Arizpe 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

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 ...

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...

in north-western Mexico. The municipality of Arizpe is one of the 72 municipalities of the state of

, located in the north-central region of the state in the

Sierra Madre Occidental The Sierra Madre Occidental is a major mountain range system of the North American Cordillera, that runs northwest–southeast through northwestern and western Mexico, and along the Gulf of California. The Sierra Madre is part of the American C ...

area. It has 72 localities within the municipality, its municipal seat and the most populated locality is the homonymous town of

Arizpe Arizpe (or Arispe) is a small town and the municipal seat of the Arizpe Municipality in the north of the Mexican state of Sonora. It is located at 30°20'"N 110°09'"W. The area of the municipality is 2,806.78 sq.km. The population in 2020 was ...

, while other important ones are: Sinoquipe, Bacanuchi and Chinapa. It was named for the first time as a municipality in 1813 and according to the 14th Population and Housing Census carried out in 2020 by the

National Institute of Statistics and Geography The National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI from its former name in ) is an autonomous agency of the Mexican Government dedicated to coordinate the National System of Statistical and Geographical Information of the country. It w ...

(INEGI) the municipality has a total population of 2,788 inhabitants. This municipality has an area of 1,186.56 square miles (3,073.17 km²). Its Gross Domestic Product per capita is USD 11,012, and its Human Development Index (HDI) is 0.8292. Like most of the municipalities of Sonora, the name was given by that of its municipal seat. The region was inhabited by the

Opata people The Opata (, /ˈopata/) are an Indigenous people in Mexico. Opata territory, the "Opatería" in Spanish, encompasses the mountainous northeast and central part of the state of Sonora, extending to near the border with the United States. Historica ...

. The name Arizpe is derived from the roots of the

Opata language Ópata (also Tegüima, Teguima, Tehuima, Tehui, Jova, Joval, Tonichi, Sonori and Ure; ) is either of two closely related Uto-Aztecan languages, ''Teguima'' and '' Eudeve'', spoken by the Opata people of northern central Sonora in Mexico and South ...

Arit, "brave ant" and Pa, "in"; that is, "Place of brave ants or red ants".

History as a municipality

The region that today comprises this municipality was inhabited by the

, before the arrival of the Spanish

conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...

s. It was in 1646 when the

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 ...

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...

Jerónimo de la Canal and

Ignacio Molarja Ignacio Molarja, or known in the Society of Jesus, Jesuit dictionaries as Ignacio Molarsa (Cagliari, Caller, Sardinia, Cerdeña, Italy, 1610 – Tecoripa, Sonora, Mexico, 24 November 1658) was an explorer and Society of Jesus, Jesuit missionary per ...

founded the town of Arizpe with the category of "Mission Town" while evangelizing the above-mentioned

ethnic group An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...

. Clause VI of the "Royal Order of 22 August 1776", issued by King

Charles III of Spain Charles III (; 20 January 1716 – 14 December 1788) was King of Spain in the years 1759 to 1788. He was also Duke of Parma and Piacenza, as Charles I (1731–1735); King of Naples, as Charles VII; and King of Sicily, as Charles III (or V) (1735� ...

established that the town of Arizpe was the capital of the Western Internal Provinces, with jurisdiction over the Intendency of

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

The Californias The Californias (), occasionally known as the Three Californias or the Two Californias, are a region of North America spanning the United States and Mexico, consisting of the U.S. state of California and the Mexican states of Baja California a ...

Sonora and Sinaloa Estado de Occidente (; also known as Sonora y Sinaloa) was a Mexican state established in 1824. The constitution was drafted in that year and the government was initially established with its capital at El Fuerte, Sinaloa. The first governor was ...

Nueva Vizcaya Nueva Vizcaya, officially the Province of Nueva Vizcaya (; ; Pangasinan: ''Luyag/Probinsia na Nueva Vizcaya''; ), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon. Its capital and largest town is Bayo ...

