Morelos

Morelos is named for José María Morelos, the priest who led the fight for independence after Hidalgo's death. It is a village of 1,621 people (2020) in the municipality of Zaragoza, in Puebla's north-eastern sierra, at about 2,330 m and some 14 km from Tlatlauquitepec. From above it appears surrounded by fields.

Zaragoza is heavily farmed: 78% of its land is cultivated, almost 10% is now built up and forest covers barely 11%. The climate is temperate and sub-humid, averaging 12 to 16 °C with 700 to 1,100 mm of summer rain, heavier in the wettest strip. Its seasonal streams, such as the Acongo and Acuaco, drain to the Apulco River and on to the Tecolutla, on the Gulf side.

In the municipal seat, the parish church of Nuestra Señora del Pilar was begun in 1923, and the railway station dates from the early 20th century. Some 700 speakers of indigenous languages live in the municipality, mostly Nahuatl and Totonac. People work woollen textiles and carve wood. Local meals include mole ranchero, mole de olla, smoked chicken, tamales and enchiladas, with fruit preserves, atole, coffee and yolixpa liqueur.