Free and Sovereign State of Morelos

Morelos is a landlocked state located in south-central Mexico. It is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 36 municipalities and its capital city is Cuernavaca, which is only 90 km south of Mexico City and due to its gentle climate is referred to as ‘The City of the Eternal Spring’. Morelos is bordered by Mexico City to the north, and by the states of México to the northeast and northwest, Puebla to the east and Guerrero to the southwest. Morelos is the second-smallest state in the nation, just after Tlaxcala and covers just under 5,000 km2 (c. 1,900 square miles). It has a population of around two million people. Most of the state enjoys a warm climate year-round, which is good for the raising of sugar cane and other crops.

The state, most of which is between 3,300 and 10,800 feet above sea level, has a very diverse topography: 42% is mountainous, 16% hilly land, and 42% flat terrain. The highest altitudes are found near the state’s border with Mexico City, and the lowest are found in the Huaxtla region. It straddles two main geographic formations, the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt in the north and east and the Sierra Madre del Sur, which stretches south and west from Cuernavaca and Jiutepec. The majestic mountain peaks of the Sierra Ajusco in the north of the state divide Morelos from the neighbouring Valley of Mexico.

It is in the highest part of the Balsas River basin, which ends in the north in the areas bounded by the Sierra Ajusco-Chichinautzin and the Popocatépetl volcano. From this point south, the state gradually slopes downward, interrupted by the Tlaltizapan and Yautepec mountains in the centre of the state and the Sierra de Huautla in the south.  Most of the rivers and streams of the state, including the Cuautla River, flow into the Amacuzac River, which itself is a major tributary of the Balsas River, on the border with the state of Guerrero.

Popocatépetl – ©Jakub Hejtmánek CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The climate and vegetation varies from alpine meadows in the highest elevations near Popocatepetl to lowland rainforest in the south. Roughly 70% of the state has a humid and relatively warm climate, especially in the highly populated areas of Cuernavaca, Tepotzlán, Oaxtepec and Yautepec. Average temperature is approximately 25 °C year-round, with a rainy season from May until September. The natural resources of the state have been taken advantage of for centuries and have suffered changes as a consequence, especially in landscapes, water sources, flora, and fauna. The changes have accelerated as the population has grown.

Birding Morelos

Morelos has one major national park, the Lagunas de Zempoala. It is one of Mexico’s largest national parks, located on the southern flank of the Sierra Madre mountains. The park had five mountain-fed lakes and abundant wildlife when first established. However, it is being stressed due to illegal logging, with subsequent soil erosion and water from its last dark blue lake lost to drainage. Much of this drainage is to provide water to Cuernavaca, whose population uses twice the water per day than that by Mexico City. The park’s area has shrunk from 55,000 acres to 12,500. There is also a butterfly sanctuary at Jardines de México in Jojutla and a turtle sanctuary in Cuautla.

Lagunas de Zempoala – ©Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Much of the state’s ecological woes stem from the housing explosion, which is mostly cantered in the capital of Cuernavaca, but it is a problem in places such as Cuautla as well. Groups such as the Frente de Pueblos en Defensa de la Tierra y el Agua and Guardianes de los Àrboles have criticised the government for allowing city areas to grow with insufficient planning and control. They also claim that it is hurting much of the state’s ecosystem and water supply. Morelos also has 39 open-pit mines covering an area of 37,130 acres, mostly in Temixco, Miacatlan, Xocitepec, and Cuernavaca. Mines of this sort often affect the health of both miners and people who live in nearby communities; they threaten the air, water supply, and soil in addition to the flora and fauna of the community.

Despite being quite a small state, with a relatively high and urban population, more than 20% of the population still work the land. Combined with areas too steep to farm or build and areas of forest makes for sufficient habitat to attract nearly 500 bird species, 55 of which are Mexican endemics. While not one of the states attracting large numbers of wildlife watchers, those who do visit can still find a great variety of avian life.