Tlaquiltenango is a city in the Mexican state of Morelos. It is south of Mexico city and southeast of Cuernavaca, the state capital via Mexican Federal Highway 95D.
thumb|200x200px<!--- 18° 37 44”N. and 90°09 37”W. --->
The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality, with which it shares a name. The toponym Tlaquiltenango comes from a Nahuatl name and means "place of whitewashed walls".
The municipality reported 33,844 inhabitants in the year 2015 census.
History
Prehispanic history
There are two pre-Hispanic archaeological sites in Tlaquiltenango: Chimalacatlan and Huaxtla. Chamalacatlan was built on the top of the hill of "El Venado"; it had 33 terraces and an equal number of piles of cut stone. There is also a small cave that was used for ceremonies. From the top of the hill, you can see Lake Tequesquitengo, Xochicalco, and parts of the state of Guerrero. The site is almost unique among Mesoamerican ruins in that the walls and platform were constructed of megaliths rather than the smaller rocks usually found in such structures. A small ceremonial ballcourt is also uncharacteristic of the Olmecs. The ruins were described by Fernando de Alva Ixtlixochitl in the early 17th century, although the modern discovery by Father Lorenzo Castro in the late 19th century was more significant. Castro reported his find to Bishop Francisco Plancarte y Navarrete, who speculated Chimalacatlan was none other than the mythological Tamoanchan, the cradle of Mesoamerican civilization.
Huaxtla was built in what is the center of the community by that name today, at the top of a horseshoe-shaped hill. The ruins are similar to those of Chimalacatlan. It is believed that the inhabitants of these sites were from Tepexpan, who migrated south in search of better food and a better climate.
Conquest and colonialism
Tlaquiltenango was included in the towns belonging to the marquisate of the Valley of Oaxtepec, awarded to the conquistador Hernán Cortés. Cortes established a hacienda for the breeding of fine horses that would be destined for his army; for its surveillance, he ordered the construction of a circular stone tower with a height of close to .
The convent-fortress Santo Domingo de Guzmán was initiated by the order of the Franciscans and finished by the Dominicans in the year 1540, one the oldest of the American continent. The convent is not very well-maintained, and there are cracks in the walls, and interior frescos are in poor condition. The clock was installed in December, 1898.
Independence period
Tlaquiltenango became a city of the State of Mexico in 1825 under the 1824 Constitution of Mexico. It included not only present-day Tlaquiltenango, but also the municipalities of Jojutla and Zacatepec, and stretched southeast to the Cuautla River. It became a municipality of Morelos by decree of governor Carlos Pacheco on 25 September 1884. The Secreatary of Health reported that 396 homes were destroyed and 510 were damaged.
Jorge Maldonado Ortiz of Juntos Haremos Historia (Morena Together we will make history coalition) was elected Presidente Municipal (mayor) on 1 July 2018. José Almanza Alcaine, a former alderman and the 2018 candidate of Movimiento Ciudadano for municipal president, was gunned down on January 27, 2019. His two companions were also shot, and one died.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico, Tlaquiltenango blocked the entrances to the community. The town reports two confirmed cases and one death as of 27 April 2020. Schools and many businesses were closed from mid March until 1 June. On 2 July, Tlaquiltenango reported eleven infections and one death from the virus; the reopening of the state was pushed back until at least 13 June. Tlaqiltenango reported 75 cases, 51 recuperations, and 22 deaths from the virus as of 31 August. One hundred twenty/one cases were reported on 27 December 2020.
Communities
There are 29 communities in the municipality, which has a population of 29,637, including 292 people who identify as Indigenous. 16% of the 7,641 homes have a dirt floor, 89% have running water, 95% have electricity, 90% have television, and 11% have computers. The average education level is 7 years. Women have a fertility rate of 2.58 children. 12.61% of the population come from outside the state of Morelos. 67.7% are Roman Catholic, and 49.7% of the adults are economically active.
