| Official Name: | Tepoztlán |
| Subdivision Name: |  Mexico |
| Utc Offset Dst: | −05:00 |
| Utc Offset: | −06:00 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Timezone1: | CST |
| Population As Of: | 2010 |
| Leader Name: | David Demesa Barragán |
| Leader Title: | Municipal President |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Coordinates: | 18.9853°N -99.0997°W |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 300 |
| Pushpin Map: | Mexico#Mexico Morelos |
| Nickname: | Tepoz |
| Elevation M: | 1,700 |
| Population Total: | 36,145 |
| Population Demonyms: | Tepozteco (a) |
Tepoztlán (pronounced as /es/) is a town in the central Mexican state of Morelos. It is located at 18.9853°N -99.0997°W in the heart of the Tepoztlán Valley. The town serves as the seat of government for the municipality of the same name. The town had a population of 14,130 inhabitants, while the municipality reported 41,629 inhabitants in the 2010 national census.[1]
The town is a popular tourist destination near Mexico City. The town is famous for the remains of El Tepozteco temple built on top of the nearby Tepozteco Mountain, as well as for the exotic ice cream flavors prepared by the townspeople.[2]
Tepoztlán was named a "Pueblo Mágico" (or magic town) in 2002 but its title was removed in 2009 for failure to maintain the requirements. In 2010 Tepoztlán addressed these problems and recovered the Pueblo Mágico title.[3]
Tepoztlán is derived from Nahuatl and means "place of abundant copper" or "place of the broken rocks."[4] This is derived from the words tepoz-tli (copper) and tlan ("place of/place of abundance").[5] [6]
The climate around the Tepoztlán Sierra (where el Tepozteco is located) shows temperate as well as some subtropical variations. The rainy season starts during the summer and ends at the beginning of autumn. Precipitation reaches /yr in the Tepoztlán Valley and up to /yr in the mountains.
Agriculture specially growing of maize, chili and tomatoes, livestock growing. Traditional pottery and handicrafts (for which there is a lively weekend market or tianguis).
Tourism: Nowadays Tepoztlán gets its most important income through tourism. People visit the town for its authentic traditional environment, along with the pyramid and several communities with ecological or progressive thinking.
Real estate: The legal system that regulates possession of land in Tepoztlán is communal. Under that legal framework, land in Tepoztlán cannot be purchased. In case of problems, neither financial nor judicial institutions can support ownership claims.[7]
Meztitla Scout Camp School is owned by the Mexican government, located near Tepozteco mountain. Meztitla is the National Scout Camp School. Although Meztitla is frequented by Scouts of Mexico and from around the world, it is also open to the general public.[8]
According to myth, Amatlán, in the municipality of Tepoztlan is the birthplace of Ce Acatl, later known as Topiltzin Ce Acatl Quetzalcoatl, and who may be the possible historical basis of the Mesoamerican god Quetzalcoatl over 1200 years ago, the feathered serpent god widely worshipped in ancient Mexico.
It has not yet been possible to determine who first inhabited the area. The earliest findings of pottery and other ceramic utensils date back to approximately 1500 BCE.
At the top of a hill, there is a small pyramid devoted to Ometochtli-Tepoztēcatl, the supposed inventor of pulque, a beer-like drink made from the maguey plant. The pyramid, called El Tepozteco, dates from the Post-Classic Period (900–1521 CE) and has inscriptions dating from 1452 and 1502.
During the Spanish Conquest (1521), Hernán Cortés is said to have ordered the town razed after the refusal of the town leaders to meet him. This event was chronicled by Bernal Díaz del Castillo in The Conquest of New Spain. A monastery was built here by the Dominicans between 1555 and 1580,[9] and in 1993 was declared World Heritage by the UNESCO.
Anthropologists Robert and Margaret Park Redfield lived in Tepoztlán 1926-27[10] and published Tepoztlan, a Mexican Village: A Study in Folk Life,[11] and "Notes on the Cookery of Tepoztlan, Morelos"[12]
Surrealist painter Wolfgang Paalen lived and worked in Tepoztlán during his last Mexican period (1954–59).
