Above, from left to right: Downtown, Chilpancingo Francisco Assisi Church, Tehuacalco archaeological site, The Civic Plaza "First Congress of Anahuac", Chilpancingo Saint Mary Cathedral, Museo de Regional de Guerrero (Regional Museum of Guerrero), Chilpancingo City Hall and the judiciary.
In pre-Columbian times, the area was occupied by theOlmecs, who built an extensive tunnel network through the mountains, and left the cave paintings in the caverns ofJuxtlahuaca.[1] The city of Chilpancingo was founded on 1 November 1591 by the Spanishconquistadores, its name meaning "Place of Wasps" in Nahuatl.[1] During theWar of Independence, Chilpancingo was crucial to the insurgent cause as its population participated actively and decisively in their favor, and it became a strategic point for military action in the south. Chilpancingo was very important to Mexican history because it was here where theNational Congress met underJosé María Morelos y Pavón in 1813 during the War of Independence.[2]
GeneralNicolás Catalán, husband of the independence war heroineAntonia Nava de Catalán, was made commander of the state of Guerrero on 24 January 1828. The family settled in Chilpancingo, where both Nicolás and Antonia later died.[3]In 1853, Chilpancingo was declared the provisional capital of the state, due to an epidemic that struck the then capital ofTixtla, and regional ecclesiastical organizational changes were made at the same time.[4] In 1870 it was again declared capital by Governor Francisco O. Arce, due to the opposition led by General Jiménez, who was in possession of the official seat of government at Tixtla. It was not until 1871, when the state legislature agreed to a change of venue, that the capital was moved again from Chilpancingo.[5]
In 1960, the city entered a severe social crisis with the start of a student popular movement at theAutonomous University of Guerrero, protests which led to a general strike at the institution and later swarmed to various forces and social sectors of the city and the state.[7] The main objective was to diminish the power of the state government and seek autonomy for the college. On 27 April 2009 an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 was centered near Chilpancingo.[8]
On 6 October 2024, mayorAlejandro Arcos was beheaded just six days after taking office, allegedly by drug cartels. His murder came three days after Francisco Tapia, the city government's secretary, was shot to death.[9][10]
The climate of Chilpacingo is classified as atropical savanna climate ("Aw"). There is some moderation due to high elevation, but high temperatures are still in the upper 20s °C (80s °F) for most of the year.
Climate data for Chilpancingo de los Bravo (1951–2010)
In 1869, theAutonomous University of Guerrero was established in Chilpancingo; it still plays a considerable role in the local economy.The city is a producer of processed foods and alcoholic beverages, and is a market for maize, sugarcane, bananas, livestock, and lumber produced in the region.[1]
Pezuapan is an archaeological site located in the city of Chilpancingo.[14] It sits on the eastern slope of the Chilpancingo valley. The archaeological vestiges found at the site cover the total area of 4000 m². The dates are from 650 AD to 1150 AD.
Other archaeological sites found in this area of Guerrero are:
