Morelos

Morelos
Free and Sovereign State of Morelos
Estado Libre y Soberano de Morelos (Spanish)
Motto(s): 
Tierra y Libertad
('Land and Liberty')
(Coat of arms: La tierra volverá a quienes la trabajan con sus manos [The land will be returned to those who work it with their hands])
Anthem: Marcha Morelense
State of Morelos within Mexico
Coordinates: 18°45′N 99°4′W / 18.750°N 99.067°W / 18.750; -99.067
CountryMexico
Capital
and largest city
Cuernavaca
Municipalities36
Admission17 April 1869
Order27th
Named afterJosé María Morelos
Government
  GovernorMargarita González Saravia (MORENA)
  SenatorsLucía Virginia Meza Guzmán
Sergio Pérez Flores
Ángel García Yáñez
  Deputies
Area
  Total
4,893 km2 (1,889 sq mi)
  Water11.8 km2 (4.6 sq mi)
 Ranked 30th
Elevation
1,418 m (4,652 ft)
Highest elevation
5,419 m (17,779 ft)
Lowest elevation
800 m (2,600 ft)
Population
 (2020)
  Total
1,971,520
  Rank23rd
  Density400/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
   Rank2nd
DemonymMorelense
GDP
  TotalMXN 314 billion
(US$15.6 billion) (2022)
  Per capita(US$7,861) (2022)
Time zoneUTC−6 (CST)
Postal code
62
Area code
ISO 3166 codeMX-MOR
HDI 0.788 high Ranked 17th of 32
WebsiteOfficial Web Site

Morelos, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Morelos, is a landlocked state located in south-central Mexico. It is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 36 municipalities and its capital city is Cuernavaca.

Morelos is bordered by Mexico City to the north, and by the states of México to the northeast and northwest, Puebla to the east and Guerrero to the southwest.

Morelos is the second-smallest state in the nation, just after Tlaxcala. It was part of a very large province, the State of Mexico, until 1869 when Benito Juárez decreed that its territory would be separated and named in honor of José María Morelos y Pavón, who defended the city of Cuautla from royalist forces during the Mexican War of Independence. Most of the state enjoys a warm climate year-round, which is good for the raising of sugar cane and other crops. Morelos has attracted visitors from the Valley of Mexico since Aztec times.

The state is also known for the Chinelos, a type of costumed dancer that appears at festivals, especially Carnival, which is celebrated in a number of communities in the state. It is also home to the Monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl, a designated World Heritage Site.