Tunkás Municipality


Tunkás Municipality is one of the 106 municipalities in the Mexican state of Yucatán containing of land and located roughly 98 km east of the city of Mérida.
The municipality relies on farming for the majority of its economy, along with remittances from emigrants. Tunakseños migrate to the beach resorts of Quintana Roo, mostly Cancún and Playa del Carmen, as well as to the United States. Large concentrations of people from Tunkás can be found in Inglewood and Anaheim, both in California.

History

In ancient history, the area belonged to the chieftainship of Cupul until the conquest. At colonization, Tunkás became part of the encomienda system and the encomenderos listed in 1735 were Diego Ramón del Castillo y Juan and Baltazar de la Cámara. In 1821, Yucatán was declared independent of the Spanish Crown. In 1825 the area was part of the Valladolid region.

Governance

The municipal president is elected for a term of three years. The president appoints four Councilpersons to serve on the board for three year terms, as the Secretary and councilors of public services, public security, and ecology.

Communities

The head of the municipality is Tunkás, Yucatán. There are 15 inhabited communities in the municipality: Canasultun, Ebulá, Franz, Kancabal, Kancabchen, Onichén, San Antonio Chuc, San Dimas, San José Pibtuch, San Román, Tabichén, Tunkás, Xcauil, Yaxhá, and Yohuas. The major population areas are shown below:
CommunityPopulation
Entire Municipality 3,464
San Antonio Chuc248 in 2005
San José Pibtuch188 in 2005
Tunkás2812 in 2005

Local festivals

Every year from 20 to 24 December the area celebrates a festival for St. Thomas the Apostle, patron of the town. From 30 January to 2 February an annual fair which attracts people from other areas of the region is held.

Tourist attractions