Cuernavaca, Morelos

Cuernavaca, Morelos
City and Municipality
Cuernavaca City
Coat of arms
Nickname(s): "City of Eternal Spring"
Cuernavaca, Morelos Location in Mexico
Coordinates: 18°55′07″N 99°14′03″W / 18.91861°N 99.23417°W / 18.91861; -99.23417
Country	Mexico
State	Morelos
Founded	1200 BC
Municipal Status	1821
Government
• Municipal President	Cuauhtémoc Blanco
Area
• Municipality	151.2 km2 (58.4 sq mi)
Elevation (of seat)	1,510 m (4,950 ft)
Population (2005) Municipality
• Municipality	349,102
• Seat	332,197
Time zone	CST (UTC−6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC−5)
Postal code (of seat)	62000
Area code(s)	777
Website	(Spanish) /Official site

Cuernavaca ( kweɾnaˈβaka ; Classical Nahuatl: Cuauhnāhuac [kʷawˈnaːwak] "near the woods," modern Nahuatl pronunciation ) is the capital and largest city of the state of Morelos in Mexico. It was established by the Olmec, "the mother culture" of Mesoamerica, approximately 3200 years ago and is designated as the archaeological site of Gualupita I . The city is located south of Mexico City, from which it may be reached after a drive of approximately 1½ hours using the D-95 Freeway.

Cuernavaca was designated Forest Protection Zone by President Lazaro Cardenas in the 1930s to protect the aquifers, the vegetation and the quality of life of residents both in Mexico City and locally. The city was nicknamed the "City of Eternal Spring" by Alexander von Humboldt in the nineteenth century. It has long been a favorite escape for Mexico City and foreign visitors because of this warm, stable climate and abundant vegetation. Aztec emperors had summer residences there, and today many famous people as well as Mexico City residents maintain homes there. Considering its location of just a 1½-hour drive from Mexico City, Cuernavaca traditionally has been a center of Mexican society and glamour, with many of the country's wealthy citizens owning sprawling mansions and haciendas in this cultural haven. Cuernavaca is also host to a large foreign resident population, including large numbers of students who come to study the Spanish language.