| Official Name: | Tekax |
| 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: | Consuelo Del Carmen Navarrete Navarro[2] |
| Established Title: | Mexico Ind. |
| Established Date: | 1821 |
| Established Title2: | Yucatán Est. |
| Established Date2: | 1824 |
| Area Total Km2: | 3,819.61 |
| Population As Of: | 2010[3] |
| Population Total: | 40,547 |
| 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: | 20.2019°N -89.2881°W |
| Elevation M: | 37 |
| Blank Name Sec1: | INEGI Code |
| Blank Info Sec1: | 079 |
| 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 |
Tekax Municipality (Yucatec Maya: "rejected tea or forest of Kax trees")[4] is a municipality in the Mexican state of Yucatán containing (3,819.61 km2) of land and is located roughly southeast of the city of Mérida.[2]
There is no accurate data on when the town was founded, but it was a settlement before the conquest and under the chieftainship of Tutul Xiu.[2] After colonization, the area became part of the encomienda system with the first encomendero being Francisco de Bracamonte (1549). He was followed by Leonor de Garibay (1607), Andrés Dorantes Magaña and Andrés Dorantes Solís (1611), Bartolomé Días Ugarte (1672), Gabriel Díaz Ugarte and Manuel de Bolio Ojeda y Guzmán (1688) and in 1703, it passed to Pedro Calderón y Robles.[5]
Yucatán declared its independence from the Spanish Crown in 1821,[2] and in 1825 the area was assigned to the High Sierra partition as its own municipality. In 1929, the name of the county seat was changed to Ciudad Obregón, and again changed in 1930 to Tekax de Álvaro Obregón.[2]
The municipal president is elected for a three-year term. The town council has nine councilpersons, who serve as Secretary and councilors of education; police commissaries; public works; health; public security; cemeteries, parks and gardens; potable water; and public lighting.[6]
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.
The head of the municipality is Tekax de Álvaro Obregón, Yucatán. The municipality has 98 populated places besides the seat including Alfonso Caso, Becanchén, Benito Juárez, Candelaria Nohalal, Canek, Chacmultún, Flor de Pozo, Huntochác, Jesús, Kancab, Kantemó, Kinil, Kiu Xtoquil, Mac-Yan, Manuel Cepeda Peraza, Nueva Santa Cruz, Nuevo Mundo, Pencuyut, San Alonso, San Antonio Knuc, San Diego I, San Diego II, San Diego Buenavista, San Diego Tekax, San Esteban, San Felipe I, San Felipe II, San Francisco, San Gaspar, San Isidro, San José, San Juan, San Norberto, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, Ticum, Tixcuytún, Tzakeljaltun, Xaya, Xkiridz and Xpakan. The significant populations are shown below:[2]
| Community | Population |
|---|---|
| Entire Municipality (2010) | 40,547 |
| Alfonso Caso | 393 in 2005[7] |
| Becanchén | 1573 in 2005[8] |
| Canek | 308 in 2005[9] |
| Huntochac | 321 in 2005[10] |
| Kancab | 2670 in 2005[11] |
| Kantemó | 425 in 2005[12] |
| Kinil | 1068 in 2005[13] |
| Manuel Cepeda Peraza | 522 in 2005[14] |
| Pencuyut | 1411 in 2005[15] |
| Tekax de Álvaro Obregón | 23524 in 2005[16] |
| Ticum | 927 in 2005[17] |
| Tixcuytún | 499 in 2005[18] |
| Xaya | 1676 in 2005[19] |
Every year from 18 to 22 April the town celebrates a Spring Festival; from 8 May to 1 June in the town of Pencuyut a celebration in honor of St. Bartholomew is held; from 8 to 13 November the town of San Diego de Alcalá holds a fiesta; and from 8 to 15 December 15 in the seat is a celebration in honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe.[2]