Cacalchén Explained

Official Name:Cacalchén
Settlement Type:Locality
Pushpin Map:Mexico Yucatán#Mexico
Pushpin Label Position:left
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of Cacalchén
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Mexico
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1: Yucatán
Subdivision Name2:Cacalchén Municipality
Population As Of:2010[1]
Population Total:6,787
Population Blank1 Title:Demonym
Timezone:Central Standard Time
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:Central Daylight Time
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Coordinates:20.9822°N -89.2278°W
Elevation M:10
Blank1 Name Sec1:INEGI Code
Blank1 Info Sec1:009
Blank Name Sec2:Major Airport
Blank Info Sec2:Merida (Manuel Crescencio Rejón) International Airport
Blank1 Name Sec2:IATA Code
Blank1 Info Sec2:MID
Blank2 Name Sec2:ICAO Code
Blank2 Info Sec2:MMMD

Cacalchén (In the Yucatec Maya Language: “place of the well with two mouths”) is a locality and the municipal seat of the eponymous Cacalchén Municipality in the Mexican state of Yucatán.

History

There is no extant record of Mayan settlement prior to the conquest. After the conquest the area became part of the encomienda system and Maria Sanchez Sosa was one of the first known encomenderos.[2]

Yucatán declared its independence from the Spanish Crown in 1821 and in 1825, the area was assigned to the coastal region with its headquarters in Izamal. In May 1848 during the Caste War of Yucatán, Cacalchén became a refuge to Colonel José del Carmen Bello after the Mayan rebels defeated government troops and took Izamal. In December of the same year, the Mayan guerrillas commanded by Jacinto Pat looted the town and killed the white settlers.[2]

In 1900, Cacalchén became the municipal seat of the municipality which bears its name.[2]

Local festivals

Every year from 20 to 29 June a celebration is held in honor of the patron saints of the town, St. Peter and St. Paul.

Tourist attractions

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mexico In Figures: Cacalchén, Yucatán. INEGI. Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI). 8 June 2015. Aguascalientes, México. Spanish, English. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150506191855/http://www3.inegi.org.mx/sistemas/mexicocifras/default.aspx?e=31&lang=en. 6 May 2015.
  2. Web site: Municipios de Yucatán » Cacalchén . 8 June 2015 . Spanish .