The hiking trail the Sierra de Tepoztlan to the pyramid was closed temporally after the 2017 Puebla earthquake.[13] 203 homes were destroyed and 744 were damaged in the municipality.[14]
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico, Tepoztlan blocked the entrances to the community.[15] As of April 27, 2020, two cases were reported in Tepoztlán. Schools and many businesses were closed from mid March until June 1.[16] On July 2, Tepoztlán reported five infections but no deaths from the virus; the reopening of the state was pushed back until at least June 13.[17] Tepoztlán reported 75 cases, 58 recuperations, and nine deaths from the virus as of August 31.[18] One hundred thirty-three cases were reported on December 27, 2020.[19] The community health center was briefly closed when employees protested against the lack of vaccines; it reopened January 21 after being promised vaccines.[20]
A fire that burned 60ha of forest from May 19 to 22, 2020, was allegedly provoked by a 25-year-old woman as a stunt to get on TikTok. The fire threatened not only the forest but also the town of Santo Domingo Ostopulco . She could be sentenced to ten years of prison.[21] The Procuraduría Federal de Protección al Ambiente (Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection, PROFEPA) says it will seek financial and penal compensation.[22]
There are several versions of the story of Tepozteco.[23] One that describes a man by the last name of Tepoztón who is born to a laundress and ends up working in Tenochtitlan, Mexico where he is converted to Catholicism. As a form of payment for some work he did helping to hang a bell at one of the Catholic churches, he receives 3 boxes and is instructed not to open them. However, his curiosity wins and he opens the boxes. Opening the boxes let out the birds that were inside which acted as a symbol of the riches and wellbeing of the people.
Another version of the story refers to Tepozteco as a person who was baptized and introduced to the Catholic Church on September 8, 1532 in the Axitla River, at the base of the mountain where a statue of Ometochtli was found. A young 22-year-old missionary named Fray Domingo de la anunciación, baptized Tepozteco after having thrown the idol, worshiped by pilgrims from Chiapas and Guatemala, off a cliff.
Four important gentlemen from surrounding areas:[24] Yautepec, Oaxtepec, Tlayacapan, and Cuauhnahuac, accuse Tepozteco of having betrayed their gods and they challenge him. He defeats them and with the strength of his speech, convinces them of all the goodness of the new religion.
Of this legend, let's point out that one of the four natural elements is spoken of; the air, which is attributed with thinking or reasoning. We see that this characteristic is brought up when Tepoztecatl, comes out on top of every difficult situation that he faces. Reasonably, he boasts that he is son of Quetzalcoatl,[25] "God of the Wind," which allows him to be protected by him at every moment.
The municipality is one of 17 municipalities that border Mexico City. It borders the Milpa Alta borough at the south side of the capital city. Rogelio Torres Ortega of Juntos Haremos Historia (Together we will make history coalition) was elected Presidente Municipal (mayor) in the election of July 1, 2018.[26]
The largest localities (cities, towns, and villages) are:[27]
| Name | 2010 Census Population | |
|---|---|---|
| Tepoztlán | 14,130 | |
| Santa Catarina | 4,521 | |
| Unidad Habitacional Rinconada Acolapa | 3,205 | |
| Loma Bonita | 2,332 | |
| San Juan Tlacotenco | 1,890 | |
| Santo Domingo Ocotitlán | 1,541 | |
| Tetecolala | 1,449 | |
| San Andrés de la Cal | 1,383 | |
| Colonia Obrera | 1,316 | |
| Colonia Ángel Bocanegra (Adolfo López Mateos) | 1,235 | |
| Amatlán de Quetzalcóatl | 1,029 | |
| Santiago Tepetlapa | 847 | |
| Total Municipality | 41,629 |
The archaeological site of El Tepozteco is centered on the 13th-century temple dedicated to Tepoztēcatl, god of pulque. The sanctuary is located at 2,310 meters above sea level (7,579 feet) while the main plaza of Tepoztlán is at 1,715 m (5,627 ft).[36] A rustic trail leads up to the sanctuary, climbing 595 m (1,952 ft) along 2 km (1 1/4 miles) of length.[37] Due to the steep climb and rough terrain, people take anywhere from 20 minutes to three hours to make the journey.[38]
From the summit there are views of the town of Tepoztlan and the Valley of Cuernavaca. As the national park is located within the Chichinautzin Biological Corridor there is plenty of rich flora and fauna.[39]
See main article: article and Tepoztlán Ex Convento Museum. The Tepoztlán Ex Convento Museum was built by the Tepoztecan Indians under the orders of the Dominican friars between 1555 and 1580, dedicated to the Virgin of the Nativity. In 1993, INAH created a restoration project and in 1994 it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. This site is the parish of the Nativity and the Museum and Historical Documentation Center of Tepoztlán.[40]
This monastery consists of a large atrium that has served as a cemetery and park. There are four capillas posas in each of the corners, although only the ones on the north side are well-preserved. The capillas posas were invented in Nueva España for the instruction of large crowds of Indigenous, and their use later spread to Guatemala, Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia.[41]