Founded in 1948 as Club Social y Deportivo Zacatepec by workers of the Mexican sugar mill called Emiliano Zapata.

It was not until 1948 when Rodrigo Ampudia del Valle along with the sugar mill's coop membership, including the mill's superintendent and its chief chemist Gustavo de la Parra, founded Club Social y Deportivo Zacatepec who from its foundation sought to play in the professional division.

The club defeated Nacional who had won the Campeón Mundial de Clubes and would also go on to beat Manchester United in a friendly game.

It didn't take long for the club to return to the main stage after winning the 1977–78 second division title its third in its history.

In the 1980–81 tournament the club qualified to the playoff stage with 42 points by means of 17 wins, 8 draws, and 13 defeats.

In the 1981–82 tournament the club once again qualified this time playing a series which they lost to Deportivo Neza 2–3 after two matches.

In the 1982–83 tournament the club tied for the worst record in the league with Atletico Morelia both only earning 30 points on 38 games.

After bouncing between the second and third tiers of Mexican football during the 2000s, Zacatepec finally found stability in 2013 when it was announced that their home stadium would receive a multimillion-dollar renovation.

The new team was called Lobos Zacatepec and played in the Liga de Balompié Mexicano, a parallel league to those organized by the Mexican Football Federacion.

[10] While new franchises were established in Zacatepec, a local project, known as Selva Cañera, had consolidated itself in the Liga TDP, the last category of Mexican professional football.

The stadium is nicknamed la selva cañera (the sugarcane jungle) due to Zacatepec's humid weather conditions.

On 23 March 2013, Morelos governor announced the team would return to the Ascenso MX in August 2013, taking the place of Irapuato.

Zacatepec Siglo XXI: (2014-2017) Name assumed after the acquisition of the sporting rights of Cruz Azul Hidalgo.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply.