Cócorit is a town located in the

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 ...

Cajeme Cajeme is one of the 72 municipalities of the northwestern state of Sonora, Mexico. It is named after Cajemé, a Yaqui leader. The municipality has an area of 3,312.05 km2 (1,278.79 sq mi) and with a population of 433,050 inhabitants as of 20 ...

in the southern part of the

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

state of

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into 72 municipalities; the ...

. The name of the town is derived from the

Yaqui The Yaqui, Hiaki, or Yoeme, are a Native American people of the southwest, who speak a Uto-Aztecan language. Their homelands include the Río Yaqui valley in Sonora, Mexico, and the area below the Gila River in Arizona, Southwestern United Sta ...

(Yoem noki, or Hiak noki) word for a chili pepper, ''ko'oko'i.'' Cócorit and the municipality of Cajeme are within the Yaqui River Valley. The ''comisario municipal'' ("municipal commissioner") of Cajeme is

Ing. Ing, ING or ing may refer to: Art and media * '' ...ing'', a 2003 Korean film * i.n.g, a Taiwanese girl group * The Ing, a race of dark creatures in the 2004 video game '' Metroid Prime 2: Echoes'' * "Ing", the first song on The Roches' 1992 ...

Arturo Soto Valenzuela. Cócorit reported a 2005 census population of 7,953 inhabitants, and is the fifth-largest town in the municipality of Cajeme (after

Ciudad Obregón Ciudad Obregón is a city in southern Sonora. It is the state's second largest city after Hermosillo and serves as the municipal seat of Cajeme, as of 2020, the city has a population of 436,484. Ciudad Obregón is south of the state's northe ...

Esperanza Esperanza is the Spanish word for hope, and may refer to: Places Philippines * Esperanza, Agusan del Sur, a municipality * Esperanza, Masbate, a municipality * Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat, a municipality United States * Esperanza, Mississippi, ...

, Pueblo Yaqui, and Tobarito).

History

Yaqui resistance

The town was founded in 1617 by the Spanish

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

aries

Andrés Pérez de Ribas Andrés Pérez De Ribas (born at Cordova, Spain, 1576; died in Mexico, 26 March 1655) was a Spanish Jesuit missionary, and historian of north-western Mexico. Life He joined the Society of Jesus in 1602, coming at once to America, and finishing ...

and Tomás Basilio, although the Spanish inhabitants were eventually forced to leave by the

native population of the area. In 1835 the town was reestablished, this time in an

independent Mexico Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

; the town was a dependency of the municipio of Buenavista. In 1867, the governor of Sonora (Pesqueira) organized two successful military expeditions to control the Yaquis in Cócorit, and in neighboring

Guaymas Guaymas () is a city in Guaymas Municipality, in the southwest part of the state of Sonora, in northwestern Mexico. The city is south of the state capital of Hermosillo, and from the U.S. border. The municipality is located on the Gulf of Cali ...

. In 1875,

Cajemé Cajemé / Kahe'eme ( Yoeme or Yaqui Language for "one who does not stop to drink ater'), born and baptized José María Bonifacio Leyba Pérez (also spelled Leyva and Leiva), was a prominent Yaqui military leader who lived in the Mexican state ...

, a prominent Yaqui leader, attacked Cócorit, setting the town on fire. Under the protection of the

Mexican army The Mexican Army ( es, Ejército Mexicano) is the combined land and air branch and is the largest part of the Mexican Armed Forces; it is also known as the National Defense Army. The Army is under the authority of the Secretariat of National ...

, Cócorit was repopulated in 1885 with inhabitants from the neighboring towns of El Quiriego and Baroyeca. In 1886, the Yaquis continued to strengthen their positions, but the state and federal governments confiscated more than 20,000 head of livestock that belonged to the Yaquis, weakening their position. In 1887 Cajemé was captured. After an interview with

Ramón Corral Ramón Corral Verdugo (January 10, 1854 – November 10, 1912) was the Vice President of Mexico under Porfirio Díaz from 1904 until their resignations in May 1911. Early life Corral was born Ramón Corral Verdugo on Hacienda Las Mercedes ( ...

, Cajemé was taken in the custody of a Mexican army detachment led by Lieutenant Clemente Patiño to

El Médano El Médano ( Spanish, "The sand dune") is a town in the municipality of Granadilla de Abona, on the island of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands. It is located about 11 kilometers from the town of Granadilla, reaching an average altitude of 75 ...

on the steamboat "Demócrata." He paraded through some of the Yaqui towns, and was then shot by the detachment on the pretense that he was trying to escape.Troncoso, Francisco P. ''Francisco de Borja del Paso y Troncoso'' (1905)
guerras con las Tribus Yaqui y Mayo del estado de Sonora, Mexico.''
Mexico: Tipografia del departamento de estado mayor.

American and European immigration

In the early 20th century, the Conant family received a concession from the Mexican government to develop agriculture in the Valley.

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

immigrants arrived and built a fire station and a water tower. The area was

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

ed after two years, and the population sought refuge in Providencia. In 1917, after the first

World War A world war is an international conflict which involves all or most of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World WarI (1914 ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

and Yugoslav families sought refuge in the Valley. A year later, one of the immigrants, Herman Bruss, introduced the first internal combustion tractor, further supporting agriculture. In 1927 Cócorit became its own short-lived municipio. In 1928 when the growing neighboring town of Cajeme changed its name to "

", it became the ''cabecera'' (capital) of the municipio.

Tourism

The main attraction of the town is ''La Casona Cócorit'' ("Cócorit Mansion"), built in the (19th century) in the style of

colonial architecture Colonial architecture is an architectural style from a mother country that has been incorporated into the buildings of settlements or colonies in distant locations. Colonists frequently built settlements that synthesized the architecture of their ...

. The mansion is currently an

art museum An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own collection. It might be in public or private ownership and may be accessible to all or have restrictions in place. Although primarily co ...

with permanent exhibits of paintings and

handicraft A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

s. Also, old adobe houses in the town are still preserved, and are an attraction. One of the main festivities is the ''Feria de San Juan Cócorit'' ("San Juan Cócorit Fair") that takes place every summer on June 24. The "Fundación Cócorit" ("The Cócorit Foundation") also organizes its own fair with artistic presentations.

References

External links

Link to tables of population data from Census of 2005
INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática
History
of

.
History
of Cajeme at the

Universidad de Sonora The University of Sonora ( Universidad de Sonora, abbreviated as Unison) is a public university in the northwestern state of Sonora, Mexico that has a strong research program. The university was founded in 1942 and is considered the main cultura ...

site (in Spanish).
History
of

on the Houston Institute for Culture site.
Yaquis Museum
English Tourist Information for the Yaquis Museum.

(in Spanish).

of the Yaqui Valley (in Spanish).
Sitio Oficial de Cajeme
Official website of Municipality of Cajeme {{DEFAULTSORT:Cocorit Populated places established in 1617 1617 in New Spain Populated places in Sonora 1617 establishments in New Spain