Municipalities () are the administrative divisions under the
states
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 ...
of
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 States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
according to the
constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed.
When these pri ...
. Municipalities are considered as the second-level administrative divisions by the
federal government
A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...
. However, some state regulations have designed
intrastate regions to administer their own municipalities. Municipalities are further divided into
localities in the structural hierarchy of
administrative divisions of Mexico
Mexico is a federal republic composed of 32 federative entities (): 31 states and Mexico City. According to the Constitution of Mexico, the states of the federation are free and sovereignty, sovereign in all matters concerning their internal ...
. As of December 2024, there are 2,462 municipalities in Mexico.
In Mexico, municipalities should not be confused with cities (). Cities are
locality-level divisions that are administered by the municipality. Although some
larger cities are consolidated with its own municipality and form a single level of governance. In addition, the 16
boroughs
A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
...
of
Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
are considered municipality equivalent, this makes the total number of municipality-level divisions to be 2,478.
The internal political organization and their responsibilities are outlined in the 115th article of the
1917 Constitution and detailed in the constitutions of the states to which they belong. are distinct from , a form of Mexican
locality, and are divided into ''
colonias'' (neighborhoods); some municipalities can be as large as full states, while cities can be measured in basic geostatistical areas or
city blocks.
Structure

All Mexican states are divided into municipalities. Each municipality is autonomous; citizens elect 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 ...
() who heads a
municipal council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough cou ...
(), responsible for providing all the public services for their constituents. This concept, which originated after 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 ...
, is known as a ''municipio libre'' (free municipality).
The municipal president is elected by
first-past-the-post voting
First-past-the-post (FPTP)—also called choose-one, first-preference plurality (FPP), or simply plurality—is a single-winner voting rule. Voters mark one candidate as their favorite, or first-preference, and the candidate with more first- ...
system for a three-year term and cannot be reelected for the next immediate term. The municipal council consists of a ''
cabildo'' (chairman) with a ''
síndico'' and several ''regidores'' (trustees).
If the municipality covers a large area and contains more than one city or town (collectively called ''localidades''), one city or town is selected as a ''cabecera municipal'' (head city, seat of the municipal government) while the rest elect representatives to a ''presidencia auxiliar'' or ''junta auxiliar'' (auxiliary presidency or council). In that sense, a municipality in Mexico is roughly equivalent to the
counties
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
of the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, whereas the auxiliary presidency is equivalent to a township. Nonetheless, auxiliary presidencies are not considered a third-level administrative division since they depend fiscally on the municipalities in which they are located.
North-western and south-eastern states are divided into small numbers of large municipalities (e.g.
Baja California
Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...
is divided into only seven municipalities), and therefore they cover large areas incorporating several separated cities or towns that do not necessarily conform to one single conurbation. Central and southern states, on the other hand, are divided into many small municipalities (e.g.
Oaxaca
Oaxaca, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca, is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of the Mexico, United Mexican States. It is divided into municipalities of Oaxaca, 570 munici ...
is divided into 570 municipalities), and therefore large urban areas usually extend over several municipalities which form one single conurbation. Although an urban area might cover an entire municipality, auxiliary councils might still be used for administrative purposes.
Municipalities are responsible for public services (such as water and sewerage), street lighting, public safety, traffic, supervision of slaughterhouses and the cleaning and maintenance of public parks, gardens and cemeteries. They may also assist the state and federal governments in education, emergency fire and medical services, environmental protection and maintenance of monuments and historical landmarks. Since 1983, they can collect property taxes and user fees, although more funds are obtained from the state and federal governments than from their own collection efforts.
Some municipalities in Mexico are subdivided into internal, third-level administrative organizations. All
municipalities of Baja California
Baja California is a Administrative divisions of Mexico#States, state in Northwest Mexico that is divided into seven Municipalities of Mexico, municipalities. According to the 2020 Censo General de Población y Vivienda, Mexican census, Baja Cal ...
are subdivided into boroughs, or ''delegaciones''.
Mexicali
Mexicali (; ) is the capital city of the States of Mexico, Mexican state of Baja California. The city, which is the seat of the Mexicali Municipality, has a population of 689,775, according to the 2010 census, while the Calexico–Mexicali, Cale ...
municipality, for example, is divided into 14 boroughs besides the
City of Mexicali, which comprises the municipal seat and three additional metropolitan boroughs.
Querétaro
Querétaro, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Querétaro, 18 municipalities. Its capital city is Querétaro Cit ...
municipality is subdivided into seven boroughs.
Nonetheless, the heads of government of the boroughs are not elected by the residents but rather appointed by the municipal president.
Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
is a special case in that it is not organized into municipalities. As a result of the Political Reforms enacted in 2016, it is no longer designated as a Federal District and became a city, a member entity of the Mexican federation, seat of the Powers of the Union and the capital of Mexico.
Mexico City is divided in
16 boroughs, officially called ''demarcaciones territoriales'', substituting the old ''delegaciones''. The boroughs are considered as third-level territorial divisions for statistical data collection and cross-country comparisons.
Statistics
According to Mexico's
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 ...
, there are in total 2,462 municipalities under the 31
states of Mexico
A Mexican State (), officially the Free and Sovereign State (), is a constituent Federated state, federative Polity, entity of Mexico according to the Constitution of Mexico. Currently there are 31 states, each with its own constitution, State g ...
as of December 2024. Consider also the 16
boroughs
A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
...
of
Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
, the total number of municipality-level divisions to be 2,478.
