Municipalities ( municipios in Spanish ) are the second-level administrative divisions of Mexico , where the first-level administrative division is the state (Spanish: estado ). They should not be confused with cities or towns that may share the same name as they are distinct entities and do not share geographical boundaries. As of March 2024, there are 2,460 municipalities in Mexico, adding the 16 boroughs of Mexico City to constitute 2476 territorial units.
22-471: Chalchihuites is a municipality in the Mexican state of Zacatecas . The archaeological site of Altavista , at Chalchihuites, is located 137 miles (220 km) to the northwest of the city of Zacatecas and 102 miles (164 km) southeast of the city of Durango . Located to the west of Sombrerete in the northwestern corner of the state of Zacatecas , it is believed that the site was a cultural oasis that
44-520: A "culture of transition" between the Mesoamerican civilizations and the so-called Chichimeca hunter-gatherers who lived in the arid plateau of central Mexico. Chalchihuites and La Quemada were both outposts of Mesoamerican settlement in an ecological and cultural frontier area. However, in this transition zone, climatic changes caused continual shifts in the available resource base, discouraging most attempts at creating permanent settlements. It
66-442: 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 . All Mexican states are divided into municipalities. Each municipality is autonomous; citizens elect a " municipal president " ( presidente municipal ) who heads a municipal council ( ayuntamiento ), responsible for providing all
88-537: 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 of the United States , whereas
110-712: 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. Since
132-401: 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
154-516: A very beautiful place better known as Gualterio which has a hot springs spa. The climate is very hot during the summer months and cold in the winter. The site sits lonely in the badlands about four miles east of the town of Chalchihuites. It is also close to the colonial town of Zacatecas , which has a distinctive cathedral. 23°28′34″N 103°52′50″W / 23.4761111211°N 103.880555566°W / 23.4761111211; -103.880555566 States of Mexico The states are
176-575: Is also known for a large church that is located in its colonial center. It founded by the Spanish captain Martin Perez in 1556 of a community from Guadalajara, in the first years after the conquest, became known as a mining center since 1591, when a group of Spaniards and Tlaxcalans were to be placed there by order of the viceroy Don Luis de Velasco. It is known that Don Lucas de Montealegre governed that colony as governor. The municipality dates from
198-471: Is divided into 14 boroughs besides the City of Mexicali , which comprises the municipal seat and three additional metropolitan boroughs. Querétaro 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 is a special case in that it is not organized into municipalities. As
220-712: The 2015 Intercensal Survey, two municipalities have been created in Campeche , three in Chiapas , three in Morelos , one in Quintana Roo and two in Baja California . 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. Municipalities are distinct from cities ,
242-575: The Conquest and colonization of Mexico, the municipality became the basic entity of the administrative organization of New Spain and the Spanish Empire . 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,
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#1732772364214264-568: The Sierra Madre Occidental and Mesa Central. It has a territorial extension of approximately 891 km (344 sq mi), and limits to the north with the municipality of Sombrerete , to the south with the municipality of Jiménez of Teúl and to the west with the State of Durango. The word Chalchihuites is of Nahuatl origin and means Emerald or precious stone. In the municipality of Chalchihuites five minutes away you will find
286-416: The State of Zacatecas by constitutional declaration. The municipality of Chalchihuites, according to the 2020 Population and Housing Census, has 10,086 inhabitants, of which 4,892 are men and 5,194 are women. The municipality includes a total of 69 localities in its territory. The main ones, considering their population from the 2020 Census, are: The municipality of Chalchihuites is physically located in
308-562: 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 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
330-657: 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 are subdivided into boroughs, or delegaciones . Mexicali municipality, for example,
352-862: The first-level administrative divisions of Mexico and are officially named the United Mexican States . There are 32 federal entities in Mexico (31 states and the capital, Mexico City , as a separate entity that is not formally a state). States are further divided into municipalities . Mexico City is divided into boroughs , officially designated as demarcaciones territoriales or alcaldías , similar to other states' municipalities but with different administrative powers. Mexico's post agency, Correos de México , does not offer an official list of state name abbreviations, and as such, they are not included below. A list of Mexican states and several versions of their abbreviations can be found here . Notes: Municipalities of Mexico Since
374-417: 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
396-506: The other hand, are divided into many small municipalities (e.g. Oaxaca 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
418-478: The public services for their constituents. This concept, which originated after the Mexican Revolution , is known as a municipio libre ("free municipality"). The municipal president is elected by plurality 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
440-505: The same period as that of Sombrerete; From immemorial time it was part of the Mayor's Office of the same name, having constitutional character the year of 1824. Formerly it was called Real of Mines of the Valley of San Pedro de los Chalchihuites, they formed three districts or divisions: Chalchihuites, Tonalá and Nueva Tlaxcala, But in 1857 this last part, that belonged to Jalisco , was added to
462-1023: 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. The first city council in Mexico was established by Hernán Cortés in 1519 in Veracruz ; it was also the first in the American mainland. The newest municipalities in Mexico are San Quintín in Baja California, established on February 27, 2020; Seybaplaya and Dzitbalché in Campeche, gazetted on January 1, 2021; Las Vigas , Ñuu Savi , San Nicolás , and Santa Cruz del Rincón in Guerrero, incorporated on August 31, 2021; and San Felipe in Baja California, incorporated on January 1, 2022. Data from
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#1732772364214484-531: Was occupied more or less continuously from AD 100 to AD 1400. It was a Teotihuacano ceremonial center lying on the Tropic of Cancer . It has a number of important features, including petroglyphs , a processional walkway and the Hall of Columns. It has some of the best evidence for astronomical alignments at an archaeological site but remains poorly known. The archaeologist Manuel Gamio referred to Chalchihuites as
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