Cuautla



Cuautla is a small city of about 157,000 people (2020) in the Central Mexico state of Morelos. The city figured prominently in the Mexican Revolution as a Zapatista stronghold and the site of two significant battles with federal troops.

Understand
Cuautla is a fair-size city of about 157,000 people (2020). The city has a long and colorful history with a number of noteworthy monuments and historical sites.

The story of Cuautla begins with its initial settlements by the Otomi people, about 1,000 years ago. The town was conquered by the Aztecs in 1379 (along with a number of neighboring communities). Spanish conquistadors would arrive in the mid-16th century and promptly began building two churches: the Convento de San Diego, which is still the town's most important church, and the Church of Santiago Apostol. Convento de San Diego was established in 1560, but would take almost 20 years to complete (big churches take time).

Cuautla was a strategic stronghold during both the War for Independence in the early 19th century and the Mexican Revolution in the early 20th century.

During the War for Independence, Jose Maria Morelos and his troops were surrounded by the Spanish Army, who laid siege to the town for 72 days. The siege is remembered for the story of 12-year old Narciso Mendoza (aka, Niño Artillero) who set off a cannon as Spanish troops approached the city, stopping the attack in its tracks.

During the Revolution, federal troops were occupying the city by May 1911, when Emiliano Zapata arrived with 5,000 soldiers. The battle between the Zapatistas and the federales lasted over week before the federales surrendered. After he was assassinated in 1919, Zapata was buried in Cuautla.

By bus
Several bus lines serve Cuautla from Mexico City and other cities in Central Mexico.

From Mexico City's Taxqueña bus terminal, Pullman de Morelos buses go direct to Cuautla. Buses leave hourly throughout the day for the 90-minute trip. A ticket costs from M$120 to M$220 (depending on class, time of day, and demand).

Cuautla is a disorganized mess when it comes to bus arrivals and departures. They appear to be the only town in Mexico that hasn't figured out to have one single, efficient bus terminal used by all lines. Instead, you have to go to a specific place for an individual line. There are many bus stations scattered around a few block area. Very hard to compare schedules, see who has shorter waits, etc.

Festivals

 * Feria the town's largest event celebrates the second Friday of Lent
 * Birthday of Jose Maria Morelos is celebrated with a parade through town

Buy
Several boutique shops in town sell Mexican artesanias and Cuautla is known for its leather sandals, called huaraches. Also keep an eye open for crafts made in the nearby town of Tetelcingo, including wire birdcages and indigenous clothing such as the huipil or the chincuete. There are also shops specializing in tack (saddles, halters and other equipment for horse riding).

Eat
Most of the typical Mexican dishes of Central Mexico are found in Cuautla, but there are some interesting local specialties that are peculier to Cuautla and that a curious epicure will want to seek out and sample, if possible. Two of these are tacos acorazados and chito.

Tacos acorazadosare an unusual local specialty that became popular during the Revolution of the early 20th century. Tacos acorazados begin with a warm corn tortilla and are filled with rice and often topped by a sliced hard-boiled egg. Chito is barbacoa made with goat (not the young goat used for cabrito, but mature goat). The dish is served with cured chili peppers, tepache, and often served on handmade blue corn tortillas. Tepache is a condiment made by fermenting pineapple skins.

Go next

 * Cuernavaca
 * Zacualpan de Amilpas