Samahil 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 ...
: "place of the legume") 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 ...
of
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 (185.22 km
2) of land and is located roughly southwest 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 Ak Canul. After colonization, the area became 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 with various encomenderos.
The first was Rodrigo Alvarez in 1549
and later, José Solís Osorio in 1704.
Yucatán declared its independence from the Spanish Crown in 1821 and in 1825 the area was assigned to the Lower Camino Real under the
Hunucma Municipality. In 1918 the area was confirmed as 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 public lighting, heritage and patrimony, cemeteries and markets.
The Municipal Council administers the business of the municipality. It is responsible for budgeting and expenditures and producing all required reports for all branches of the municipal administration. Annually it determines educational standards for schools.
The Police Commissioners ensure public order and safety. They are tasked with enforcing regulations, distributing materials and administering rulings of general compliance issued by the council.
Communities
The head of the municipality is
Samahil, Yucatán. The municipality has 13 other populated places
including Dzit, Katua, Kuchel, Poot, San Antonio Tedzidz and Xkapul. The significant populations are shown below:
Local festivals
Every year on 9 June the town holds a celebration for their patron, San Pedro Abad.
Tourist attractions
* Former Convent of San Pedro, built in the colonial era
*
Hacienda San Antonio Tedzidz
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Samahil
Municipalities of Yucatán