Dzitás Municipality

Dzitás Municipality (In the Yucatec Maya Language: “plant name: mamay or plantain") is one of the 106 municipalities in the Mexican state of Yucatán containing (456.03 km²) of land and is located roughly 125 km east of the city of Mérida.[2]

Dzitás
Municipality
Region 6 Oriente #030
Dzitás Location of the Municipality in Mexico
Coordinates: 20°50′22″N 88°31′34″W
Country	Mexico
State	Yucatán
Mexico Ind.	1821
Yucatán Est.	1824
Government
• Type	2012–2015[1]
• Municipal President	José Crescencio Canul Polanco[2]
Area
• Total	456.03 km^2 (176.07 sq mi)
	[2]
Elevation	32 m (105 ft)
Population  (2010[3])
• Total	3,540
• Density	7.8/km^2 (20/sq mi)
• Demonym	Umanense
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central Standard Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (Central Daylight Time)
INEGI Code	101
Major Airport	Merida (Manuel Crescencio Rejón) International Airport
IATA Code	MID
ICAO Code	MMMD
Municipalities of Yucatán

History

There is no accurate data on when the town was founded, though it existed before the conquest as part of the province of Cupules. At colonization, Dzitás became part of the encomienda system.[2] What is now known as Dzitas was divided into two different encomiendos. Part was designated to Juan Rodrígez in 1549 and the other to Diego de Alcocer. In 1579 the first part was held by Juan Rodrígez and Diego de Alcocer and the second by Diego de Alcocer and Francisca Briceño. The parts were divided between Luis Carrillo de Albornoz and Francisco Rodríguez Montalvo in 1652 and in 1688 between Felipe Carrillo and Isabel Peraza de Ayala.[4]

Yucatán declared its independence from the Spanish Crown in 1821, and in 1825 the area was assigned to the partition of Valladolid Municipality. In 1918 it was designated as its own municipality, but lost a portion of its area in 1931 with the creation of Quintana Roo Municipality.[2]

Governance

The municipal president is elected for a three-year term. The town council has four councilpersons, who serve as Secretary and councilors of public works, public monuments and markets.[5]

Communities

The head of the municipality is Dzitás, Yucatán. There are 10 populated areas of the municipality[5] with the most important being Dzitás, Dzitcacao, Santa Rosa, Xocempich and Yaxché. The significant populations are shown below:[2]

Community	Population
Entire Municipality (2010)	3,540[3]
Dzitás	2826 in 2005[6]
Xocempich	563 in 2005[7]

Local festivals

Every year from 16 to 22 January is the Festival of Santa Inés, patron saint of the town.[2]

Tourist attractions

• Church of Santa Inés, built in 1870
• Archaeological sites at Chech, Chicche, Distas, Ichmul, Lalul, Popolá and Yanxhacat
• Cenotes at Anikabil, Ceh Mukul, Chan Dzonot I, Chan Dzonot II, Chicche

References

1. "Presidentes Municipales" (in Spanish). Mérida, Mexico: PRI yucatan. 23 January 2014. Archived from the original on 3 July 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
2. "Municipios de Yucatán »Dzitás" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 August 2015.
3. "Mexico In Figures:Dzitás, Yucatán". INEGI (in Spanish and English). Aguascalientes, México: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI). Archived from the original on 6 May 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
4. García Bernal, Manuela Cristina (1978). Población y encomienda en Yucatán bajo los Austrias (in Spanish). Sevilla: Escuela de Estudios Hispano-Americanos. pp. 508–509. ISBN 978-8-400-04399-5. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
5. "Dzitás". inafed (in Spanish). Mérida, Mexico: Enciclopedia de Los Municipios y Delegaciones de México. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
6. "Dzitás". PueblosAmerica (in Spanish). PueblosAmerica. 2005. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
7. "Xocempich". PueblosAmerica (in Spanish). PueblosAmerica. 2005. Retrieved 2 August 2015.