Taxco
| Taxco de Alarcon | ||
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Coordinates: 18 ° 34 ′ N , 99 ° 37 ′ W Taxco de Alarcón on the map of Guerrero
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| Basic data | ||
| Country | Mexico | |
| State | Guerrero | |
| Municipio | Taxco de Alarcon | |
| Residents | 52,217 (2010) | |
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| Detailed data | ||
| height | 1750 m | |
| Post Code | 40200 | |
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Taxco de Alarcón is a city with approximately 55,000 inhabitants and a municipality ( municipio ) with approximately 105,000 inhabitants in the north of the state of Guerrero in Mexico . The name Taxco comes from the Indian word Tlachco , which means "place of ball game". The current name Taxco de Alarcón is also reminiscent of the famous Mexican-Spanish writer Ruiz de Alarcón y Mendoza (1581–1639), who was probably born in Mexico City but lived and worked in Taxco before living and there in Spain died. The place is classified as Pueblo Mágico .
location
Taxco is located in the forested mountains of the Sierra Madre del Sur on a connecting road between Mexico City (approx. 180 km northeast) and Acapulco (approx. 245 km south) at an altitude of approx. 1650 to 1850 m above sea level. d. M. The climate is warm, but the night temperatures can drop significantly; Rain (approx. 1235 mm / year) falls mainly in the summer months.
Population development
| year | 1900 | 1950 | 2000 |
| Residents | 3,874 | 10,023 | 50,488 |
The city's population growth is mainly due to the influx of people from the surrounding countryside.
economy
The main economic sectors were and are processing, trading and exporting silver . Although there is still a silver mine in Taxco today, most of the silver processed and sold in Taxco comes from mines in the area around the city of Guanajuato , in the state of the same name. Tourism now plays the largest role in the city's economic life.
history
In 1528 the Spaniards founded a first settlement with the Indian name "Taxco" about 12 km south of today's city and began mining silver. In the 18th century, Don José de la Borda earned a great fortune with the silver Taxcos and thanked the city with the construction of the Church of Santa Prisca , which is one of the most famous churches in America due to its architecture in the style of colonial baroque (see Colonial style ). On April 5, 1803, Alexander von Humboldt stayed briefly in the city and measured its height with the help of his barometer at 1783 m . On February 24, 1821 in the convent of San Bernardino by Agustín de Iturbide the plan of Iguala designed that had the independence of Mexico to the goal. In 1931, the American silver artist William Spratling (1900–1967) came to the city and made Taxco's silver work world famous. Production continues in his style to this day, and the prize for the best work of the year, which is awarded annually at the Feria de la Plata festival, bears his name.
Attractions
- The whitewashed houses, winding streets and small squares of the town on a mountain slope convey a colonial atmosphere.
- The church of Santa Prisca , built in the late Baroque Churrigueresque style in the 1750s, is one of the most beautiful in all of Mexico. The interior is richly decorated with carved altars and paintings.
- The former monastery church of San Bernardino , only about 200 m away, also dates from the 18th century. However, its facade is much more austere and unadorned and the nave is also entirely in the classical style.
- The Casa Borda from the outside is rather repellent impression; however, it has a two-story courtyard.
- The Mina de Taxco, which is accessible to visitors, provides insights into the times of silver mining with pickaxes etc.
- The Museo Virreinal is now housed in the Casa Humboldt , in which various exhibits from the time before Mexico's independence (1821) can be seen.
- On a hill above the city (Cerro de Atachi) a 5 m high statue of Christ with outstretched arms rises up in 2002.
Festivals
Numerous religious festivals interrupt the course of the year. The largest folk festival in the city is the Feria de la Plata , which takes place every year at the end of November and lasts about one week .
