Benito Juárez Municipality, Quintana Roo

Benito Juárez is one of the eleven municipalities of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. Most of its population reside in the municipal seat, Cancún. It is named after the 19th century president and statesman Benito Juárez.

Benito Juarez
Municipality
Municipal Hall, Cancun
Flag
Location of Benito Juarez in Quintana Roo
Benito Juarez Location of Benito Juarez in Mexico
Coordinates: 21°00′N 87°00′W
Country	Mexico
State	Quintana Roo
Established	1975[1]
Named for	Benito Juárez
Municipal seat	Cancun
Government
• Municipal President	Julián Ricalde Magaña
Area
• Municipality	1,664 km^2 (642 sq mi)
Elevation	10 m (30 ft)
Population  (2010)[2]
• Municipality	661,176
• Density	400/km^2 (1,000/sq mi)
• Urban	658,911
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
INEGI Code	23005
Website	cancun.gob.mx

Geography

Benito Juárez is located in the north of the state with the Caribbean Sea as its eastern border. It borders on the municipalities of Isla Mujeres to the north, Solidaridad to the south, and Lázaro Cárdenas to the west. The municipality covers an area 1,664 square kilometres (642 sq mi) which is 3.72% of the territory of the state.

Communities

The 2010 census enumerated 295 populated localities and 272 unpopulated localities. The largest are as follows:[3]

Map of Benito Juárez municipality

Community	Population (2010)
Cancún	628,306
Alfredo V. Bonfil	14,900
Puerto Morelos	9,188
Leona Vicario	6,517
El Porvenir	505
Colonia Chiapaneca Siglo XXI	275
Lagos del Sol	156
Entire municipality	661,176

Puerto Juárez, the primary location of the original population of the area before the founding of the city of Cancún, was considered a separate location from 1960 until 1990, when it was abolished as such and incorporated as one of Cancún's districts.

History

The Mayan culture occupied the territory and they are still subsisting. In Cancún are different types of archeological monuments like "Ruinas de el Rey". At the time the town of Cancún was founded (1902) the majority of its business activity was the production and export gum and "palo de tinte". They transported it to Puerto Morelos for the translation to Cozumel and from there it was exported to other countries.

After World War II gum production dropped. In the 1960s, other commercial activities were started. In the 1960s the "island of Cancún" was only occupied at certain times of the year,[4] however by 1974 the first hotel was opened in what is now known as the Hotel Zone. This was also the year Quintana Roo that was recognized as a state. At the time Benito Juarez was founded, it was part the Isla Mujeres territory.

In 2016, the municipality of Puerto Morelos was split off from Benito Juárez.

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1995	311,696	—
2000	419,815	+6.14%
2005	572,973	+6.42%
2010	661,176	+2.91%
Source: INEGI Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía[5]

Economy

Aerial view of the Nichupte Lagoon

The principal businesses in this municipality are hotels, restaurants, travel agencies and tourist transportation.

Economic activities:[6]

• Primary……………….3.7% (agriculture, hunting, fishing)
• Secondary…………….6.0% (manufacturing, construction, electricity)
• Tertiary……………….90.3% (trade, tourism)

Local government

Mayors:

• Julián Javier Ricalde Magaña (PRD) 2011-2013
• Gregorio Sánchez Martínez (PRD) 2008-2010

References

1. "Benito Juárez". Archived from the original on 2007-07-07. Retrieved 2007-01-28.
2. 2010 census tables: INEGI Archived May 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
3. 2010 census tables: INEGI Archived May 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
4. "Benito Juárez History". Retrieved 2009-11-14.
5. "INEGI. Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía. Censo de Población y Vivienda 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010". Archived from the original on 2013-09-28. Retrieved 2014-10-09.
6. "Benito Juárez". Archived from the original on 2007-07-07. Retrieved 2007-01-28.

External links

• Media related to Benito Juárez Municipality, Quintana Roo at Wikimedia Commons
• Official Cancún Website