Baviácora is a small town and the municipal seat of the surrounding municipality of the

Mexican state The states of Mexico are first-level administrative territorial entities of the country of Mexico, which is officially named Mexico, United Mexican States. There are 32 federal entities in Mexico (31 states and the capital, Mexico City, as a sepa ...

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...

. The geographical coordinates are .

Location and Boundaries

The municipality is located almost in the center of the state at a distance of 125 kilometers from the state capital,

Hermosillo Hermosillo (), formerly called Pitic (as in ''Santísima Trinidad del Pitic'' and ''Presidio del Pitic''), is a city located in the center of the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is the municipal seat of the Hermosillo Municipality, Her ...

, in the valley of the Río Sonora. In the north is the municipality of

Aconchi Aconchi is a small city in Aconchi Municipality that surrounds it, located in the center of the Mexican state of Sonora. The population of the municipality (urban and rural) was 2,452 in 2005 in an area of 358.74 square kilometers. It became a m ...

, in the south the municipalities of

Ures Ures is a small city and a municipality in the Mexican state of Sonora. Area It has an area of 2,618.56 square kilometers. This is 1.41% of the total area of the state, and 0.13 percent of the national area of Mexico. Besides the seat, the most i ...

and Villa Pesqueira, in the east the municipality of

Cumpas Cumpas is the municipal seat of Cumpas Municipality of the Mexican state of Sonora. References Enciclopedia de los Municipios de MexicoINEGIGobierno de SonoraSocial Economic Profile of Cumpas(in Spanish) External linksCumpas, Ayuntamiento Di ...

and in the west the municipalities of

and Rayón. See map a

The town is situated at an elevation of 620 meters above sea level.

Area and Population

The area of the municipality is 858.96 km². The population in 2005 was 3,404 with (3,724 in 2000) with 1,974 residing in the municipal seat (2000 INEGI).

Climate

The climate is hot and dry. From June to September the average high is 30.1° while from December to January the average minimum is 13.5°C. The annual average temperature is 22.7°

Education and Health Care

There are only primary and middle schools. Students need to travel to

for a secondary- school education. There is no hospital. Healthcare is provided by public clinics, which provide only non-specialized care.

Economic Activity

The economy is highly dependent on agriculture and cattle raising. The main crops are corn and beans. Grasses are grown for cattle fodder. The cattle herd numbered over 17,000 head in 2000

There are micro-industries and one assembly plant (maquiladora), which manufactures clothing.

Tourist attractions

The main tourist attraction is the mission church of Nuestra Señora de la Concepción de Banácora.

History

In 1639 the Portuguese

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

missionary Bartolomé Castaños established the mission of Nuestra Señora de la Concepción de Baviácora. The name Baviácora is a transliteration of the

Opata The Opata (written Ópata in Spanish, pronounced with stress on the first syllable: /ˈopata/) are three indigenous peoples of Mexico. Opata territory, the “Opatería” in Spanish, encompasses the mountainous northeast and central part of the ...

word "babícori," the mint that grows along the Río Sonora. Before this, in 1639, the Opata had been conquered by the Spanish general

Pedro de Perea Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for ''Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter. The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meaning " ...

. Baviácora became a municipality in 1931.

Sources consulted

Enciclopedia de los Municipios de MexicoINEGI

External links

Baviácora, Ayuntamiento Digital
''(Official Website of Baviácora, Sonora)''

English. Translated from the official Internet site of the state of Sonora, Mexico. {{DEFAULTSORT:Baviacora Populated places in Sonora