Tlayacapan () is the name of a town and a municipality located in the northeast part of Morelos state in central Mexico. It is located 60 km east from the state capital of Cuernavaca and about 1.5 hours south of Mexico City. It is a rural area, whose way of life has not changed much over the 20th century, with 90% of its population still partially or fully dependent on agriculture. The town has old mansions, houses with red tile roofs and streets paved with stones. Many ravines crisscross the area and are crossed by numerous stone bridges.
The main landmark is the former monastery of San Juan Bautista, which towers over all the other structures. It was built beginning the 1530s, along with 26 chapels scattered around the original town as part of the "spiritual conquest" of the area. Today, this monastery is part of the Monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl, which was made a World Heritage Site in 1994. Culturally, the town is famous for two things: being the origin of the Chinelos dance and the home of the Banda Tlayacapan band, the most important culturally in the state and nationally recognized.
Tlayacapan was also a popular filming location for many Mexican and American films such as La Valentina, starring María Félix and Eulalio González, and Two Mules for Sister Sara, starring Shirley MacLaine and Clint Eastwood. American rock band The Killers, filmed the music video of their hit song When You Were Young, in 2006.
Landmarks
The monastery
Towering over everything else in the town, is the former monastery of San Juan Baustista (John the Baptist). This monastery is part of the series of monasteries near the Popocatepetl volcano which was declared a World Heritage Site in 1994. Today only the church portion retains its original function and serves as the parish church for the municipality. The patron saint of the town is John the Baptist, whose feast day is celebrated on 24 June.
The monastery complex was constructed by the Augustinians between 1534 and 1574, along with a number of chapels scattered throughout the town. It is fronted by an atrium which is larger than in any other monastery complex in the state. Its complex is a mixture of a number of architectural styles including Roman, Medieval, Plateresque, Gothic and Moorish. The church is one of the largest in Morelos. The museum also contains a number of mummified remains on display. These were found under the floor of the main nave of the monastery church in 1982, when restoration work was being performed. These chapels are divided into three groups, Capillas de Cabecera (main chapels), Capillas de Calpulli (family chapels), and Capillas de Relación.
The capillas de calpulli cover other types of sites in the four pre-Hispanic neighborhoods. They include San Jerónimo, Santa Marta, Santa Cruz de Altica, San Diego, La Magdalena, San Lorenzo, La Tlazcalchica, San Nicolás, La Concepcón, San Miguel, La Asunción, San Martín, La Natividad and Los Reyes. and became a place to stock up on these for those traveling to and from Mexico City.
21st Century
A severe thunderstorm in August 2010, part of a system that brought widespread flooding to several states, overflowed ravines. These floods dumped debris and mud over most of the town's streets and flooded the atrium and interior of the Capilla del Señor de Exhaltación, one of the town's most important. Volunteers have since worked to clean and restore the building.
Five people were killed and 17 of 34 temples, including the Convent of St. John the Baptist, were damaged in the 19 September, 2017 Puebla earthquake. 80% of the municipal palace was damaged.
Erasmo Mendoza Pedroza of Juntos Haremos Historia (Together we will make history coalition) was elected Presidente Municipal (mayor) on 1 July 2018.
As of 7 May 2020, the state of Morelos reported 688 confirmed cases and 87 deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico; two cases were reported in Tlayacapan. Schools and many businesses were closed from mid March until 1 June. The state office of DIF sent food and water to vulnerable groups of people in eight municipalities including Tlayacapan on 26 May. On 2 July, Tlayacapan reported three infections and one death from the virus; the reopening of the state was pushed back until at least 13 June. Tlayacapan reported 81 cases, 57 recuperations, and 19 deaths from the virus as of 31 August. One hundred six cases were reported on 27 December 2020.
Culture
Carnival and the Chinelos
thumb|Two Chinelos
Carnival and the dance of the Chinelos are intertwined in the municipality. Each year since the colonial period, Tlayacapan has had a Carnival just before Lent. The dance originated here as part of Carnival. which occurred in early February, around the same time as the beginning of Lent. This event also marks the beginning of the dry season, when there is no agricultural work. Work moves to the management of stored grain and crafts.
Banda Tlayacapan
A number of bands featuring wind instruments play during Carnival and other festivals, but the oldest and best known of Tlayacapan's wind ensembles is the Banda Tlayacapan. Direction of the band has stayed with the Santamaría family, with Brigido Santamaria, who headed it for much of the 20th century, writing music for the band, such as Danza de los Chinelos and sons and preserving older traditional pieces that might have otherwise been lost. When he died in 1975, the band came under the direction of Carlos Santamaría who heads it today. The band received the 1998 Premio Nacional de Ciencias y Artes from President Ernesto Zedillo. 2010 marks the band's 140th anniversary. The 2009 Feria de Barro featured singer Susana Harp and groups such as Leones de la Sierra as well as the native Banda de Tlayacapan. The festival not only showcases the area's pottery but also has expositions of photography, other crafts and children's events.
One pottery tradition unique to the community is a set of figurines called a juego de aire (literally "air set"). This is a set of clay figures, which are used in ritual healing, especially of diseases associated with "bad air." The last craftsperson to preserve the art of making these is Felipa Hernandez Barragan. The set demonstrates a ritual healing scene with one figure, representing the sick person, and another representing the "curandero" or shaman-healer with a bird in his hand at the center. Around them are various animals: a lizard, a millipede, a snake, a bull, a donkey, a spider, a scorpion and a frog, each of which has a cigarette tied to its back. These animals represent the various aspects of nature. Tradition states that certain illnesses are due to "bad air" or to supernatural forces that become offended if certain courtesies are not observed. One of these courtesies is to greet and/or offer food to an ant hill when walking by. Another is to make an offering in ravines and other places where water flows. Most of these beliefs have pre-Hispanic roots. The largest community is Tlayacapan, which accounts for about half of the municipal population. Other significant communities include, Cuauhtempan (San Andrés Cuauhtempan), Los Laureles (San José de los Laureles) and Nacatongo.(inegi) The municipality borders the municipalities of Tlanepantla, Yautepec, Totolapan, Atlatlahucan and Tepoztlán.
Hydrography
There are no permanent rivers but there are seasonal ravines that crisscross the valley floor. The largest of these include Tepanate, Chicotla, Huiconchi and Santiago. Almost all residents profess the Catholic faith.
- Lauro Puñales (1969), starring Antonio Aguilar
- Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970), starring Shirley MacLaine
- La presidenta municipal (1975), starring María Elena Velasco
- OK Mister Pancho (1981), starring María Elena Velasco
- Salvador (1986), starring James Woods and Jim Belushi
Music videos
- When You Were Young, by The Killers