Tlaquiltenango is the municipal seat. It has a population of 17,606 and is located at an altitude of above sea level. It is from Cuernavaca and 133.3 km from Mexico City.
Alfredo V. Bonfil (Chacampalco) has a population of 2,188 and is located at an altitude of . It is from Tlaquiltenango.
Valle de Vázquez (Los Hornos) has a population of 929 and is located at above sea level. It is from Tlaquiltenango.
Huautla has a population of 913 and is located at an altitude of . It is from Tlaquiltenango. There is a prehispanic archaeological site in the community.
Lorenzo Vázquez (Santa Cruz) has a population of 744 and is located at an altitude of . It is from Tlaquiltenango.
Colonia 3 de Mayo (El Tepiolol) has a population of 699 and is located at an altitude of . It is from Tlaquiltenango.
Quilamula has a population of 614 and is located at an altitude of . It is from Tlaquiltenango.
La Mezquitera (El Astillero) has a population of 529 and is located at an altitude of . The 16th-century mining hacienda San Jacinto Ixtoluca houses a small hotel. It is from Tlaquiltenango.
Chimalacatlan has a population of 364 people and is located at an altitude of above sea level. It has one preschool, one elementary school (grades 1–6), and one middle school (grades 7–9). Chimalacatlan is best known for its prehispanic archaeological site of the same name. It is from Tlaquiltenango.
Culture
Points of Interest
The 16th-century church and monastery of Santo Domingo, the haciendas of Las Bóvedas and Los Hornos, and the concrete tower in El Rollo waterpark are the main historical constructions. Paraiso Aventura Las Huertas is a natural waterpark with a spring, camping area, cabins, picnic area, and pools.
The Museo Comunitario Rubén Jaramillo (Ruben Jaramillo Community Museum) in Tlaquiltenango is a small museum where paintings of revolutionary characters are exhibited, as well as books from the era of the Mexican Revolution, as well as pieces and pre-Hispanic tools. Rubén Jaramillo (1900-1962) was a native of Tlaquiltenango and a peasant and labor leader during the 1940s and 1950s who, along with his family, was assassinated by the Mexican Army in 1962.
Church and monastery of Santo Domingo
Construction of the church and former monastery of Santo Domingo was begun by the Franciscans between 1535 and 1540, and it was completed by the Dominicans. It is considered one of the most beautiful 16th-century monasteries in Morelos.
The church is very large and rectangular. The main entrance is on the west side, and there is a side entrance on the south that is very similar to that of the Cuernavaca Cathedral. The nave and presbytery are separated by a triumphal arch supported by large, circular The columns. The western entrance to the church is simple and austere; above the access arch there is a stone triangle with a small window. There is a clock that was added in 1898 above the window.
Relief and water resources
Dominant heights in the municipality of Tlaquiltenango are the Santa María hill, the Guajolote hill, the Huautla hill, , the Palo Verde hill, the black ground of the Ciénega, and the Limón. Along the boundaries of the State of Puebla and Municipality of Tepalcingo, are Tetillas, Cerro Picacho del Burial, Temazcales, and Cueva (Cave) de San Martín. Hilly areas cover 44% of Tlaquiltenango, mostly in the center and south. 38% of the land is semi-flat, mostly in the center and south. Plains cover 18% of the total surface, mostly in the northwest. and bougainvillea. Wild animals include white-tailed deer, boar of collar, raccoon, badger, skunk, armadillo, hare, common rabbit, coyote, wildcat, weasel, cacomixtle, tlacuache (a member of the raccoon family), and bats, flagged bird, chachalaca, magpie copetona, vulture, aura (buzzard), crow, owl, and songbirds and ornamental birds. Among the species of animals are jaguars, short-horned Baronia butterfly, beaded lizard, military macaw, rufous-backed robin, Balsas screech owl, Pileated flycatcher, mountain lion, ocelot, margay, bobcat, and jaguarundi.