(nowadays

Durango Durango, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Durango, is one of the 31 states which make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in the northwest portion of the country. With a population of 1,832,650 ...

), and Chihuahua. The town was also the seat of the Intendency of Arizpe. In 1648 the mission of San José de Chinapa was founded, first functioning as a town to be visited by missionaries heading from Arizpe. On March 19, 1812, when the

Spanish Constitution of 1812 The Political Constitution of the Spanish Monarchy (), also known as the Constitution of Cádiz () and nicknamed ''La Pepa'', was the first Constitution of Spain and one of the earliest codified constitutions in world history. The Constitution ...

came into force, the first municipalities of the Western State were established, and it was a year later, in 1813, when Arizpe was promulgated as an independent municipality along with 15 other municipalities. The following year, 1814, King

Ferdinand VII of Spain Ferdinand VII (; 14 October 1784 – 29 September 1833) was Monarchy of Spain, King of Spain during the early 19th century. He reigned briefly in 1808 and then again from 1813 to his death in 1833. Before 1813 he was known as ''el Deseado'' (t ...

dissolved these municipalities. In September 1824, after the Independence of Mexico and the authorities of this area had sworn allegiance to the new government, the seat of the local powers was changed to

El Fuerte, Sinaloa El Fuerte () is a city and El Fuerte Municipality its surrounding municipality in the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa. The city population reported in the 2010 census was 12,566 people. El Fuerte, meaning "The Fort", was given a Pueblo ...

. On October 31, 1825, the Constitution was reestablished, but Arizpe was not renamed a municipality since it did not meet the at least three thousand inhabitants required for the appointment. Six years later, in 1831, by a new Constitution, it was determined that the state be divided into parties. Eight parties were created including the Arizpe Party; on April 13, 1832, by a third order, it was commanded that the capital be returned to Arizpe, remaining as capital until the end of 1838, when

Ures Ures is a small city and a Municipalities of Sonora, municipality in the List of states of Mexico, Mexican state of Sonora. Population In the year 2000, the total population was 9,553 residents. New figures from 2005 reported 8,420, meaning a co ...

was established as its successor. In 1837 the state division was made up of districts planned by the agreement of the Departmental Board, and in the same way the District of Arizpe was created, and thus lasted until 1914, when on November 21 of that year the provisional constitutionalist governor Benjamín G. Hill decreed the abolition of the districts as part of the formation process of free municipalities during the

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...

and the structure of the local governments was managed. On September 15, 1917, Arizpe was named as a free municipality along with 66 others, and it was ruled by a

municipal president A ''presidente municipal'' ( English: "municipal president") is the chief of government of municipios in Mexico. This title was also used in the Philippines during the Spanish and American colonial periods; it is comparable to a mayor of the tow ...

and four councilors. The division into districts previously abolished was preserved only for political, electoral and finance purposes, and the Arizpe District was made up of the municipalities of: Aconchi, Agua Prieta , Bacoachi, Baviácora, Cananea, Fronteras, Huépac, San Felipe, Naco and Banámichi. In 1930 the municipalities of

Banámichi Banámichi ( Opata: Banamitzi) is a small town in north-central Sonora, Mexico. It serves as the seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name. Geographical coordinates are . Area and population The municipal area is 773.06 km² and th ...

and

Baviácora Baviácora is a small town and the municipal seat of the surrounding municipality of the Mexican state of Sonora. The geographical coordinates are . Geography The municipality is located almost in the center of the state at a distance of 125 ki ...

were suppressed due to the low income they generated, and their localities were part of the municipality of Arizpe until May 13, 1931, when they were rehabilitated as independent municipalities back, and they remain so until today.

