Yucatán
Yucatán (/ˌjuːkəˈtɑːnˌ-tæn/,[11][12] also UK: /ˌjʊk-/,[13] US: /juːkɑːˈtɑːn/,[12][14][15] Spanish: [ɟʝukaˈtan] ; Yucatec Maya: Yúukatan [ˈjúːkatan]), officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Yucatán (English: Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán),[b] 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.
This article is about the Mexican state. For the peninsula as a whole, see Yucatán Peninsula. For other uses, see Yucatán (disambiguation).
Yucatán
Yúukatan (Yucatec Maya)
39,524 km2 (15,260 sq mi)
210 m (690 ft)
2,320,898
59/km2 (150/sq mi)
Yucateco (a)
MXN 428 billion
(US$21.3 billion) (2022)
(US$8,996) (2022)
MX-YUC
0.752 high Ranked 19th of 32
It is located on the northern part of the Yucatán Peninsula. It is bordered by the states of Campeche to the southwest and Quintana Roo to the southeast, with the Gulf of Mexico off its northern coast.
Before the arrival of Spaniards, the peninsula was a very important region for the Maya civilization, which reached the peak of its development here, where the Maya founded the cities of Chichen Itza, Izamal, Motul, Mayapan, Ek' Balam, and Ichkanzihóo (also called T'ho), now Mérida.
After the Spanish conquest of Yucatán (early 16th to late 17th centuries), the Yucatán peninsula became a single administrative and political entity, the Captaincy General of Yucatán. Following Mexican independence in 1821 the local Governor proclaimed independence. Yucatán became part of the First Mexican Empire in December 1821. After the collapse of the Empire in March 1823, the first Republic of Yucatán (founded in May 1823) voluntarily negotiated annexation to the Federal Republic of United Mexican States on December 21, 1823. On March 16, 1841, as a result of cultural and political conflicts around the federal pact, Yucatán declared its independence from Mexico. forming a second Republic of Yucatán. Eventually on July 14, 1848, Yucatán was forced to rejoin Mexico. In 1858, in the middle of the Caste War of Yucatán, the state of Yucatán was divided for the first time, establishing Campeche as a separate state (officially in 1863). During the Porfiriato, in 1902, the state of Yucatán was divided again to form the Federal territory that later became the present state of Quintana Roo.
Before the arrival of Spaniards in the Yucatán Peninsula, the name of this region was Mayab.[17] In the Yucatec Maya language, mayab means "flat",[18] and is the source of the word "Maya" itself.
The name Yucatán, also assigned to the peninsula, came from early explorations of the Conquistadors from Europe. Three different explanations for the origin of the name have been proposed.
The first two state that the name resulted from confusion between the Mayan inhabitants and the first Spanish explorers around 1517:
Probably the first person to propose the "I do not understand" version was the friar Toribio de Benavente Motolinía. In his book Historia de los indios de la Nueva España (History of the Indians of New Spain) he says
The third proposed explanation comes from Bernal Díaz del Castillo. In his book Historia verdadera de la conquista de la Nueva España (True History of the Conquest of New Spain), he says Yucatá means "land of yucas",[20] a plant that was cultivated by the Maya and was an important food source for them.[21]
Government and politics[edit]
Government[edit]
The Constitution of Yucatán provides that the government of Yucatán, like the government of every other state in Mexico, consists of three powers: the executive, the legislative and the judiciary.
Executive power rests in the governor of Yucatán, who is directly elected by the citizens, using a secret ballot, to a six-year term with no possibility of reelection. Legislative power rests in the Congress of Yucatán which is a unicameral legislature composed of 25 deputies. Judicial power is invested in the High Court of Justice of Yucatán and its district courts.
Media[edit]
Newspapers of Yucatán include: Artículo 7, De Peso (Mérida), Diario de Yucatán, La I Noticias para Mí Mérida, Milenio Novedades (Antes El Mundo al Día), and Por Esto! (Yucatán).[51][52]
Yucatecan food is its own unique style and is very different from what most people would consider Mexican food. It includes influences from the local Mayan culture,[53] as well as Caribbean, European (Spanish), (North) African, and Middle Eastern cultures, as well as influence from the cuisine of other parts of Mexico.
There are many regional dishes. Some of them are: