Many people in Mexico believe that the states of Morelos and Cuernavaca are the same… but nothing could be further from the truth.
Satellite view of the night lights of Morelos
Although the metropolitan area of Cuernavaca is the most populated and well-known, the state of Morelos has 36 municipalities, within which there are several metropolitan areas.
Morelos has a population of about two million people, and approximately half of this population is located in the metropolitan area of Cuernavaca.
Outside of Cuernavaca and Jiutepec, the municipalities of Morelos have a great deal of agricultural activity and, more recently, the manufacturing industry has increased.
Cuernavaca
Altos de Morelos, northern area; cold region that produces nopales and fruits
Sugarcane region or southern area, where rice and sugar cane are mainly produced.
Eastern area, relatively poor and sparsely populated due to the aridity of the land.
Western zone, somewhat marginalized area with little agricultural production.
Cuautla
Cuautla is the second most important city in Morelos.
For some time it was the capital of the state and had more economic and political activity than Cuernavaca.
During the Independence it was more important than Cuernavaca. Historical events such as “The Siege of Cuautla” occurred and it is classified as a “heroic city”.
During the Porfiriato the train arrived first to Cuautla than to Cuernavaca because it was part of the route that connected Mexico City with Oaxaca.
Its proximity to Xochimilco made it flourish commercially.
Cuautla is the city that concentrates the agricultural production of the eastern zone and part of the northern zone.
Towards the 80’s some companies of regular size, suppliers of automotive parts, were installed in Cuautla. The Cuautla Industrial Park was built.
In the 90’s, an attempt was made to develop the textile industry in Yecapixtla, but it did not obtain the expected results.
Due to the growth of the population and economy of Cuautla, several educational centers of all levels have been established. There are basic education, high school, university and technical careers.
The best rice in the world is produced in Jojutla and in Zacatepec, which until recently was one of the main producers of refined sugar in Mexico.
It is an area with abundant water and a warm climate.
Until the Revolution, the economy was concentrated in the many farms. In 1938, the Ingenio de Zacatepec was founded, which for a long time was the leading producer of refined sugar in Mexico.
Zacatepec became important enough to have a first division soccer team that became national champion, all this in the 50’s.
Zacatepec once had its own “first-class” soccer stadium, the “Agustín Coruco Díaz”, with a capacity of about 28 thousand fans.
This area has a large influx of tourism due to the large number of spas and pools of water. This without forgetting the Tequesquitengo Lake, called “the Sea of Morelos”.
Towards the 80’s, the municipalities of Jojutla, Zacatepec and Puente de Ixtla began to have a great demographic growth and social mobility. The first housing units began to be built, mainly of social interest and very focused on the teaching profession.
The 2017 earthquake caused great damage to the area, but it was the opportunity to modernize the infrastructure. Jojutla in particular has had an important urban development.
Puente de Ixtla concentrates the production of the western zone of Morelos and the northern zone of Guerrero; And although it still has a very rural appearance, the appearance of secondary and higher education institutions in the area is a sign of population growth.
So now you know, the state of Morelos has two important poles of development and growth, Cuautla and the area of Jojutla, Zacatepec and Puente de Ixtla… and remember, Morelos is much more than just Cuernavaca.
Source: radioformula