Geography

The municipality is located in the center-north area of the state of Sonora, between parallels 30° 6' 42.16" and 30° 46' 16.25" North latitude, and meridians 109° 44' 14.89" and 110° 30' 8.6" West longitude, at a minimum altitude of 2297 feet above sea level (700 meters asl) and a maximum of 7546 feet asl (2,300 meters asl). Its territory limits to the North with the municipality of

Cananea Cananea is a city in the Mexican state of Sonora, Northwestern Mexico. It is the seat of the Municipality of Cananea, in the vicinity of the U.S−Mexico border. The population of the city was 31,560 as recorded by the 2010 census. The po ...

, to the Northeast with that of

Bacoachi Bacoachi is a small town in Bacoachi Municipality in the north of the Mexican state of Sonora. The area of the municipality is 487 square miles (1,260.65 km2) and the population (rural and urban) was 1,475 in 2020.The elevation of the munici ...

, to the East with that of

Nacozari de García Nacozari de García is a small mining town in the northeast of the List of states of Mexico, Mexican state of Sonora. It serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name. Geography The municipal seat had a populatio ...

, to the Southeast with that of

Cumpas Cumpas is the municipal seat of Cumpas Municipality of the Mexican state of Sonora. Notable people * Gabito Ballesteros (born 1999), singer-songwriter * Arturo Durazo Moreno (1924–2000), former Chief of Police of Mexico City Mexico ...

, to the South with

, to the Southwest with

Opodepe Opodepe is the municipal seat of Opodepe Municipality in the north of the Mexican state of Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative ...

, to the West with

Cucurpe Cucurpe is the municipal seat of Cucurpe Municipality in the Mexican state of Sonora. History Originally the territory was occupied by the Opatas and the Pimas Altas. In 1647 the Jesuit missionary Marcos del Río founded the first Spanish sett ...

, and to the Northwest with that of

Ímuris Imuris is the municipal seat of Imuris Municipality in the north of the Mexico, Mexican Mexican State, state of Sonora. Location Imuris is located along Mexican Federal Highway 15, Federal Highway 15 - the long highway between Nogales at the US ...

Municipal limits

It has administrative limits with the following municipalities according to their location: This municipality has an area of 1,186.56 square miles (3,073.17 km²), which represents 1.7% of the state total and 0.14% of the national.

Climate

The Municipality of Arizpe has a

dry climate Aridity is the condition of geographical regions which make up approximately 43% of total global available land area, characterized by low annual precipitation, increased temperatures, and limited water availability.Perez-Aguilar, L. Y., Plata ...

and semi-warm, with a maximum average monthly temperature of 84.02 °F (28.9 °C) in the months of July and August; and a minimum monthly mean of 52.52 °F (11.4 °C) in the months of February and March; and an annual mean temperature of 68.18 °F (20.1 °C). The rains occur in summer, during the months of July and August with an annual average

precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...

of 421.5 millimeters. Frosts occasionally occur from November to February.

Topography

In the western region of the municipality is the Sierra San Antonio, in the eastern area, the Sierra El Carmen, and from the north it penetrates towards the southern end of the Sierra El Manzanal. There are less rugged areas towards the center of the municipality on the

vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-larg ...

of the

Bacanuchi River The Bacanuchi River (Spanish: ) is a river of Mexico in the northern part of the Sonora River basin, and a tributary of the Sonora River. Its drainage basin has an area of 1431 square kilometers. In August 2014, a Grupo México copper mine spille ...

and the

Sonora River Río Sonora (''Sonora River'') is a 402-kilometer-long river of Mexico. It lies on the Pacific slope of the Mexican state of Sonora and it runs into the Gulf of California. Watershed The Sonora River watershed covers of public land. Slopes rang ...

Hydrography

The

crosses the municipality and is born in Ojo de Agua de Arvayo in the municipality of

, with a continuous and permanent flow that will flow into the Abelardo L. Rodríguez Dam; the

Bacanuchi river The Bacanuchi River (Spanish: ) is a river of Mexico in the northern part of the Sonora River basin, and a tributary of the Sonora River. Its drainage basin has an area of 1431 square kilometers. In August 2014, a Grupo México copper mine spille ...

is born in Milpillas, a place also in the municipality of Cananea, and empties into the Sonora River. The most important streams of the municipality of Arizpe are: Piedras de Lumbre, Cuevas, San Cristóbal, Agua Caliente, Basochuca, Toro Muerto, Nogalitos. There are a dam named La Cieneguita, and two small reservoirs to be used in pasture lands.

