Palace of Cortés
Is the oldest civil construction of Mexico and America. Its edification started in1526, over the remains of an antique Tlahuicas temple. The palace -inhabit by the conqueror Hernán Cortés and his family between 1531 and 1535-, is considered by the experts as an eclectic building due to the diversity of styles and architectural characteristics it presents, a direct consequence of the different stages of its construction.
Historical changes transformed the luxurious palace of the conquistador into general headquarters and a jail between the years of 1747 and 1821. One of their most notorious prisoners was Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon (1765-1815), a rural priest and disciple of reverend Miguel Hidalgo - the father of Mexico's independence. After the death of his mentor, José María Morelos became one of the leaders of the emancipation movement.
In 1869, when the State Of Morelos was created, the government decided to take the luxurious palace as its seat. It's been used for that purpose until 1969. In the decade of the 70s, last century, the government started a series of archaeological studies in that zone. A Tlahuicas enclosure was found under the palace. Its believe that it was used by the Mexicas to keep the tributes pay by the Tlahuicas
In order to demonstrate their power and superiority over the feared mexicas, the Spaniards decided to build a palace on that site, over an old native temple, a strategy that, as history tells, worked for them.
There is a stone sculpture in front of the palace that was found in a nearby ravine. The piece is known as the "Chimalli Stone" or "The stone of the enchantments". The stone is split into two half's. One of them with four concentric semicircles, and the other with a strange hieroglyphic that has been name "chalchihuitl (the gem)
The centenary mansion of Cortes is now the Regional Museum of Cuauhnahuac.
It is located on the 100 Leyva street, in the historical centre
of
Cuernavaca
Regional Museum of Cuauhnahuac
It is one of the principal museums of Cuernavaca.
Inaugurated in 1974, possesses 20 rooms distributed over two levels, with expositions on history, art and the traditions of the State of Morelos, since the pre-Hispanic settlements of the tlahuicas to the days of the Mexican revolution.
It emphasizes its valuable colonial art samples composed of clothing, wagons and furniture of that period. It also shows off a colourful mural by the most famous Diego de Rivera, created in 1930. This piece of art reflects Mexico's history since the Spanish conquest, making a special point of showing the exploitation of the natives.
-Municipal Palace
It is hard to believe that this superb construction was originally a simple priest's house, build in the early years of the XVII century. Later this house was renovated and beautified, turning it into one of the most important of the city, whose fame increased in 1883 when it was acquired by the governor of the State, Jesus H. Preciado.
Since then, it became the principal seat for the public administration
buildings (Congress, Justice Tribunal, Civil and Penal Courts) as
well as the governor's residency. Actually it is City Hall of
Cuernavaca.
The palace is renowned for its large interior spaces, typical of
colonial mansions. Its beautiful patio is flank by elegant corridors
that leads to spacious rooms with balconies. On the walls you can
appreciate paintings about the history of Morelos. The palace is
located on Morelos Avenue, in front of the Borda Gardens, in The
Historic Centre of
Cuernavaca.
-Temple of Our Lady of Guadalupe
It was constructed in 1784. It displays on its façade the engraved image of The Virgin of Guadalupe, while a magnificent neoclassic altar can be found inside. The temple was erected on a sector of the Borda Gardens that was formerly the oratory of the Emperor Maximiliano de Habsburg and his wife Carlota.
The temple is located on 271 Morelos Avenue, in the Historic Centre
of
Cuernavaca.
-The Borda Gardens.
This Garden is one of the main attractions of the city and one of the few colonial gardens that still remains in Mexico. It was build between 1778 and 1783 by order of the priest Manuel de la Borda, to be the retiring house of his father José de la Borda -a notorious miner of Taxco-, who never inhabits it.
Afterwards the priest converts it in a place for recreation and a splendid botanic garden. Among other exotic species, the first mangos trees planted in Mexico where planted in this garden.
An artificial lake and a splendid mansion of baroque style, built in the XVIII century, complement the beauty of the garden. Its notable architectonic display caught Emperor Maximiliano de Habsburgo and his wife Carlota' attention, who in 1865 elected it as their summer residence.
Nowadays is the seat for the Cultural Institute of Morelos. It has 13 rooms and 7 of them display the furniture and chattels of the times of the Emperor Maximiliano of Habsburg, and valuable historic documents. In the other 6 rooms there is a permanent exhibit of contemporary works of art of morelenses plastic artists.
In1970 this monument was declare Patrimony of the Nation. It is
located on 271 Morelos Avenue in the Historic Centre of
Cuernavaca.
-The Cathedral of Cuernavaca
Over the remains of a Teocalli (name given to the temples of the native), the Franciscan friars erected between 1526 and 1552, a celestial religious complex, which due to its architectural beauty, joined in 1994 other constructions of Cuernavaca declared by the UNESCO as Patrimony to Humanity.
The complex is formed by the temple (ascended to Cathedral in October of 1891) and the former convent of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción. Both stand out for their sober and stoutly built facades with novo-Hispanic architectural airs.
In the beginning, in order to evangelise them, the friars gather the natives in the ample atrium of the religious complex, in what they call open chapels or chapels for the natives.
Due to the gradual deterioration of the precinct, the complex was remodelled in more than one occasion, adding baroque, neo-classic, and the romantic neo-gothic styles to its naturally robust architectural features.
At the beginning of the XVII century, the considerable growth of the congregation, oblige to transform in temples the rest chapels of the atrium (where the images taken out in procession "rest"): The Temple of Dolores (XVII century that presents a half point arc and one aisle), Temple of the Third Order (XVIII century, stands out for its baroque ornamentation) and The Temple del Carmen (endings of the XIX century, of neo-gothic style; it is now the Gallery of the cathedral)
Several frescoes are preserved in the temple's interior, that show the distressing history of the Franciscan missionaries, who around the end of the XVI century were crucified in Nagasaki, while realizing their abnegated work of evangelisation on Japanese soil.
The cathedral is located on the junction of the Hidalgo Street and
the Morelos Avenue, in Historic Centre of
Cuernavaca.
