Cuautla, Jalisco
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Cuautla | |
|---|---|
| — Municipality and city — | |
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|
  Cuautla
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| Coordinates: 20°12′09″N 104°24′22″W / 20.2025°N 104.40611°W | |
| Country |  Mexico |
| State | Jalisco |
| Area | |
| - Total | 255.02 km2 (98.5 sq mi) |
| Population (2005) | |
| - Total | 2,024 |
Cuautla is a small town located in the state of Jalisco in western Mexico, close to the Pacific Ocean. It is situated at an altitude of 1,390 m above sea level. It has fewer than 3,000 permanent inhabitants.
Its name means place where eagles land, and it was originally inhabited by people of the Chichimeca culture.
It is mostly a town of elderly and children, as most people of productive age have decided to move to the United States of America in hope of better opportunity. Those who have left have settled primarily on the West Coast of the US, particularly in the states of California, Oregon and Washington. An estimated 300 Mexican restaurants in Washington have been started by entrepreneurs from Cuautla.[1]
Being gifted with ample economical success, people who left Cuautla yearly return for the religious festivities, which take place in July, in the honor of Santiago Apóstol. Odd for a small Pacific Coast town, Cuautla has built itself a Plaza de Toros, a scenario for bullfights, and a brand new airport.
There is a widely unacknowledged archaeological site nearby, Las Águilas, and local legends talk about it as a site for UFO sightings.
During the summer, the "fiestas" celebrating Santo Santiago occur between July 16-25. This is a very special time for the people of Cuautla and is when all the sons and daughters of the people who went to the U.S.A. come back to this town during this time to celebrate.
In August 2001, the City of Renton, Washington established a new Sister City relationship with Cuautla. Fundamental to the special connection between Renton and Cuautla, are Cuautla's "Absent Sons", of whom many live in or near Renton.[2]
Coordinates: 20°12′09″N 104°24′22″W / 20.2025°N 104.40611°W
