Chilapa de Álvarez
Encyclopedia
Chilapa de Álvarez, informally known as Chilapa, is a municipality in the Mexican state of Guerrero
, approximately 54 kilometers east of state capital Chilpancingo
. It is a very old town, its first official charter was issued by the Aztec
government in the 15th century, after the area's conquest by Moctezuma I
in 1458. The Spanish officially designated the town as Chilapa de Santa Maria de Asuncion in 1522, in the late 19th century it was renamed Chilapa de Álvarez in honor of Mexican president
Juan Álvarez
. Traces of human occupation in the area date to at least 1200 BC.
The year 2000 census
counted 102,853 persons in the municipality.
Chilapa is noted for its large Saturday tianguis
, or Aztec market. Local culinary specialities of Chilapa are pozole
, chalupa
s, pan de chilapa bread, and homemade mezcal
. The municipal cathedral has a mechanical figurine of Juan Diego, who appears at a window in the cathedral spire and drops rose petals onto the plaza below.
Guerrero
Guerrero officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guerrero is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo....
, approximately 54 kilometers east of state capital Chilpancingo
Chilpancingo
Chilpancingo de los Bravo is the capital and second-largest city of the state of Guerrero, Mexico. It is located at . In the 2005 census the population of the city was 166,796. Its surrounding municipality, of which it is municipal seat, had a population of 214,219 persons...
. It is a very old town, its first official charter was issued by the Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
government in the 15th century, after the area's conquest by Moctezuma I
Moctezuma I
Moctezuma I , also known as Motecuhzoma Ilhuicamina, Huehuemotecuhzoma or Montezuma I , was the fifth Aztec emperor - king of Tenochtitlan...
in 1458. The Spanish officially designated the town as Chilapa de Santa Maria de Asuncion in 1522, in the late 19th century it was renamed Chilapa de Álvarez in honor of Mexican president
President of Mexico
The President of the United Mexican States is the head of state and government of Mexico. Under the Constitution, the president is also the Supreme Commander of the Mexican armed forces...
Juan Álvarez
Juan Álvarez
Juan Nepomuceno Álvarez Hurtado was a general and interim president of Mexico for a few months in 1855. He fought in all the major wars of Mexico, from the War of Independence through the Pastry War, the Mexican-American War, and the War of the Reform to the war against the French Intervention...
. Traces of human occupation in the area date to at least 1200 BC.
The year 2000 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
counted 102,853 persons in the municipality.
Chilapa is noted for its large Saturday tianguis
Tianguis
A tianguis is an open air market or bazaar that is traditionally held on certain market days in a town or city neighborhood in Mexico and Central America. This bazaar tradition has its roots well into the pre-Hispanic period and continues in many cases essentially unchanged into the present day....
, or Aztec market. Local culinary specialities of Chilapa are pozole
Pozole
Pozole is a ritually significant, traditional pre-Columbian soup or stew from Mexico. Pozole was mentioned in Fray Bernardino de Sahagún's "General History of the Things of New Spain" circa 1500 CE. It is made from nixtamalized cacahuazintle corn, with meat, usually pork, chicken, turkey, pork...
, chalupa
Chalupa
A chalupa is a tostada platter in Mexican cuisine. It is a specialty of south-central Mexico, including the states of Puebla, Guerrero and Oaxaca. Chalupas are made by pressing a thin layer of masa dough around the outside of a small mold, and deep frying to produce crisp, shallow corn cups...
s, pan de chilapa bread, and homemade mezcal
Mezcal
Mezcal, or mescal, is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from the maguey plant native to Mexico. The word mezcal comes from Nahuatl metl and ixcalli which mean 'oven cooked agave.'...
. The municipal cathedral has a mechanical figurine of Juan Diego, who appears at a window in the cathedral spire and drops rose petals onto the plaza below.