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Cocoyoc is a Nahuatl word that means "the place of coyotes". the town of Cocoyoc is many centuries old and existed long before the Spanish conquest. the tlahulcan, another nahuatl group, founded Cocoyoc in the eleventh century, two hundred years before the Aztecs became the dominant group of the Nahuatls and established their capital. Tenochtitlan, where Mexico City now stands.
Moctezuma the first was attracted bhy his mother's native land; he ordered extensive gardens to be planted near Cocoyoc, bringing flowers, trees and bushes from all over the country. He had royal baths constructed for his own use and would go there to escape from state affairs, to relax
in the sun and
the peacefull atmosphere of Cocoyoc.
In 1614, the Hacienda received a government license to set up a horse-driven sugar mill for processing sugar cane. These developments took place during frequent changes of owners. By 1698, the Hacienda consisted of three hundred sixty six acres of irrigated land, a house, a chapel, the sugar mill and other buildings necessary for the running of a sugar plantation. During the eighteenth century, Hacienda Cocoyoc was among the twelve most important sugar plantations in the country. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, its importance grew with the construction of an aqueduct to bring water from nearby sources for irrigation and to move a water wheel which was part of the installation of new machinery of the sugar refinery. Many of the beautiful arched stone aqueducts are still in service. Until the Revolution of 1910, the Hacienda continued to flourish. At that time. Zapata, an agrarian revolutionary, and his followers burned and destroyed many haciendas in the area including the Hacienda Cocoyoc. Ruins of many other haciendas can be seen in the area. By the end of the revolution in 1921, the land had been divided among the peasants and only one hundred and sixty eight acres remained. In 1957, Paulino Rivera Torres bought the Hacienda Cocoyoc and carried out his dream of making it into a Hotel. This beautiful, comfortable hotel combines modern comfort and efficiency with the romantic elegance of the past of the old "Hacienda Cocoyoc."
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