Ahumada is one of the 67

municipalities of Chihuahua Chihuahua is a state in Northwest Mexico that is divided into 67 municipalities. According to the 2020 Mexican census, Chihuahua is the 12th most populous state with inhabitants and the largest by land area spanning . Municipalities in Chihuah ...

, in northern

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. The municipal seat lies at Villa Ahumada. The municipality covers an area of 17,131.5 km². As of 2010, the municipality had a total population of 11,457, down from 11,727 as of 2005. The municipality had 553 localities, the largest of which (with 2010 populations in parentheses) was: Villa Ahumada (8,575), classified as urban.

Geography

Towns and villages

Villa Ahumada

Villa Ahumada (officially Miguel Ahumada) is a town and seat of the municipality of Ahumada in the state of Chihuahua in northern

. It is located along Highway 45, about 130 km south of

Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Juárez ( , ; "Juárez City"), commonly referred to as just Juárez (Lipan language, Lipan: ''Tsé Táhú'ayá''), is the most populous city in the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Mexican state of Chihuahua (state), Chihuahua. It was k ...

and 247 km north of the city of Chihuahua. As of 2010, the town had a population of 8,575. The city has several roadside restaurants and

burrito A burrito (, ) or burro in Mexico is, historically, a regional name, among others, for what is known as a taco, a tortilla filled with food, in other parts of the country. The term ''burrito'' was regional, specifically from Guanajuato, Guerre ...

stands and is known for its good cheese. Villa Ahumada entered the international news in 2008 when it was terrorized for several hours by an out of town gang. This was presumably part of the wave of drug-smuggling related violence in Mexico that resulted in about 4,000 deaths between early 2007 and mid-2008. At the night of May 19, 2008, dozens of men drove through town, firing assault rifles and killing the police chief, two police officers and three civilians, and abducting at least 10 people. The remaining policemen then left, and the state and federal governments sent troops to restore order. Officials did not offer a theory about the perpetrators. According to local rumors, the town's drug dealers had been aligned with police and were linked to the

Juárez Cartel The Juárez Cartel (, ), also known as the Vicente Carrillo Fuentes Organization, is a Mexican drug cartel based in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, across the Mexico—U.S. border from El Paso, Texas. The cartel is one of several drug trafficking ...

. After a local drug boss was killed and another arrested, a rival gang was possibly trying to take over the drug trade along the route from Ciudad Juárez to the state of

Sinaloa Sinaloa (), officially the (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities, and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales. It is located in northwest Mexic ...

. A similar attack occurred on February 10, 2009, in which 9 people were apparently kidnapped and driven to a ranch near El Vergel. The Mexican military pursued the assailants and 21 people were killed in the shootout. A number of small mining districts are located in the hills around Villa Ahumada, and the area is noted for its crystal specimens of wulfenite and other minerals.

Carrizal

Carrizal is a rural community located in Ahumada Municipality, Chihuahua,

. It had a population of 102 inhabitants at the 2010 census, and is situated at an elevation of 1,120 meters above sea level. Carrizal was founded November 26, 1772 as a

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

mission named San Fernando de las Amarillas del Carrizal. It was also the location of a presidio and civilian settlement, tasked to guard the route of the

Camino Real de Tierra Adentro El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (), also known as the Silver Route, was a Viceroyalty of New Spain, Spanish road between Mexico City and San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico, San Juan Pueblo (''Ohkay Owingeh''), New Mexico (in the modern U.S.), that wa ...

References

Municipalities of Chihuahua (state) Missions in Sonora {{Chihuahua