the Mexican Federal Highway 95D near the monument to Josė María Morelos y Pavón in Tres Marias; four toll collectors who work for Federal Roads and Bridges and Related Services, in Morelos have died from the coronavirus. Huitzilac reported 30 cases, 24 recuperations, and six deaths from the virus as of August 31. Sixty-four cases were reported on December 27, 2020.
Tourist Attractions
- Tres Marías and its restaurants. The town is also a popular meeting point for motorcyclists, especially on weekends.
- Chichinautzin Biological Corridor. The Ajusco Chichinautzin Biological Corridor is a protected natural area with a remarkable diversity of habitats and species due to its privileged geographic and climatic conditions. In the Chichinautzin Corridor there are 315 species of fungi, 10 species of amphibians, 43 species of reptiles, 1,348 species of insects and spiders, 237 of birds, 5 species of fish, 785 of plants, and 7 types of vegetation in addition to forests of pine, oyamel and oak. The corridor includes the second and third highest peaks in Morelos: Sierra Chichinautzin and Los Cumbres/Tres Marias
- Lagunas de Zempoala National Park. Visitors can fly kites, hike, camp, and ride horses.
- Food: Barbacoa and pulque.
- Iglesia de San Juan Bautista, built 1623. There are two festivals: June 24 and September 1.
- La Pera lookout on the Mexico City-Cuernavaca tollway.
- Handicrafts: wooden furniture
- Los Columpios. Visitors of all ages will enjoy the day on the rope swings in this park. Picnicking and camping allowed. You can rent ARVs or go on a zip-line. Restaurant and convenience store.
- Monument to José María Morelos. This monument to the Hero of Independence for whom the state is named is located at Km 46.9 of the Mexico City-Cuernavaca highway, which opened in 1952. The original 7-meter stone statue was designed by Everardo Hernández in 1954, but this was demolished and replaced with a bronze statue by Ernesto Tamariz, Artemio Silva, and Eduardo Tamariz in 1986. The statue was severely vandalized in December 2012.
Culture
Traditions
and cured fruit drinks are prepared in the area. Local craftsmen make wooden furniture. Chinelos dance at local festivals.Geography
Huitzilac has an area of 190 km2, which represents 3.84% of the territory in the state. The average altitude is 2,500 m above sea level.Climate
The municipality has a subtropical humid climate with a well-defined winter. The average annual temperature is 12 °C and the average annual precipitation is 1,358 mm.Terrain
There are many mountain peaks in the area, 2,250 or more meters above sea level.- Volcán Ocotecatl, 19°05'N 99°02'W, 3,480 m
- Sierra Chichinautzin: 3,470 m
- Volcán Chalchihuites: 3,440 m
- Cerro de Tres Marías: 3,280 m
- Volcán Cuespalapa, Tres Marias: 3,270 m
- Cerros de Tepeyahualco, Tuxtepec: both over 3,250 m
- Cerro de la Manteca: 3,200 m
- Cerro de Tezoyo: 3,180 m
- Cerros de Zacolocohaya, del Mirador, de Piedra Quila, de Zempoala, de Ojo de Arezacapa: all over 3,000 m
Lakes & Rivers
Soil
;Land use:- 3,035 ha for agriculture
- 3,051 ha for fishing
- 7,002 ha for forest
- 440 ha ejidos
- 19,388 ha communal property
- 9,693 ha private land
Flora & Fauna