Taxco de Alarcón
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Taxco de Alarcón Taxco |
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| Town | |
Top:Santa Prisca Temple (Templo de Santa Prisca), Middle left:Monumental Christ in Atachi Hills, Middle upper right:Kiosk at Borda Square, Middle lower right:Bonda House (Casa Bonda), Bottom:Panoramic view of downtown Taxco
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 Taxco de Alarcón
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| Coordinates: 18°33′23″N 99°36′18″W / 18.55639°N 99.60500°W | |
| Country |
 Mexico
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| State | Guerrero |
| Founded | 1529 |
| Municipal Status | 1850 |
| Government | |
| • Municipal President | Salomón Majul González |
| Area | |
| • Municipality | 347 km2 (134 sq mi) |
| Elevation (of seat) | 1,778 m (5,833 ft) |
| Population (2005) Municipality | |
| • Municipality | 98,854 |
| • Seat | 39,587 |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| Postal code (of seat) | 40200 |
| Area code(s) | 762 |
| Website | www.taxco.gob.mx (Spanish) |
Taxco de Alarcón (usually referred to as simply Taxco) (Spanish 
[ta'sco] ) is a small city and administrative center of a Taxco de Alarcón Municipality located in the Mexican state of Guerrero. Taxco is located in the north-central part of the state, 36 kilometres (22 miles) from the city of Iguala, 135 kilometres (84 miles) from the state capital of Chilpancingo and 170 kilometres (106 miles) southwest of Mexico City.
The city is heavily associated with silver, both with the mining of it and other metals and for the crafting of it into jewelry, silverware and other items. Today, mining is no longer a mainstay of the city's economy. The city's reputation for silverwork, along with its picturesque homes and surrounding landscapes, have made tourism the main economic activity.
The name Taxco is most likely derived from the Nahuatl place name Tlachco, which means "place of the ballgame." However, one interpretation has the name coming from the word tatzco which means "where the father of the water is," due to the high waterfall near the town center on Atatzin Mountain. "De Alarcón" is in honor of writer Juan Ruiz de Alarcón who was a native of the town. Like many municipalities in central Mexico, the municipality’s coat-of-arms is an Aztec glyph. This glyph is in the shape of a Mesoamerican ballcourt with rings, players and skulls, derived from the most likely source of Taxco’s name.
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