Flora and fauna

Vegetation of

oak forest An oak forest is a plant community with a tree canopy dominated by oaks (''Quercus spp.''). In terms of canopy closure, oak forests contain the most closed canopy, compared to oak savannas and oak woodlands. Setting Oak forests are categoriz ...

exists in the municipality; it is located near the Sierra de San Antonio and Sierra El Carmen. A large extension of municipal territory is covered with

grasslands A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur ...

(natural and induced). Towards the central and southern part the characteristic vegetation is made up of tropical scrub, palo dulce,

copal Copal is a tree resin, particularly the aromatic resins from the copal tree '' Protium copal'' ( Burseraceae) used by the cultures of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica as ceremonially burned incense and for other purposes. More generally, copal includ ...

nopal ''Nopal'' (plural ''nopales'') is a common name in Spanish for ''Opuntia'' cacti (commonly referred to in English as prickly pear or tender cactus), as well as for its pads. The name ''nopal'' derives from the Nahuatl word for the pads of t ...

, cat's claw and bilberry cactus. Small areas are dedicated to agriculture on the banks of the Sonora River. In the northeast of the municipality there are areas of thorny scrub. In the municipality there are the following species of animals: *

Amphibian Amphibians are ectothermic, anamniote, anamniotic, tetrapod, four-limbed vertebrate animals that constitute the class (biology), class Amphibia. In its broadest sense, it is a paraphyletic group encompassing all Tetrapod, tetrapods, but excl ...

toad Toad (also known as a hoptoad) is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. In popular culture (folk taxonomy ...

, frog. * Reptiles:

river turtle The hickatee (''Dermatemys mawii'') or in Spanish ''tortuga blanca'' ('white turtle'), also called the Central American river turtle, is the only living species in the family Dermatemydidae. The species is found in the Atlantic drainages of Ce ...

, mountain tortoise, little lizard, Sonoran coral snake,

rattlesnake Rattlesnakes are venomous snakes that form the genus, genera ''Crotalus'' and ''Sistrurus'' of the subfamily Crotalinae (the pit vipers). All rattlesnakes are vipers. Rattlesnakes are predators that live in a wide array of habitats, hunting sm ...

, lizard, and

chameleon Chameleons or chamaeleons (Family (biology), family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 200 species described as of June 2015. The members of this Family (biology), family are best known for ...

. *

Mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...

white-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known Common name, commonly as the whitetail and the Virginia deer, is a medium-sized species of deer native to North America, North, Central America, Central and South America. It is the ...

cougar The cougar (''Puma concolor'') (, ''Help:Pronunciation respelling key, KOO-gər''), also called puma, mountain lion, catamount and panther is a large small cat native to the Americas. It inhabits North America, North, Central America, Cent ...

lynx A lynx ( ; : lynx or lynxes) is any of the four wikt:extant, extant species (the Canada lynx, Iberian lynx, Eurasian lynx and the bobcat) within the medium-sized wild Felidae, cat genus ''Lynx''. The name originated in Middle Engl ...

coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans''), also known as the American jackal, prairie wolf, or brush wolf, is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the Wolf, gray wolf, and slightly smaller than the c ...

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a Suidae, suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The speci ...

raccoon The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the North American, northern or common raccoon (also spelled racoon) to distinguish it from Procyonina, other species of raccoon, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest ...

hare Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores and live Solitary animal, solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are precociality, able to fend for themselves ...

, rabbit,

gray fox The gray fox (''Urocyon cinereoargenteus''), or grey fox, is an omnivorous mammal of the family Canidae, widespread throughout North America and Central America. This species and its only congener (biology), congener, the diminutive island fox ...

