Conkal Municipality (In the

Yucatec Maya Yucatec Maya (; referred to by its speakers simply as Maya or as , is one of the 32 Mayan languages of the Mayan language family. Yucatec Maya is spoken in the Yucatán Peninsula and northern Belize. There is also a significant diasporic commu ...

Language: "place of twenty sales" or "place of the parasitic plant ''cuunka''") is one of the 106

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

state of

Yucatán Yucatán (, also , , ; yua, Yúukatan ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán,; yua, link=no, Xóot' Noj Lu'umil Yúukatan. is one of the 31 states which comprise the political divisions of Mexico, federal entities of Mexico. I ...

containing (57.48 km²) of land and located roughly 16 km northeast of the city of Mérida.

History

There is no accurate data on when the town was founded, though it existed before the

conquest Conquest is the act of military subjugation of an enemy by force of arms. Military history provides many examples of conquest: the Roman conquest of Britain, the Mauryan conquest of Afghanistan and of vast areas of the Indian subcontinent, t ...

and in antiquity belonged to the chieftainship of Ceh Pech. At colonization, Conkal became part of the

encomienda The ''encomienda'' () was a Spanish labour system that rewarded conquerors with the labour of conquered non-Christian peoples. The labourers, in theory, were provided with benefits by the conquerors for whom they laboured, including military ...

system and was part of the parcels taken by

Francisco de Montejo the Younger Francisco de Montejo y León (; 1508 – 8 February 1565), known as "the Younger" (), was a Spanish conquistador, who in 1542 founded the city of Mérida, capital of State of Yucatán, Mexico. The son of Francisco de Montejo, ca. June 1527 he ...

. The fourth convent established by the

Franciscan Order , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

in the colonial period was begun in this area, St. Francis of Assisi. In 1821, Yucatán was declared independent of the Spanish Crown. In 1825 the area was part of the Coastal region with its headquarters in Izamal. During the

Caste War of Yucatán The Caste War of Yucatán (1847–1915) began with the revolt of Native Maya people of the Yucatán Peninsula against Hispanic populations, called ''Yucatecos''. The latter had long held political and economic control of the region. A lengthy w ...

, in the mid-1840s, the state government issued orders for punishment of any indigenous inhabitants who were found to be conspiring against the Spanish descendants. Under the territorial redistribution in the middle of the nineteenth century, Conkal was assigned to the

Tixkokob Municipality Tixkokob Municipality (In the Yucatec Maya Language: “Place of the poisonous snakes”) is one of the 106 subdivisions of the State of Yucatán in Mexico. Its municipal seat is located in the City of Tixkokob. The town of Tixkokob is famous wi ...

. Conkal was designated as its own municipality in 1918.

Governance

The municipal president is elected for a term of three years. The president appoints seven Councilpersons to serve on the board for three year terms, as the Secretary and councilors who oversee commissaries, sports, special events, nomenclature, public monuments, public health, ecology, education and culture. 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. 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.

Communities

The head of the municipality is Conkal, Yucatán. There are thirty-five population areas in the municipality, among them, three haciendas Kantoyná, Santa María Rosas, and Xcuyún; and three ranches Los Reyes, San Antonio, and San Román. The major population areas are shown below:

Local festivals

Every year from the 1st to 8 May is the Festival in honor the Holy Cross.

Tourist attractions

* Convent of St. Francis of Assisi * Hacienda Kantoyná * Hacienda San Jose Conkal * Hacienda San Lorenzo Kantul * Hacienda Santa María Rosas * Hacienda Xcuyún

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conkal Municipalities of Yucatán