Compostela is the name of both a

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 ...

and of a town in it that serves as the seat; both are in the Mexican state of

Nayarit Nayarit (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nayarit ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit), is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 20 municipalities and its ...

. The municipality had 62,925 (2005 census) in a total area of 1,848 km² (713.5 sq mi). The town and its municipal seat had a population of 15,991 in 2000.

Overview

The name was given in honor of

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of S ...

in Galicia, Spain; tradition says that "Compostela" comes from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''campus stellae'', "field of stars" (another theory makes it come from ''composita tella'' or even ''compositella''). Compostela is located on the south coast of the state and is bounded in the north by San Blas and

Xalisco Xalisco () is a city and its surrounding municipality of the same name in the Mexican state of Nayarit. The city had a population of 21,899 in the 2005 census while the municipality has an area of 290.6 km² (112.2 sq mi) and a populati ...

; in the south by Bahía de Banderas and the state of Jalisco; in the east by Santa María del Oro,

San Pedro Lagunillas San Pedro Lagunillas is both a municipality and the municipal seat of the same in the Mexican state of Nayarit. The population of the municipality was 7,155 (2005) in a total area of 520 square kilometers. The population of the town and municip ...

and the state of Jalisco; in the west by the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

. The largest settlements in the municipality are: Compostela (15,991 inhabitants in 2000), Las Varas (12,403), La Peñita de Jaltemba (7,062), Zacualpan (4,468), and Colonia Paraíso Escondido (2,069). The climate is tempered by elevation, with rains from July to September. The hottest months are April and May. The average annual rainfall is 968.5 mm. The average annual temperature is 22.9 °C. The economy is heavily based on agriculture. The main crops are tobacco, corn, beans, coffee, sorghum, and mangoes. There were around 50,000 head of cattle in 1995. There were several small gold and silver mines. In manufacturing the main products were cigars, mango packing, rice shelling, soap factories, cattle feed, furniture, and food and drink. This is a region that attracts a considerable number of local and foreign visitors due to the natural landscape, beaches, historical sites and the international fishing competitions. Around Las Varas in the direction of the south there are beaches in the zone called Costa Alegre, among which should be mentioned:

Chacala Chacala is a beach-town set in small cove on the Pacific coast of Mexico in the State of Nayarit. It is located near pueblo Las Varas and about north of Puerto Vallarta. The name means "where there are shrimp" in Náhuatl, and is part of the coa ...

and Chacalilla, La Peñita de Jaltemba,

Rincón de Guayabitos Rincón de Guayabitos (also known simply as Guayabitos) is a popular beach resort area located in the municipality of Compostela, in the Mexican state of Nayarit. The resort area occupies about two km of beachfront and is a popular vacation place ...

Los Ayala Los Ayala is a small beach town and fishing village located in the municipality of Compostela, in the Mexican state of Nayarit Nayarit (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nayarit ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit), is one of t ...

, El Monteón, Lo de Marcos and Playa

Platanitos Platanitos a small beach town in the Mexican state of Nayarit. It is located about 20 miles south of San Blas and a few miles from the beach Las Tortugas meaning turtle. With its restaurants, small hotels and warm waters, Platanitos brings sever ...

, as well as the islands in the bay of Rincón de Guayabitos, with a good infrastructure of services.

Government

Municipal presidents

References

Link to tables of population data from Census of 2005
INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática
Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México (Spanish)

External links

Portal de Carrillo Puerto Nayarit(Spanish)m.net/ Portal de Las Varas (Spanish)Portal de Rincón de Guayabitos (Spanish)Portal de la ciudad compostela Nayarit mexico. (Spanish)
{{Nayarit Populated places in Nayarit Municipalities of Nayarit