Cuernavaca (Spanish pronunciation: [kweɾnaˈβaka] ⓘ; Classical Nahuatl: Cuauhnāhuac [kʷawˈnaːwak], "near the woods" modern pronunciationⓘ, Otomi: Ñu'iza) is the capital and largest city of the state of Morelos in Mexico. Along with Chalcaltzingo, it is likely one of the origins of the Mesoamerican civilization. Olmec works of art, currently displayed in the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City were found in the Gualupita III archeological site.
The city is located south of Mexico City and reached via a 90-minute drive using the Federal Highway 95D.[3]
The name Cuernavaca is a euphonism derived from the Nahuatl toponym Cuauhnāhuac and means 'surrounded by or close to trees'. The name was Hispanicized to Cuernavaca; Hernán Cortés called it Coadnabaced in his letters to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and Bernal Díaz del Castillo used the name Cuautlavaca in his chronicles.[4] The coat-of-arms of the municipality is based on the pre-Columbian pictograph emblem of the city that depicts a tree trunk (cuahuitl) with three branches, with foliage, and four roots colored red. There is a cut in the trunk in the form of a mouth, from which emerges a speech scroll, probably representing the language Nahuatl and by extension the locative suffix -nāhuac, meaning 'near'.[5]
Cuernavaca has long been a favorite escape for Mexico City residents and foreign visitors because of its warm, stable climate and abundant vegetation. The municipality was designated a Forest Protection Zone by President Lázaro Cárdenas in 1937 to protect the aquifers, the vegetation, and the quality of life of residents, both in Mexico City and locally.[6] The city was nicknamed the "City of Eternal Spring" by Alexander von Humboldt in the 19th century.[7] Aztec emperors had summer residences there, and considering its location of just a 1½-hour drive from Mexico City, today many Mexico City residents maintain homes there.[8] Cuernavaca is also host to a large foreign resident population, including large numbers of students who come to study the Spanish language.[9]
