Tahmek Municipality

Tahmek Municipality (In the Yucatec Maya Language: “refuse to embrace”) is one of the 106 municipalities in the Mexican state of Yucatán containing (139.24 km²) of land and located roughly 39 km southeast of the city of Mérida.[2]

Tahmek
Municipality
Principal Church of Tahmek, Yucatán
Region 2 Noroeste #074
Tahmek Location of the Municipality in Mexico
Coordinates: 20°52′27″N 89°15′22″W
Country	Mexico
State	Yucatán
Government
• Type	2012–2015[1]
• Municipal President	Martha Patricia Silveira Puerto[2]
Area
• Total	139.24 km^2 (53.76 sq mi)
	[2]
Elevation [2]	14 m (46 ft)
Population  (2010[3])
• Total	3,609
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

During pre-Hispanic times, the area was part of the chieftainship of Hocabá. The chief was Nacu-Iut, when the Spanish arrived. After the conquest the area became part of the encomienda system and [2] Isabel de Lara was one of the first encomenderas of Tahmek. Upon her death, her estates were divided up with half of Tahmek going with parts of Hocaba and Timucuy to D. Pedro Fernández de Castro. Fernández de Castro's half was merged with the estate of Tixkunchel. The remainder of her estate remained as Tahmek. In 1597 Juan de Magaña Pacheco was the encomendero.[4] A later encomendero was Manuel Carrillo de Albornoz.[2]

Yucatán declared its independence from the Spanish Crown in 1821 and in 1825, the area was assigned to the Beneficios Bajos region with its headquarters in Sotuta, and later passed to the Izamal Municipality. In 1918, it became head of 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 works, ecology and public security.[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 Tahmek, Yucatán. The other populated areas are the Haciendas Muna and Xtabay. The significant populations are shown below:[2]

Community	Population
Entire Municipality (2010)	3,609[3]
Tahmek	3383 in 2005[6]
Xtabay	101 in 2005[7]

Local festivals

Every year on 18 April a fiesta is held for St. Peter the Apostle and from 7 to 12 August celebrations in honor of San Lorenzo, the town's patron saint, are held.[2]

Tourist attractions

• Church of San Lorenzo
• archeological sites Sitpach and Xemaa
• Hacienda Xtabay

References

1. "En Tahmek seis van por la alcaldía" (in Spanish). Mérida, Mexico: Diario de Yucatán. November 5, 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
2. "Municipios de Yucatán » Tahmek" (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 June 2015.
3. "Mexico In Figures: Tahmek, 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.
4. García Bernal, Manuela Cristina (1978). Población y encomienda en Yucatán bajo los Austrias (in Spanish). Sevilla: Escuela de Estudios Hispano-Americanos. p. 510. ISBN 84-00-04399-5. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
5. "Tahmek". inafed (in Spanish). Mérida, Mexico: Enciclopedia de Los Municipios y Delegaciones de México. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
6. "Tahmek". PueblosAmerica (in Spanish). PueblosAmerica. 2005. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
7. "Xtabay". PueblosAmerica (in Spanish). PueblosAmerica. 2005. Retrieved 8 June 2015.