Oaxtepec is a town within the municipality of Yautepec and the Cuautla metropolitan area in the northern part of the Mexican state of Morelos. Its main industry is tourism, mostly aimed at the inhabitants of nearby Mexico City, and the town possesses various aquatic resorts and hotels. The climate is tropical and the countryside very lush. Oaxtepec has 6,939 inhabitants. During the XIX Olympiad in 1968, Oaxtepec was the venue and staging area for the World Youth Camp component of the Cultural Olympiad. Equestrian events at the 1968 Olympiad were held in Oaxtepec.
History
In pre-Columbian times, already one of the largest towns in the region, it was conquered by the Aztecs under the rule of Moctezuma Ilhuicamina During Moctezuma Ilhuicamina's reign, the first leisure center for nobles was created in the warm territory of Oaxtepec, as well as low lands to the south of Tenochtitlan valley, today's Morelos. Moctezuma ordered to use the water springs of Oaxtepec to create an irrigation system for agriculture and preservation of important vegetation of the Aztec empire. An elaborate royal garden was established here where both flowers and other plants were cultivated. This was the first botanical garden in the Americas. When the Spanish first arrived in the region, they marveled at the beauty of the place. They praised Oaxtepec in their chronicles of the Aztec conquest. In the 16th century, thanks to the great number of medicinal plants found in the region, the Spaniards decided to construct the Santa Cruz de Oaxtepec hospital. Bernandino Álvares directed the project in 1569 and for the next two hundred years it was administrated by the Hermanos de la Caridad. The Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán was built on the ruins of the principal pyramid of Oaxtepec. A major event occurred in 1964 when the Centro Vacacional Adolfo López Mateos IMSS Oaxtepec was built on 120 hectares of land. This was the most important water park in Latin America. In 2018 it was remodeled, sold to a private company, and renamed Six Flags Hurricane Harbor. A smaller water park called Parque Acuatico Oaxtepec used to be in the area, but it was purchased by Hurricane Harbor.
Name and location
The etymology of Oaxtepec is from the Nahuatl language and it means "On the mountain of huajes". Huaje is the Mexican Spanish name for the leadtree, Leucaena esculenta, whose fruits are edible and is a popular food in south-central Mexico. Oaxtepec is located at an altitude of above sea level.
is a chain of water parks headquartered in Grand Prairie, Texas. Features include a variety of body slides, speed slides, tube slides, wave pools, lazy rivers, and shopping areas. The Oaxtepec water park opened in 2017 and is one of the largest in Latin America. The water park opened as Centro Vacacional "Adolfo López Mateos" IMSS Oaxtepec on 120 hectares of land run by the Mexican Social Security Institute in 1964. In 1998, it was sold to a private company and reopened as "Parque Acuático Oaxtepec "; the company went into bankruptcy in 2011, after which it was sold to Six Flags. The Social Security Institute runs hotels and campgrounds within the park. Balneario El Bosque Oaxtepec is a rustic water park with a suspension bridge, waterfalls, river, pools, and archeological zone. The Pozo Azul is believed to have been used by TlatoaniMoctezuma I in the 15th century.
Archeology
In addition to the archeological site within the water park named above, prehispanic ruins can be found on the Cerro de los Huajes near the cemetery. Ruins of the colonial Hospital de la Santa Cruz, built by the Brothers of Charity are near "El Bosque" water park.
