Chilapa de Álvarez, informally known as Chilapa, is located in Chilapa de Álvarez Municipality in the Mexican state of Guerrero, approximately 54 kilometers east of state capital Chilpancingo. It is a very old town; its first official charter was issued by the Aztec government in the 15th century, after the area's conquest by Moctezuma I in 1458. The Spanish officially designated the town as Chilapa de Santa Maria de Asuncion in 1522; in the late 19th century it was renamed Chilapa de Álvarez in honor of Mexican president Juan Álvarez. Traces of human occupation in the area date to at least 1200 BC.
Chilapa is noted for its large Saturday tianguis, or Aztec market, and its crafts. Local culinary specialities of Chilapa include pozole, chalupas, pan de chilapa bread, and homemade mezcal. The municipal cathedral has a mechanical figurine of Juan Diego, who appears at a window in the cathedral spire and drops rose petals onto the plaza below.