Spanish for Lawyers
by BentonMartin
Recently I decided that I was in dire need of a vacation, but I wanted to work on my spanish a bit as well. I chose a school called "Chac-mool." The staff is competent, yet laid back. I am a lawyer, so I studied legal spanish in a private class in the afternoon; general spanish in a small class in the morning. I highly recommend it. Most of the emphasis is placed on speaking as opposed to the the high school textbook method. I believe they offer specialty classes for other professions as well.
Brady Museum- eclectic and fascinating
by ricknkat
You'll hear all about the Brady museum in every tourist brochure or website on Cuernavaca, but it really does live up to the hype. The museum is a converted convent which was bought by the American artist and collector Robert Brady (a true world traveller- he's actually kind of my hero now that I've seen all the amazing places he saw) in the 1962. He lived there with his two weiner dogs and his entire house complex is one huge museum of artwork and native masks and artifacts from just about every corner of the world. It's also a really beautiful courtyard home architecturally. He is buried right next to his two pet dachsunds in the lawn in the central courtyard.
Cortes called this Home
by mtncorg
Cuernavaca, capital of the small state of Morelos, is one of the oldest cities in Mexico dating back to 1200 BC. The city was known as Cuauhnahuac which was changed by the Spanish after the Conquest. The people of the area, known as the Tlahuica by the Aztecs, were stout allies of the Aztecs, Montezuma's mother was from here. They ruled over other cities in the area and traded extensively with other regions. When the Spanish came, they resisted stoutly but were defeated in 1521. with the Conquest complete, Cortes set up his house here with his wife, La Malinche, and established the Catedral de la Asuncion - both the house and the cathedral being built with the rubble of older native pyramid's.
The city is set 600 meters lower than Mexico City - about 5200 feet as opposed to about 7500 feet - and this ensures, along with latitude, a constant pleasant climate without the night and morning cold that can occur further north in the Capital, hence the nickname, "the city of eternal spring". Set on hills bisected with small canyons running in a north-south direction, Cuernavaca is centered around the Plaza de Armas - the Zocalo - where Cortes built his palatial fortress for himself and his wife. The Zocalo serves as a living room for the city and gets very full and busy at night. Geography dictates a bit of confusion when it comes to a road network which can come close to collapse during some of the day due to the vast amount of traffic endlessly moving about. Suburbs sprawl in most directions. The autopista from Mexico City to Acapulco skirts the city's eastern fringes, making it easily accessible to weekenders from Mexcio City - a fact im much evidence. The pass leading over from Mexico City is 3100 meters high/1023 feet and it takes about 1.5 to 2 hours to drive, depending upon the traffic. You have grand views over Cuernavaca and most of the State of Morelos from the road as it sweeps down from the pass.
Besides Cortes, one of the other names most influential in the history of Cuernavaca and Morelos is that of Emiliano Zapata. Descedants of Cortes were very influential in the area for 300 years after Cortes left Mexico to return to Spain in 1540. Sugar cane production became a main industry and Morelos was one of the world's main producers in the late 19th century. A few people became very rich, though most remained in abject poverty. Constant encroachments on native village lands in the name of sugar during the long years of the Porfirato (President Porfirio Diaz 1876-1910) led to the cry for 'Tierra y Libertad' (land and liberty) of the Zapata movement and one of the main shows of the Mexican Revolution occured hereabouts. Zapata not only captured Cuernavaca but along with the forces of Pancho Villa and Carranza (under Obregon) they captured Mexico City. Bickering and the lack of common ideals led the three to go their separate ways. Zapata returned to Morelos where eventually, Carranza was able to isolate him and then have him assasinated.
View from my school
morelos statue in the centro
a nice view over Cuernavaca
Front of the Church of El Calvario
