Dzitbalché (from
Yucatec Maya
Yucatec Maya ( ; referred to by its speakers as or ) is a Mayan languages, Mayan language spoken in the Yucatán Peninsula, including part of northern Belize. There is also a significant diasporic community of Yucatec Maya speakers in San Fra ...
''jun tsʼíit báalcheʼ'', "a stick or large stem of
balché
''Balché'' is a mildly intoxicating beverage that was commonly consumed by the ancient Maya in what is now Mexico and upper Central America. Today, it is still common among the Maya. The drink is made from the bark of a leguminous tree, '' Lonch ...
"
) is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
in the
Mexican state
State most commonly refers to:
* State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory
**Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country
**Nation state, a ...
of
Campeche
Campeche, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Campeche, is one of the 31 states which, with Mexico City, make up the Administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. Located in southeast Mexico, it is bordered by the sta ...
, located northeast of the state capital of
Campeche City
San Francisco de Campeche (; , ), 19th c., also known simply as Campeche, is a city in Campeche Municipality in the List of states of Mexico, Mexican state of Campeche, on the shore of the Bay of Campeche in the Gulf of Mexico. Both the seat of t ...
. Its creation from the municipality of
Calkiní
Calkiní (Yucatec Maya: "throat of the sun") is a city in the Mexico, Mexican mexican state, state of Campeche. It is situated at the northern tip of the state, on the central western coast the Yucatán Peninsula. It serves as the municipal seat ...
was approved in 2019 and went into force on 1 January 2021.
Geography
The municipality of Dzitbalché is located in northern Campeche. It borders the municipalities of Calkiní to the north and west,
Hecelchakán to the south,
Hopelchén to the southeast, and
Santa Elena in
Yucatán
Yucatán, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, constitute the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 106 separate municipalities, and its capital city is Mérida.
...
to the northeast. The municipality covers an area of .
[
Dzitbalché has a ]tropical savanna climate
Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry "winter") and ''As'' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than ...
with rain in the summer.[ Average temperatures range between , and average annual precipitation is about .
]
History
The Maya
Maya may refer to:
Ethnic groups
* Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America
** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples
** Mayan languages, the languages of the Maya peoples
* Maya (East Africa), a p ...
founded Dzitbalché around 1443–1445. The '' Songs of Dzitbalché'' originate from this pre-Hispanic period. The area was ruled by the Canché family when the Spanish arrived.
Administration
Dzitbalché will hold its first elections as an independent municipality in 2021. Until then, its administration is being carried out by the members of the former municipal board of Dzitbalché, elected when it was still subordinate to Calkiní.[ The current president is José Carlos Sánchez Flores.]
Demographics
In the 2010 Mexican Census, the localities that now comprise the municipality of Dzitbalché recorded a population of 14,387 inhabitants.[
Two of the localities in the municipality are classified as urban:
*The municipal seat also named Dzitbalché, which recorded a population of 11,686 inhabitants in the 2010 Census, and
*Bacabchén, which recorded a population of 2,527 inhabitants in 2010.]
Economy and infrastructure
The municipal seat of Dzitbalché functions as a market town for agricultural and artisanal products from the surrounding area. Handicrafts practised include products made from the ''palma de guano'' (''Sabal
''Sabal'' is a genus of New World palms (or fan-palms). Currently, there are 17 recognized species of ''Sabal'', including one hybrid species.
Distribution
The species are native to the subtropical and tropical regions of the Americas, from ...
'' spp.), woodworking, embroidery, and gold jewelry.maquiladora
A (), or (), is a factory that is largely duty (economics), duty free and tariff free. These factories take raw materials and assemble, manufacture, or process them and export the finished product. These factories and systems are present thro ...
'' operated by Augusta Sportswear.[
The municipality has eighteen schools including a CONALEP school, and one health centre. Mexican Federal Highway 180 and the Campeche–Mérida railway (which will become part of the Mayan Train) run north–south through the municipality.][
]
References
{{Campeche, state=collapsed
Municipalities of Campeche
2021 establishments in Mexico
States and territories established in 2021