Samahil Municipality

Samahil Municipality (Yucatec Maya: "place of the legume") is one of the 106 municipalities in the Mexican state of Yucatán containing (185.22 km²) of land and is located roughly 35 kilometres (22 mi) southwest of the city of Mérida.[2]

Samahil
Municipality
Municipal Palace
Coat of arms
Region 1 Poniente #063
Samahil Location of the Municipality in Mexico
Coordinates: 20°53′09″N 89°53′22″W
Country	Mexico
State	Yucatán
Mexico Ind.	1821
Yucatán Est.	1824
Government
• Type	2012–2015[1]
• Municipal President	Samuel Mayen Poot[2]
Area
• Total	185.22 km^2 (71.51 sq mi)
	[2]
Elevation	10 m (30 ft)
Population  (2010[3])
• Total	5,008
• Density	27/km^2 (70/sq mi)
• Demonym	Umanense
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central Standard Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (Central Daylight Time)
INEGI Code	063
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, but it was a settlement before the conquest and was located in the chieftainship of Ak Canul. After colonization, the area became part of the encomienda system with various encomenderos.[2] The first was Rodrigo Alvarez in 1549[4] and later, José Solís Osorio in 1704.[2]

Yucatán declared its independence from the Spanish Crown in 1821 and in 1825 the area was assigned to the Lower Camino Real under the Hunucma Municipality. In 1918 the area was confirmed as its own 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 lighting, heritage and patrimony, cemeteries and markets.[5]

The Municipal Council administers the business of the municipality. It is responsible for budgeting and expenditures and producing all required reports for all branches of the municipal administration. Annually it determines educational standards for schools.[5]

The Police Commissioners ensure public order and safety. They are tasked with enforcing regulations, distributing materials and administering rulings of general compliance issued by the council.[5]

Communities

The head of the municipality is Samahil, Yucatán. The municipality has 13 other populated places[5] including Dzit, Katua, Kuchel, Poot, San Antonio Tedzidz and Xkapul. The significant populations are shown below:[2]

Community	Population
Entire Municipality (2010)	5,008[3]
Kuchel	837 in 2005[6]
Samahil	2704 in 2005[7]
San Antonio Tedzidz	1219 in 2005[8]

Local festivals

Every year on 9 June the town holds a celebration for their patron, San Pedro Abad.[2]

Tourist attractions

• Former Convent of San Pedro, built in the colonial era
• Hacienda San Antonio Tedzidz

References

1. "Presidentes Municipales" (in Spanish). Mérida, Mexico: PRI yucatan. 23 January 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
2. "Municipios de Yucatán »Samahil" (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 August 2015.
3. "Mexico In Figures:Samahil, Yucatán". INEGI (in Spanish and English). Aguascalientes, México: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI). Archived from the original on 6 May 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
4. García Bernal, Manuela Cristina (1978). Población y encomienda en Yucatán bajo los Austrias (in Spanish). Sevilla: Escuela de Estudios Hispano-Americanos. p. 503. ISBN 978-8-400-04399-5. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
5. "Samahil". inafed (in Spanish). Mérida, Mexico: Enciclopedia de Los Municipios y Delegaciones de México. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
6. "Kuchel" (in Spanish). PueblosAmerica. 2005. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
7. "Samahil" (in Spanish). PueblosAmerica. 2005. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
8. "San Antonio Tedzidz" (in Spanish). PueblosAmerica. 2005. Retrieved 18 August 2015.