Cacalchén Municipality
Cacalchén Municipality (In the Yucatec Maya Language: “place of the well with two mouths”) is one of the 106 municipalities in the Mexican state of Yucatán containing (76.64 km2) of land and located roughly 40 km east of the city of Mérida.[2]
Cacalchén | |
---|---|
Principal Church of Cacalchén, Yucatán | |
Region 4 Litoral centro #007 | |
Cacalchén Location of the Municipality in Mexico | |
Coordinates: 20°58′56″N 89°13′40″W | |
Country | |
State | |
Government | |
• Type | |
• Municipal President | Eiter Georfrey Vazquez Sosa[2] |
Area | |
• Total | 76.64 km2 (29.59 sq mi) |
[2] | |
Elevation | 10 m (30 ft) |
Population (2010[3]) | |
• Total | 6,811 |
Time zone | UTC-6 (Central Standard Time) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (Central Daylight Time) |
INEGI Code | 009 |
Major Airport | Merida (Manuel Crescencio Rejón) International Airport |
IATA Code | MID |
ICAO Code | MMMD |
History
There is no extant record of Mayan settlement prior to the conquest. After the conquest the area became part of the encomienda system and Maria Sanchez Sosa was one of the first known encomenderos.[2]
Yucatán declared its independence from the Spanish Crown in 1821 and in 1825, the area was assigned to the coastal region with its headquarters in Izamal. In May 1848 during the Caste War of Yucatán, Cacalchén became a refuge to Colonel José del Carmen Bello after the Mayan rebels defeated government troops and took Izamal. In December of the same year, the Mayan guerrillas commanded by Jacinto Pat looted the town and killed the white settlers.[2]
In 1900 it was withdrawn and became head of the municipality which bears its name.[2]
Governance
The municipal president is elected for a three-year term. The town council has seven aldermen who serve as councilors for public works, public services, ecology, parks, public sanitation, nomenclature and cemeteries.[4]
Communities
The head of the municipality is Cacalchén, Yucatán. The other populated areas in the municipality are Catzín, Puhá, Sahcabá and San Antonio. The significant populations are shown below:[2]
Community | Population |
---|---|
Entire Municipality (2010) | 6,811[3] |
Cacalchén | 6399 in 2005[5] |
Local festivals
Every year from 20 to 29 June a celebration is held in honor of the patron saints of the town, St. Peter and St. Paul.[2]
Tourist attractions
- Church of St. Paul dates to the sixteenth century
- Hacienda Dzidzilché
References
- "Alcaldes" (in Spanish). Mérida, Mexico: buenas tareas. 23 February 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
- "Municipios de Yucatán » Cacalchén" (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 June 2015.
- "Mexico In Figures: Cacalchén, Yucatán". INEGI (in Spanish and English). Aguascalientes, México: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI). Archived from the original on 6 May 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
- "Cacalchén". inafed (in Spanish). Mérida, Mexico: Enciclopedia de Los Municipios y Delegaciones de México. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
- "Cacalchén". PueblosAmerica (in Spanish). PueblosAmerica. 2005. Retrieved 8 June 2015.