Halachó Municipality (, in the
Yucatec Maya language: “Place of the rat's
wattle
Wattle or wattles may refer to:
Plants
*''Acacia sensu lato'', polyphyletic genus of plants commonly known as wattle, especially in Australia and South Africa
**''Acacia'', large genus of shrubs and trees, native to Australasia
**Black wattle, c ...
”) is a
municipality 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 containing (671.91 km
2) of land and located roughly 68 km southwest of the city of
Mérida.
History
The area belonged to the chieftainship of Ah-Canul the mid-fifteenth century and after 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 ...
was designated as an
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 ...
to Gaspar Pacheco in 1549.
In 1644 the encomedero of Halachó was Juan Quijada Rosado, but in 1659 it had been taken over by Cristóbal de Contreras by virtue of his marriage to Francisca Dorantes Solís, who belonged to an influential family.
In 1700, the encomendero was Jacinto de Almeida,
but by 1740 the Doña Ignacia del Castillo y Solis was in possession of the encomienda Halachó.
with the charge for 168 Indians. It then passed to Don Pedro Cepeda y Lira.
In 1821, Yucatán was declared independent of the Spanish Crown. In 1825 the area was part of the Camino Real Bajo, with its headquarters in
Hunucmá
Hunucmá is a town and the municipal seat of the Hunucmá Municipality, Yucatán in Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north ...
. By 1875, Halachó was elevated to the category of a town, but by 1921 it was reclassified as a village. Since 1910, the town of Halachó has contained two peoples, those who descend from Cepeda and those who descend from Cuch Holoch.
Governance
The municipal president is elected for a term of three years. The president appoints nine Councilpersons to serve on the board for three year terms, as the Secretary and councilors of villages, special events, education, culture and sports, street lighting, health and welfare, city image, market and supply, public works, public monuments, and nomenclature.
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 seat of the municipality is in Halachó. The municipality is made up of 8 larger communities and 5 small ones. The small communities are Hala, Hacienda Santa Julia, San José, Tanchí, and Xocchel. The larger ones are:
Local festivals
Annually a festival to the ''Virgen de Santa Ana'' is held from 13 to 17 April; from 19 July to 4 August is a festival in honor of St. James the Apostle; and the local fiesta is held the last week of November each year.
Landmarks
Architectural
*St. James Church, in the municipal seat of Halachó, erected in the sixteenth century.
*Hacienda Chunchucmil
*
Hacienda Kochol
Hacienda Kochol is located in the Maxcanú Municipality in the state of Yucatán in southeastern Mexico. It is one of the properties that arose during the nineteenth century henequen
Henequen (''Agave fourcroydes'') is a species of flowering p ...
*Hacienda Santa Maria Acu
Archaeological
*Siho Oxkintok archeological site
See also
*
Municipalities of Yucatán
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Halacho Municipality
Municipalities of Yucatán
1549 establishments in the Spanish Empire