Emiliano Zapata

First, a clarification: this Emiliano Zapata is not the municipality of the same name, which is a separate one bordering Yautepec to the south. It is a small locality inside Yautepec, at about 1,486 m above sea level, listed by INEGI under code 170290158. It is named after the agrarian leader of the Revolution, as are many places in Morelos.

It is a young settlement. The 2000 census counted only 111 people; by 2010 there were 1,120 and in 2020, 1,251. There is no colonial centre or old plaza to see: what you find are subdivision-style streets and new-village blocks, which open maps name after flowers (Jacarandas, Bugambilias, Gardenias, Orquideas) and after figures of the Mexica world such as Tezozomoc, Nopaltzin, Xicotencatl or Netzahualcoyotl. Close by, the Lomas de Cocoyoc neighbourhood belongs to the same fabric of weekend homes and residences.

What gives the place meaning is its surroundings. Cocoyoc, to the south-west, had 10,178 residents in 2020, sits at about 1,320 m, and its Nahuatl name is read as 'place of fireflies'. The Hacienda de Cocoyoc is there: in the 18th century it was one of the country's major sugar mills, it was damaged in the Revolution, and since 1957 it has operated as a hotel; INAH has declared it a historic monument. To the north runs the Route of the Convents of Popocatepetl, with Tlayacapan and Atlatlahucan a few kilometres off.

Be realistic about what you will find: open sources document no monuments, festivals or sights of its own here. Treat it as a stop on a Cocoyoc-area day out rather than a destination.