Introduction

Resort towns are nothing new to Mexico. When Hernan Cortes and his troops arrived in the central highlands, they learned from the Aztecs how to escape Mexico City’s winter chill by spending the colder months in a town about 40 miles south, beyond the mountains. Its original name, Cuauhnahuac, meant “place of great trees” in native Nahuatl.

When his adventuring days were over, Cortes chose to retire in Cuernavaca. The silver barons of the colonial era also built homes here. Even Emperor Maximilian and his wife, Carlota, had their weekend retreat. Thanks to its perennial springlike weather, Cuernavaca continues to be a weekend getaway for Mexico City residents and home to a growing colony of retired Americans.

The town is filled with country club-style hotels and homes with swimming pools. In fact, it has more pools per capita than any city in the world exceeding a million inhabitants. When not swimming, everyone seems to gather at the plaza to have a drink at a sidewalk cafe or lounge on a bench and watch other people watch them.