Río Lagartos Municipality

Río Lagartos Municipality (Spanish language: "river of alligators") is one of the 106 municipalities in the Mexican state of Yucatán containing (249.09 km²) of land and is located roughly 215 kilometres (134 mi) northeast of the city of Mérida.[2]

Río Lagartos
Municipality
Seal
Region 5 Noreste #061
Río Lagartos Location of the Municipality in Mexico
Coordinates: 21°35′51″N 88°09′28″W
Country	Mexico
State	Yucatán
Mexico Ind.	1821
Yucatán Est.	1824
Government
• Type	2012–2015[1]
• Municipal President	Elmer Santiago Contreras Tabasco[2]
Area
• Total	249.09 km^2 (96.17 sq mi)
	[2]
Elevation	2 m (7 ft)
Population  (2010[3])
• Total	3,438
• Density	14/km^2 (36/sq mi)
• Demonym	Umanense
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central Standard Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (Central Daylight Time)
INEGI Code	061
Major Airport	Merida (Manuel Crescencio Rejón) International Airport
IATA Code	MID
ICAO Code	MMMD
Municipalities of Yucatán

History

There is no accurate data on when the town was founded, but before the conquest, it was part of the chieftainship of Ecab.[2] After colonization, it became the Spanish colony's northeastern port. Before 1580, Antonio Rodríguez convinced the Yucatecan Governor Guillén de las Casas to appoint him as guard of the port. Rodríguez negotiated with the chieftains Chuyubchuen, Kikil, Panabá and Sucopó to provide him with indigenous workers to mine salt, fish or make ashes for soap. He secured almost a monopoly on the native workers requiring any Spaniard wanting to open a new enterprise to negotiate with him to rent workers.[4]

Yucatán declared its independence from the Spanish Crown in 1821, and in 1825 the area was assigned to the Valladolid Municipality. In 1905, it was assigned to the Tizimín Municipality and in 1988 it was confirmed as head of its own municipality.[5]

Governance

The municipal president is elected for a three-year term. The town council has four councilpersons, who serve as Secretary and councilors of health, education, public security and cemeteries.[6]

Communities

The head of the municipality is Río Lagartos, Yucatán. The municipality has 36 populated places besides the seat including Las Coloradas, El Edén, Paraíso, San Pablo, Santa Cruz, Santa Pilar Trejo, Santa Rita, Serrano, Tacxahan, and Zabich. The significant populations are shown below:[2]

Community	Population
Entire Municipality (2010)	3,438[3]
Las Coloradas	1068 in 2005[7]
Río Lagartos	2127 in 2005[8]

Local festivals

Every year on 25 July there is a festival to patron of the town, Saint James the Apostle.[2]

Tourist attractions

Ría Lagartos

• Birding tours
• Cenote Chiquila
• Cenote Peten Tuchja
• Cenote San Luis Culemix
• Cenote San Manuel
• Cenote San Pedro
• Cenote Santa Pilar

References

1. "Encabezará Renán Barrera a alcaldes panistas de Yucatán" (in Spanish). Mérida, Mexico: LextorMX. 25 September 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
2. "Municipios de Yucatán »Río Lagartos" (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 August 2015.
3. "Mexico In Figures:Río Lagartos, Yucatán". INEGI (in Spanish and English). Aguascalientes, México: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI). Archived from the original on 6 May 2015. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
4. Rugeley, Sergio Quezada ; translated by Terry (2014). Maya lords and lordship : the formation of colonial society in Yucatán, 1350-1600. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 67–69. ISBN 978-0-806-14579-2. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
5. "Estado de Yucatán. División Territorial de 1810 a 1995" (PDF). inegi (in Spanish). Aguascalientes, Mexico: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática. 1996. pp. 110, 116, 124. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 December 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
6. "Río Lagartos". inafed (in Spanish). Mérida, Mexico: Enciclopedia de Los Municipios y Delegaciones de México. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
7. "Las Coloradas" (in Spanish). PueblosAmerica. 2005. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
8. "Río Lagartos" (in Spanish). PueblosAmerica. 2005. Retrieved 7 August 2015.