Chilapa de Álvarez, informally known as Chilapa, is a town located in the
municipality of Chilapa de Álvarez in the
Mexican state of
Guerrero
Guerrero, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guerrero, is one of the 32 states that compose the administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guerrero, 85 municipalities. The stat ...
. The town is located approximately 54 kilometers east of the state capital
Chilpancingo. Chilapa's first official
charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...
was issued by the
Aztec
The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the Post-Classic stage, post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central ...
government in the 15th century after the area's conquest by
Moctezuma I in 1458. The Spanish officially designated the town ''Chilapa de Santa Maria de Asuncion'' in 1522; in the late 19th century it was renamed ''Chilapa de Álvarez'' in honor of
Mexican president Juan Álvarez. Traces of human occupation in the area date to 1200 BC.
Chilapa is noted for its large Saturday ''
tianguis'', or Aztec market, and its crafts.
Local culinary specialities of Chilapa include
pozole,
chalupas, ''pan de chilapa'' bread, and homemade
mezcal. The municipal
cathedral
A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...
has a mechanical figurine of
Juan Diego, who appears at a window in the cathedral spire and drops rose petals onto the plaza below.
Every August 15, a festival called
Tigrada is held on the streets of Chilapa. It is linked to
Mesoamerican mythology and is supposed to call on the
Aztec
The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the Post-Classic stage, post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central ...
god
Tepēyōllōtl to bring rainfall and productive land.
References
External links
Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México - Chilapa de Álvarez Web page with many photos of Chilapa de Alvarez - Chilapa Web
Populated places in Guerrero
{{Guerrero-geo-stub