| Official Name: | Dzitás |
| Settlement Type: | Municipality |
| Pushpin Map: | Mexico |
| Pushpin Label Position: | left |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the Municipality in Mexico |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Mexico |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Yucatán |
| Government Type: | 2012–2015[1] |
| Leader Title: | Municipal President |
| Leader Name: | José Crescencio Canul Polanco[2] |
| Established Title: | Mexico Ind. |
| Established Date: | 1821 |
| Established Title2: | Yucatán Est. |
| Established Date2: | 1824 |
| Area Total Km2: | 456.03 |
| Population As Of: | 2010[3] |
| Population Total: | 3,540 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Demonym |
| Population Blank1: | Umanense |
| Timezone: | Central Standard Time |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Timezone Dst: | Central Daylight Time |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Coordinates: | 20.8394°N -88.5261°W |
| Elevation M: | 32 |
| Blank Name Sec1: | INEGI Code |
| Blank Info Sec1: | 101 |
| 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 |
| Footnotes: | Municipalities of Yucatán |
Dzitás Municipality (In the Yucatec Maya Language: “plant name: mamay or plantain") is a municipality in the Mexican state of Yucatán containing (456.03 km2) of land and is located roughly 125 km east of the city of Mérida.[2]
There is no accurate data on when the town was founded, though it existed before the conquest as part of the province of Cupules. At colonization, Dzitás became part of the encomienda system.[2] What is now known as Dzitas was divided into two different encomiendos. Part was designated to Juan Rodrígez in 1549 and the other to Diego de Alcocer. In 1579 the first part was held by Juan Rodrígez and Diego de Alcocer and the second by Diego de Alcocer and Francisca Briceño. The parts were divided between Luis Carrillo de Albornoz and Francisco Rodríguez Montalvo in 1652 and in 1688 between Felipe Carrillo and Isabel Peraza de Ayala.[4]
Yucatán declared its independence from the Spanish Crown in 1821, and in 1825 the area was assigned to the partition of Valladolid Municipality. In 1918 it was designated as its own municipality, but lost a portion of its area in 1931 with the creation of Quintana Roo Municipality.
In 1931 the anthropologists Robert and Margaret Park Redfield stayed in the county seat of Dzitas for extended periods and published The Folk Culture of Yucatan,[5] and Disease and its treatment in Dzitas, Yucatan[6]
The municipal president is elected for a three-year term. The town council has four councilpersons, who serve as Secretary and councilors of public works, public monuments and markets.[7]
The head of the municipality is Dzitás, Yucatán. There are 10 populated areas of the municipality with the most important being Dzitás, Dzitcacao, Santa Rosa, Xocempich and Yaxché. The significant populations are shown below:[2]
| Community | Population |
|---|---|
| Entire Municipality (2010) | 3,540 |
| Dzitás | 2826 in 2005[8] |
| Xocempich | 563 in 2005[9] |
Every year from 16 to 22 January is the Festival of Santa Inés, patron saint of the town.[2]