municipality
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 ...
located in the eastern coastal region of the Mexican
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 ...
of
Veracruz
Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...
. It covers a total surface area of , accounting for 0.89% of the state total.
Tlacotalpan borders the municipalities of Alvarado to the north; José Azueta and
Isla
Isla or ISLA may refer to:
Organizations
* International Securities Lending Association, a trade association
* International School of Los Angeles
* International Bilingual School, later named International School of Los Angeles
People
* Isla ...
to the south;
Santiago Tuxtla
Santiago Tuxtla is a small city and municipality in the Los Tuxtlas region of southern Veracruz, Mexico. The area was originally part of lands granted to Hernán Cortés by the Spanish Crown in 1531. The city was founded in 1525, but it did not ga ...
Saltabarranca Saltabarranca is a municipality located in the south zone of the Mexican state of Veracruz, about from the state capital Xalapa. It has an area of . It is located at .
The origin of the name of this existing municipality is not known from the cr ...
Amatitlán
Amatitlán () is a town, with a population of 98,176 (2018 census),Citypopulation.de Population of cities & t ...
to the West.
The municipality is drained by the San Juan and Tuxpan rivers, which are tributaries of the larger
Papaloapan River
The Papaloapan River () is one of the main rivers of the Political divisions of Mexico, Mexican state of Veracruz (state), Veracruz. Its name comes from the Nahuatl ''papaloapan'' meaning "river of the Butterfly, butterflies".
In 1517, Juan de Gri ...
.
The
municipal seat
A municipal seat or ''cabecera municipal'' is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a municipality or civil parish with other villes or towns subordinated. The term is used in Brazil, Colombia,Tlacotalpan, Veracruz, a
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
.
The municipality
The town of Tlacotalpan served as the local government for 143 other communities, which cover a territory of 577.59km2. The municipal government includes a president, a syndic the five representatives called regidors. Of these communities, only the seat of the municipality is classified as urban; the rest are rural. The seat also contains almost all of the population of the municipality, followed by Boca de San Miguel with 394 people, Pérez y Jiménez with 374, San Francisco los Cocos with 347 and Las Amapolas with 216. The municipality borders that of Alvarado, Lerdo de Tejada and
Isla
Isla or ISLA may refer to:
Organizations
* International Securities Lending Association, a trade association
* International School of Los Angeles
* International Bilingual School, later named International School of Los Angeles
People
* Isla ...
.
Socioeconomics and culture
The municipality is classed by the federal government with having a medium level of economic marginalization, with 56.6% of the population living in poverty and 14.1% living in extreme poverty. The main economic activities are tourism and fishing, with 28.4% working in fishing and agriculture, 18.9% in industry and handcrafts, and 50.9% working in tourism, commerce and services.
Local fisherman generally work in the municipality area, with some traveling as far as Alvarado to open ocean. Catches include sea bass, chuchumite,
mojarra
The mojarras are a family, Gerreidae, of fish in the order Perciformes. The family includes about 53 species found worldwide in tropical and warm temperate regions. They mostly inhabit coastal salt and brackish waters, although some occur in fr ...
, crabs, shrimp and crayfish. Some agriculture takes place, with the main crops being sugar cane, corn and beans, but also including almonds, peanuts, coconuts, bananas, pineapple and
guava
Guava () is a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common guava ''Psidium guajava'' (lemon guava, apple guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family ( Myrtaceae), native to Mexico, Central America, the ...
. Livestock is almost entirely cattle with some pigs and goats.
Traditional handcrafts include cedar furniture, especially chairs with woven backs, along with musical instruments.
There are 79 schools which all but seven serving preschool and primary school students. There are three high schools, one university level campus and one teachers’ college. The illiteracy rate is 14.5%.
One of the main tourism draws for the municipality are its festivals, especially that for Our Lady of Candlemas. All of the traditional celebrations of the municipality include traditional music such as the
fandango
Fandango is a lively partner dance originating from Portugal and Spain, usually in triple meter, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets, or hand-clapping. Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is usually bipartite: it has ...
and
son jarocho
Son jarocho ("Veracruz Sound") is a regional folk musical style of Mexican Son from Veracruz, a Mexican state along the Gulf of Mexico. It evolved over the last two and a half centuries along the coastal portions of southern Tamaulipas state an ...
, “mojigangas” (large puppet-like figures made from cartonería), traditional dishes such as those made from “jolote” (a local
catfish
Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...
), duck, tismiche (fish larvae), turtle and other fish as well as the “torito” an alcoholic beverage in flavors such as peanut, guava and coconut.
By far the most important annual event honors Our Lady of Candlemas, a Virgin Mary image which has its own Sanctuary in the town. The official feast day of this image is February 2, but celebrations last from January 31 to February 9. One important event related to this celebration is the La Cabalgata, a parade of couples in traditional dress on horseback. There is also a running of bulls similar to that of Pamplona. The image travels in procession across the Papaloapan.
Other important annual events include the Tlacotalpan Carnival in early May, the feast honoring the patron saint of the San Miguelito neighborhood from September 26–29 and the “Rama” starting December 16, when groups of youths wander the streets singing holiday songs with improvised verses.
Demographics
The 2005 INEGI census reported a population of 13,845. Speakers of
indigenous languages
An indigenous language, or autochthonous language, is a language that is native to a region and spoken by indigenous peoples. This language is from a linguistically distinct community that originated in the area. Indigenous languages are not neces ...
were few, numbering only 42 (predominantly Zapotec).
Population centres in the municipality include:
*
Tlacotalpan
Tlacotalpan is a city in Tlacotalpan Municipality in the Mexican state of Veracruz, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1998 primarily for its architecture and colonial-era layout. The town was established in 1550 on what was originally an ...