Hunucmá 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: “he alone answered”) 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 (599.10 km
2) of land and located roughly 25 km west of the city of
Mérida.
History
It is unknown which chieftainship the area was under prior to the arrival of the Spanish. 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 ...
the area 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. The encomienda was established under
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 ...
in 1549 and by 1571 it had passed to Beatriz de Montejo. In 1579 the encomendero was Diego de Santillán and in 1607 it passed to Martín de Palomar. In 1616 the encomenderos were Diego García de Montalvo, Jacinto de Montalvo y Olmos, and Martín de Montalvo y Figueroa, but by 1678 it had passed to Diego Tello de Aguillar.
Yucatán declared its independence from the Spanish Crown in 1821 and in 1825, the area was assigned to the Camino Real Bajo region with its headquarters in Hunucmá Municipality, which was head of Chocholá, Halachó, Kinchil, Kopomá, Maxcanú, Opichén, Samahil, Tetiz, and Umán. After the ejidos and land redistribution of the 1930s, Hunucmá was reconfirmed as head of its own municipality.
Governance
The municipal president is elected for a three-year term. The town council has nine councilpersons, who serve as Secretary and councilors of public lighting, public security, education and culture, parks and gardens, public works, cemeteries and roads, markets, potable water, and sports.
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
Hunucmá, Yucatán. The other populated areas of the municipality include Capel, Rancho Chen Toro, Hulila, Hunkanab, Rancho Chico, San Antonio Chél, Rancho San Joaquín, San Miguel, Rancho San Rafael, Santa Cruz, Sisal, Texán de Palomeque. The significant populations are shown below:
Local festivals
Every year from 10 to 15 August there is a festival of the Virgin of the Assumption; on 28 to 31 January, the feast of Corpus Christi is celebrated; and the last week of August, in Sisal is a celebration in honor of the Christ of Hunucmá.
Tourist attractions
* Church of St. James, built in the seventeenth century
* Chapel of San Antonio, built in the colonial era
* the former Convent and Church of San Francisco, built in the sixteenth century
* Chapel of Guadalupe, dating from the eighteenth century
*
Hacienda San Miguel Chac
Notables
Notable locals include:
Jose Leon Bojorquez, musician, composer and director of the Folk Orchestra of the State and Tipica de Yucalpetén.
Alberto Bojórquez Pérez Perez Alberto Bojorquez, Promoting tourism and the peninsula.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunucma Municipality
Municipalities of Yucatán