Opichén Municipality (
Yucatec Maya: "inside the cave or the well") 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 (268.25 km
2) of land and is located roughly south of the city of
Mérida.
History
There is no accurate data on when the town was founded, but it was a settlement 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 was located in the chieftainship of Tutul Xiu. After colonization, 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 with various encomenderos, such as in Iñigo de Sugasti in 1607; Pedro de Santo Domingo Campos and Diego Hidalgo Bravo in 1639; Juan Esteban de Aguilar, Cristóbal Matías Hidalgo Bravo, and Juan Esteban Tello de Aguilar in 1652; and Ana de Vaneda Villegas in 1705.
Yucatán declared its independence from the Spanish Crown in 1821 and in 1825 the area was assigned to the Camino Real
under the
Maxcanú Municipality
Maxcanú Municipality (in the Yucatec Maya language: "his four monkeys") is one of the 106 municipalities in the Mexican state of Yucatán. Its seat is the town of Maxcanú. The municipality covers an area of approximately 1,321 km2 and is lo ...
. In 1988 the area was confirmed as its own municipality.
Governance
The municipal president is elected for a three-year term. The town council has four councilpersons, who serve as Secretary and councilors of public cleanliness, parks and gardens, public monuments.
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
Opichén, Yucatán. The municipality has 12 other populated places
including Calcehtók, Cok, Kaukiriche, Mena, Ojina, San Antonio, San Esteban, Santa Rita, Santa Rosa, Siuch, and Rancho Xikim. The significant populations are shown below:
Local festivals
Every year from 23 to 27 February is a celebration for the pueblo; from 8 to 12 June is the festival to honor of St. Barnabas; and at the end of August the town holds the feast of San Bartolo.
Tourist attractions
* Church of San Bartolomé, built in the eighteenth century
* Chapel of the Mejorada, built in the eighteenth century
* Hacienda Calcehtoc
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Opichen
Municipalities of Yucatán