Tepalcingo is a town in the Mexican state of Morelos. It at . The name Nahuatl root tekpa-tl (flint), tzintli (saves honor), tzinco (back of an individual), so in sum it means tekpatzinko "down or behind the flints".
The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality, with which it shares a name. It reported 27,187 inhabitants in the 2015 census.
History
Prehispanic History
It is believed that in 1272, Mixtec women, men, and children who broke away from Iloala (present-day Iguala Guerrero) founded the town of Tepalcingo. Ruins believed to belong to the Pueblo Viejo, located in the hills of Zopiloapan, west of modern Tepalcingo, have been found.
Tepalcingo was later conquered by the Aztecs in 1445, when it was subject to Huaxtepec (Oaxtepec). Cortes gained possession of the lands in 1587, after which they passed to the Dukes of Terranova and then the Dukes of Monteleone. The Secretary of Health reported that 486 homes were destroyed and 2,263 were damaged, more than in any other municipality.
Alfredo Sánchez Velez of PVEM (Green Party) was elected Presidente Municipal (mayor) in the election of July 1, 2018. Violence is a major concern; 400 people tried to lynch four men suspected of kidnapping a child on January 22, 2019.
The state of Morelos reported 209 cases and 28 deaths due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico as of April 27, 2020; two cases were reported in Tepalcingo. Schools and many businesses were closed from mid March until June 1. Ninety-five cases were reported in the municipality on December 27, 2020. Vaccinations for senior citizens (60+) are scheduled to begin on March 12, 2021.
Fifteen people died in Axochiapan, Jantetelco, and Tepalcingo due to adulterated alcohol on Mother's Day.
Culture
The oldest fair in Morelos is held in Tepelcingo Cattle and handicrafts, including boxes of Olinalá aromatic wood are sold. This is the fourth most important fair of Mexico and the largest popular fair in Mexico type Tiaquixtli. Among the species of animals are jaguars, short-horned Baronia butterfly, beaded lizard, military macaw, roufus-backed robin, Balsas screech owl, Pileated flycatcher, mountain lion, ocelot, margay, bobcat, and jaguarundi. There is Ecotourism- in the Sierra de Huatla, the scenic view of the Cerrito Tepactzin, and the dam.
Shrine of the Lord of Tepalcingo
According to legend, in the 16th century, a girl found a small [30 centimeter tall] wooden figure in the river. The figure represented Jesus Christ tied by his arms to a column. A small hermitage was built where the figure was venerated. Over the years, the sculpture was moved, first to the chapel of Santa Cruz, and then to that of San Martín. In the 18th century, a craftsman from Puebla was commissioned to make a larger sculpture of the Patron Saint, but, unlike the Lord of the Column, he was asked to change the figure to Jesus of Nazareth with a cross. The figure was brought to Tepalcingo and the men who were carrying it said, "it became heavy". A church made of yellow stone from Chalcatcingo was built in that exact place.
Agustín Pila Dreinhofer, in the book Arquitectura Barroca (UNAM, 2013), highlights the Shrine of Tepalcingo as the best example of popular baroque in New Spain. The most striking aspect of this temple is its main façade or doorway, in pink - "a true theological treatise", according to Pila Dreinhofer -, with elements, twisted columns, animals, characters and scenes from the Old and New Testaments, from the Creation of the world until the Last Supper; made in stucco, similar to a technique used in pyramids and pre-Hispanic buildings.
Communities
Tepalcingo is divided into 20 localities; the most important are: Tepalcingo (the municipal seat), Huitchila, Ixtlilco El Chico, Ixtlilco, Ixtlilco El Grande, Los Sauces, El Tepehuaje, El Limón, Pitzotlán, El Pastor, and Zacapalco.