Oaxaca Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of Mexico. It is ...

is a

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

in Southwest

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 the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

that is divided into 570

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 ...

, more than any other state. According to Article 113 of the state's constitution, the municipalities are grouped into 30 judicial and tax districts to facilitate the distribution of the state's revenues, although they may not currently function as per their intended purpose. It's the only entity in Mexico with this particular organization. According to the 2020 Mexican

Census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

, it is the tenth most populated state with inhabitants and the 5th largest by land area spanning . Municipalities in Oaxaca are administratively autonomous of the state according to the 115th article of the 1917

Constitution of Mexico The Constitution of Mexico, formally the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States ( es, Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos), is the current constitution of Mexico. It was drafted in Santiago de Querétaro, in th ...

. Every three years, citizens elect a

municipal president A ''presidente municipal'' (English: "municipal president") is the chief of government of municipios in Mexico. This title was also used in the Philippines under the Spanish and American colonization; it is comparable to a mayor of the town or city ...

( es, links=no, presidente municipal) by a

plurality voting Plurality voting refers to electoral systems in which a candidate, or candidates, who poll more than any other counterpart (that is, receive a plurality), are elected. In systems based on single-member districts, it elects just one member per ...

system who heads a concurrently elected municipal council () responsible for providing all the public services for their constituents. The municipal council consists of a variable number of trustees and councillors (). Municipalities are responsible for public services (such as water and sewerage), street lighting, public safety, traffic, and the maintenance of public parks, gardens and cemeteries. They may also assist the state and federal governments in education, emergency fire and medical services, environmental protection and maintenance of monuments and historical landmarks. Since 1984, they have had the power to collect property taxes and user fees, although more funds are obtained from the state and federal governments than from their own income. The largest municipality by population is

Oaxaca City Oaxaca de Juárez (), also Oaxaca City or simply Oaxaca (Valley Zapotec languages, Zapotec: ''Ndua''), is the capital and largest city of the eponymous Administrative divisions of Mexico, Mexican state Oaxaca. It is the municipal seat for the surr ...

, with 270,955 residents (6.55% of the state's total), while the smallest is

Santa Magdalena Jicotlán Santa Magdalena Jicotlán is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. It is part of the Coixtlahuaca district in the Mixteca Region. The municipality covers an area of 48.48 km2, surrounded by the Sierra Madre Oriental. As ...

with 81 residents, the least populated municipality in Mexico. The largest municipality by land area is

Santa María Chimalapa Santa María Chimalapa is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. It is part of the Juchitán District in the west of the Istmo de Tehuantepec region. Environment The municipality has an area of 3572.31 km², much of it ...

which spans , and the smallest is Natividad with , also the smallest municipality by area in Mexico. The newest municipality is

Chahuites Chahuites is a town and Municipalities of Mexico State, municipality in Oaxaca in south-eastern Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 160.75 km². It is part of the Juchitán District, Oaxaca, Juchitán District in the west of the Ist ...

, established in 1949.

Municipalities

File:SantoDomingo12-05Oaxaca109.jpg, alt=Santo Domingo Church, Oaxaca,

, capital and largest municipality by population in Oaxaca. File:Tuxtepec-river.JPG, alt=Papaloapan river, Tuxtepec,

San Juan Bautista Tuxtepec San Juan Bautista Tuxtepec ( nah, Tōchtepēc, "on the hill of rabbits"), or simply referred to as Tuxtepec, is the head of the municipality by the same name and is the second most populous city of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is part of the ...

, second largest municipality by population. File:Parque_eólico_-_panoramio_(1).jpg, alt=Wind turbines, La Ventosa, Juchitán, Juchitán, third largest municipality by population. File:Borrala.JPG, alt=Monte Albán ruins, Xoxocotlán, Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán, fourth largest municipality by population. File:La_ventosa.jpg, alt=Beach, Salina Cruz,

Salina Cruz Salina Cruz is a major seaport on the Pacific coast of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is the state's third-largest city and is the municipal seat of the municipality of the same name. It is part of the Tehuantepec District in the west of the I ...

, fifth largest municipality by population.

Notes

References

{{Portal bar, Mexico