History

Since the Conquest and colonization of Mexico, the municipality became the basic entity of the administrative organization of
New Spain
New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...
and the
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered ...
. The first city council in Mexico was established by
Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca (December 1485 – December 2, 1547) was a Spanish ''conquistador'' who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions o ...
in 1519 in
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...
; it was also the first in the American mainland.
Settlements located in strategic locations received the status of ''ciudad'' (the highest status within the Empire, superior to that of ''villas'' and ''pueblos'') and were entitled to form an ''ayuntamiento'' or municipality. During the first decades, the local authorities had full powers on the public and economic administration of each municipality, but successive reforms diminished their attributions.
After Independence, the
1824 Constitution did not specify any regulation for the municipalities, whose structure and responsibilities were to be outlined in the constitution of each state of the federation. As such, every state set its own requirements for a settlement to become a municipality (usually based on population).
The Constitution of 1917 abolished the ''jefatura política'' ("political authority"), the intermediate administrative authority between the states and converted all existing municipalities into ''municipios libres'' ("free municipalities"), that is, gave them full autonomy to manage local affairs, while at the same time restricting the scope of their competencies. However, in 1983 the 115th article was modified to expand the municipalities' authority to raise revenue (through property taxes and other local services) and to formulate budgets.
Since the 2015 Intercensal Survey, the following municipalities have been created by the state governments.
* January 6, 2016:
Puerto Morelos in
Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, constitute the 32 administrative divisions of Mexico, federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into municipalities of ...
* September 6, 2017:
Capitán Luis Ángel Vidal and
Rincón Chamula San Pedro in
Chiapas
Chiapas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas, is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises Municipalities of Chiapas, 124 municipalities and its capital and large ...
.
* July 15, 2018:
Honduras de la Sierra in
Chiapas
Chiapas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas, is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises Municipalities of Chiapas, 124 municipalities and its capital and large ...
.
* January 1, 2019:
Coatetelco,
Hueyapan, and
Xoxocotla in
Morelos
Morelos, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Morelos, is a landlocked state located in south-central Mexico. It is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Mun ...
,
* February 27, 2020:
San Quintín in
Baja California
Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...
.
* January 1, 2021:
Seybaplaya and
Dzitbalché in
Campeche
Campeche, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Campeche, is one of the 31 states which, with Mexico City, make up the Administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. Located in southeast Mexico, it is bordered by the sta ...
.
* March 5, 2021: Eldorado and Juan José Ríos in
Sinaloa
Sinaloa (), officially the (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities, and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales.
It is located in northwest Mexic ...
.
* August 31, 2021:
Las Vigas,
Ñuu Savi,
San Nicolás, and
Santa Cruz del Rincón in
Guerrero
Guerrero, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guerrero, is one of the 32 states that compose the administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guerrero, 85 municipalities. The stat ...
* January 1, 2022:
San Felipe in
Baja California
Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...
.
* July 22, 2024:
Villa de Pozos in
San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí, officially the Free and Sovereign State of San Luis Potosí, is one of the 32 states which compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 59 municipalities and is named after its capital city, San Luis Potosí.
It ...
.
Ranking of municipalities
By population
Data from the 2020 Mexican National Census.
By area
Data from the 2020 Mexican National Census.
[
]
By location
* Northernmost:
Mexicali
Mexicali (; ) is the capital city of the States of Mexico, Mexican state of Baja California. The city, which is the seat of the Mexicali Municipality, has a population of 689,775, according to the 2010 census, while the Calexico–Mexicali, Cale ...
,
Baja California
Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...
()
* Southernmost:
Suchiate,
Chiapas
Chiapas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas, is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises Municipalities of Chiapas, 124 municipalities and its capital and large ...
()
* Westernmost:
Ensenada,
Baja California
Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...
()
* Easternmost:
Isla Mujeres,
Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, constitute the 32 administrative divisions of Mexico, federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into municipalities of ...
()
* Geographical center:
Villa de Cos,
Zacatecas
Zacatecas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Zacatecas, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 31 states of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Zacatecas, 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas City, Zacatec ...
()
* Highest:
Tlachichuca,
Puebla
Puebla, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Puebla, is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its capital is Puebla City. Part of east-centr ...
and
Calcahualco,
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...
(5,636 m,
Citlaltépetl volcano).
* Lowest:
Mexicali
Mexicali (; ) is the capital city of the States of Mexico, Mexican state of Baja California. The city, which is the seat of the Mexicali Municipality, has a population of 689,775, according to the 2010 census, while the Calexico–Mexicali, Cale ...
,
Baja California
Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...
(-12 m,
Laguna Salada).
See also
*
Settlement classification in Mexico Mexico's states classify their settlements in a variety of fashions:
Aguascalientes
Under Article 106 of the Municipal Law of the State of Aguascalientethe state defines its settlements as follows:
*''Ciudad'' (city): Census population in excess ...
*
Boroughs of Mexico
References
External links
Mexican government structureHistory of the
Mexican constitutionMexico Portal de Información Municipal
{{Portal bar, Mexico
Local government in Mexico
Subdivisions of Mexico
Mexico 2
Municipalities, Mexico
Urban planning in Mexico