Sanahcat Municipality 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 state of Yucatán. It contains of land and is located roughly southeast of the city of Mérida. It is bounded on the north by Hocabá – Xocchel, on the south by Huhí, on the east Kantunil, and the west by Homún. In the

Yucatec Maya language 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 ...

, its name means "legume of Tzalam."

History

During pre-Hispanic times, the town existed but it is unclear which chieftainship it was part of. 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. In 1565 the encomienderos were Melchor and Francisco Pacheco. Yucatán declared its

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

from the Spanish Crown in 1821 and in 1825, the area was assigned to the Beneficios Bajos region with its headquarters in

Sotuta Sotuta is a small town and municipality of the Mexican state of Yucatán, and also was the name of a Mayan chiefdom of the northern central Yucatán Peninsula, before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the sixteenth century. See also * A ...

. Development of the area started in 1821. In 1900, it split away from Hocabá. On 29 September 1924 Sanahcat was elevated to a municipality and in 1937 the Haciendas Tixcacal Xtohil and Ancona were withdrawn from its jurisdiction.

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 works; parks and gardens; and cemeteries. 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 Sanahcat, Yucatán. The other populated area is the Hacienda Tixcacal Leal. The significant populations are shown below: The current president of the municipality is Victor Gabriel Ek Moo (period 2012–2015). The electoral rolls of the municipality belongs to the Fifth Federal Electoral District and Local Fourteenth Ward.

Local festivals

Every year on the 15th of August a celebration in honor of Our Lady of the Assumption is held.

Tourist attractions

* Church of Our Lady of the Assumption built in the 16th century * Cenote Pishtón * Hacienda Tixcacal Leal On the way to Momain, there is a church at Sanathcat which is roughly finished and is built to a "T-plan". The chapel has an arch feature and has a belfry. The church built in the sixteenth century. is dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanahcat Municipalities of Yucatán