Celestún Municipality (

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 ...

: "terror of stone") 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 (868.63 km²) of land and is located roughly west of the city of Mérida.

History

There is no accurate data on when the town was founded, but it was a settlement before 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 ...

and was located in the chieftainship of Ah-Canul. After colonization, the area was one of the few that did not become part of the

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 ...

system, and was established in 1718, as a town under the jurisdiction of

Sisal Sisal (, ; ''Agave sisalana'') is a species of flowering plant native to southern Mexico, but widely cultivated and naturalized in many other countries. It yields a stiff fibre used in making rope and various other products. The sisal fiber is ...

, where it served as an important source of salt. Yucatán declared its independence from the Spanish Crown in 1821 and the area was transferred from Sisal to the

Maxcanú Municipality Maxcanú Municipality (in the Yucatec Maya language: "his four monkeys") is a Municipalities of Yucatán, municipality in the Mexico, Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Yucatán. Its seat is the town of Maxcanú. The municipality covers a ...

in 1872. In 1918 the area became its own municipality.

Governance

The municipal president is elected for a three-year term. The town council has four councilpersons, who serve as Secretary and councilors of heritage and public monuments; public security; public works, nomenclature and recruitment; and public buildings and ecology.

Communities

The head of the municipality is Celestún, Yucatán. Among the other populated places of the municipality are Calan, Chamúl, Chín, Hoyuelos, Man, Stal and Tzate. The significant populations are shown below:

Local festivals

Every year from 1 to 12 December the town celebrates the feast of the Immaculate Conception. There is also an annual celebration on 1 June for Navy Day.

Tourist attractions

* Church of the Immaculate Conception * Birding

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Celestun Municipalities of Yucatán