Halachó Municipality (, in the

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 ...

language: “Place of the rat's

wattle Wattle or wattles may refer to: Plants *''Acacia sensu lato'', polyphyletic genus of plants commonly known as wattle, especially in Australian English **''Acacia'' ***Black wattle, common name for several species of acacia ***Golden wattle, ''A ...

”) 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 ...

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. ...

containing (671.91 km²) of land and located roughly 68 km southwest of the city of Mérida.

History

The area belonged to the chieftainship of Ah-Canul the mid-fifteenth century and after the

conquest Conquest involves the annexation or control of another entity's territory through war or Coercion (international relations), coercion. Historically, conquests occurred frequently in the international system, and there were limited normative or ...

was designated as an

encomienda The ''encomienda'' () was a Spanish Labour (human activity), labour system that rewarded Conquistador, conquerors with the labour of conquered non-Christian peoples. In theory, the conquerors provided the labourers with benefits, including mil ...

to Gaspar Pacheco in 1549. In 1644 the encomedero of Halachó was Juan Quijada Rosado, but in 1659 it had been taken over by Cristóbal de Contreras by virtue of his marriage to Francisca Dorantes Solís, who belonged to an influential family. In 1700, the encomendero was Jacinto de Almeida, but by 1740 the Doña Ignacia del Castillo y Solis was in possession of the encomienda Halachó. with the charge for 168 Indians. It then passed to Don Pedro Cepeda y Lira. In 1821, Yucatán was declared independent of the Spanish Crown. In 1825 the area was part of the Camino Real Bajo, with its headquarters in

Hunucmá Hunucmá is a town and the municipal seat of the Hunucmá Municipality, Yucatán in 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 ...

. By 1875, Halachó was elevated to the category of a town, but by 1921 it was reclassified as a village. Since 1910, the town of Halachó has contained two peoples, those who descend from Cepeda and those who descend from Cuch Holoch.

Governance

The municipal president is elected for a term of three years. The president appoints nine Councilpersons to serve on the board for three year terms, as the Secretary and councilors of villages, special events, education, culture and sports, street lighting, health and welfare, city image, market and supply, public works, public monuments, and nomenclature. 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 seat of the municipality is in Halachó. The municipality is made up of 8 larger communities and 5 small ones. The small communities are Hala, Hacienda Santa Julia, San José, Tanchí, and Xocchel. The larger ones are:

Local festivals

Annually a festival to the ''Virgen de Santa Ana'' is held from 13 to 17 April; from 19 July to 4 August is a festival in honor of St. James the Apostle; and the local fiesta is held the last week of November each year.

Landmarks

Architectural

*St. James Church, in the municipal seat of Halachó, erected in the sixteenth century. *Hacienda Chunchucmil *

Hacienda Kochol Hacienda Kochol is located in the Maxcanú Municipality in the state of Yucatán in southeastern Mexico. It is one of the properties that arose during the nineteenth century henequen boom. After a foreclosure in the 1950s and use for many years as ...

*Hacienda Santa Maria Acu

Archaeological

*Siho Oxkintok archeological site

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Halacho Municipality Municipalities of Yucatán 1549 establishments in the Spanish Empire