, squirrel, and field mouse. * Birds: owl,

crow A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly, a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not linked scientifically to any certain trait but is rathe ...

buzzard Buzzard is the common name of several species of birds of prey. ''Buteo'' species * Archer's buzzard (''Buteo archeri'') * Augur buzzard (''Buteo augur'') * Broad-winged hawk (''Buteo platypterus'') * Common buzzard (''Buteo buteo'') * Easte ...

, black duck,

gray hawk The gray hawk (''Buteo plagiatus'') or Mexican goshawk is a smallish raptor found in open country and forest edges. It is sometimes placed in the genus ''Asturina'' as ''Asturina plagiata''. The species was split by the American Ornithological S ...

, red-tailed hawk, and

dove Columbidae is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with small heads, relatively short necks and slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. ...

Demographics

According to the results of the 14th Population and Housing Census carried out in 2020 by the

(INEGI), the total population of the municipality is 2,788 inhabitants; with a population density of 0.90 inhabitants/km², and ranks 37th in the state in order of population. Of the total population, 1,446 are men and 1,342 are women. In 2020 there were 1,555 homes, but of these, 968 homes were inhabited, of which 265 were run by a woman. Of the total population, 3 people over 3 years of age (0.11% of the municipal total) speak some Mexican

indigenous language An indigenous language, or autochthonous language, is a language that is native to a region and spoken by its indigenous peoples. Indigenous languages are not necessarily national languages but they can be; for example, Aymara is both an indigen ...

; while 5 inhabitants (0.18%) consider themselves

Afro-Mexican Afro-Mexicans (), also known as Black Mexicans (), are Mexicans of total or predominantly Sub-Saharan African ancestry. As a single population, Afro-Mexicans include individuals descended from both free and enslaved Africans who arrived to Mexi ...

or Afro-descendant. 94.51% of the population of the municipality belongs to the

Catholic religion The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, 4.05% is

Evangelical Christian Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

or of some variant, and 0.18% is of another religion, while 1.18% do not profess any religion.

Education and health

According to the 2020 Population and Housing Census; 18 children between 6 and 11 years old (0.65% of the total), 12 adolescents between 12 and 14 years old (0.43%), 79 adolescents between 15 and 17 years old (2.83%), and 13 young people between 18 and 24 years old (0.47%) do not attend any educational institution. 61 inhabitants of 15 years or more (2.19%) are

illiterate Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...

, 66 inhabitants of 15 years or more (2.37%) have no education level, 404 people of 15 years or more (14.49%) attended several years of elementary school but did not complete it, 106 people aged 15 years or over (3.8%) started secondary school without finishing it. The municipality has an educational level of 8.13. The number of population that is not affiliated with a health service is 694 people, that is, 24.89% of the municipal total, otherwise, 75.04% does have medical insurance either

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

or private. In the territory, 333 people (11.94%) have some

disability Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be Cognitive disability, cognitive, Developmental disability, d ...

or motor limit to carry out their daily activities, while 38 inhabitants (1.36%) have some mental problem or condition.

Localities

The municipality has a total of 72 localities, of which the main ones and the population they have are the following: * Other small towns are also: El Derrumbadero, El Álamo, La Bolita, Comatero, La Galera, among others.

Government

The seat of the municipal government lies in the town of Arizpe where the Municipal Palace is located. The council is made up of a municipal president, a syndic, three councilors with a relative majority and, two with proportional representation, and is assisted by delegates from the localities. The municipality belongs to the 2nd Federal Electoral District of Sonora based in the city of Nogales, and to the 6th Electoral District of Sonora based in Cananea.

Political subdivision

According to the Organic Order Law of the State of Sonora, the municipality for its administration is divided into three commisaryships, listed below in alphabetical order: Bacanuchi
Chinapa
Sinoquipe

Municipal presidents

References

{{coord, 30.3167, N, 110.1667, W, source:wikidata, display=title Municipalities of Sonora