The municipality is the sixth largest in the state of Morelos, with a 2020 census population of 107,053 inhabitants,[1] and has it an area of 64.983 km2 (25.09 sq mi).
[1][5] Oral tradition states that the founders of Tzacualpan were originally from Tepoztlán, Tejalpa, and Xitepeptl (both in modern Jiutepec).
The territory that today makes up the modern municipality of Emiliano Zapata was known as Tzacualpan, and the Spanish added the name San Francisco.
Don Pedro Cortés, 4th Marquess of the Valley of Oaxaca, founded the hacienda of San Vicente Tzacualpan at that time.
[6] In 1618 Diego de Alarcón was granted 170 hectares (420 acres) of land, where he established a rich sugar cane hacienda.
[6] In 1856, the hacienda of San Vicente changed hands; owned by Don Pío Bermejillo and administered by his brother, Nicolás.
Enlisting the aid of Nicolás Leite and Matías Navarrete, on December 18, 1856, they attacked San Vicente and killed four high-ranking men; Bermejillo was not present.
Local residents who fought in the Mexican Revolution (1910-1921) included General Modesto Rangel and the soldiers Ricardo Catalán, Venancio Jiménez, Francisco Mariaca, Natividad Vázquez, Santos Delgado, Teodulo Olivan, Feliciano Flores, Refugio Angelino, Javier Montes De Oca, Martín Batalla, and Aureliano Trujillo.
[6] In 1930 the government decreed that no community could use a saint's name, so San Vicente Zacualpan became Emiliano Zapata in honor of the Revolutionary hero.
[12] Six men were killed and one woman was wounded in a shooting by unknown assailants in Colonia 3 de Mayo on June 6, 2020.
[13] Police officer Rodolfo Martínez Sánchez was assassinated in broad daylight in Colonia Tres de Mayo on December 27, 2020, in apparent revenge for a traffic ticket.
[6] Vegetation is mostly low deciduous forest of warm climate; higuerilla, black amate (acacia), guaje, jarilla, cactus, and carriage.
Mammals include skunk, rabbit, hare, cacomixtle, opossum, bat, badger, armadillo, and coyote.
The industrial sector developed in recent years, making a large part of the municipal territory is considered an important area for trade and services.
Given this, it must be said that the construction industry has shown outstanding growth in Emiliano Zapata, which is due to the development of subdivisions and condominiums of medium and residential type.