Maxcanú

Maxcanú is a large town in the western part of the Mexican state of Yucatán; it also functions as the seat for the Maxcanú Municipality. It is located on Federal Highway 180, approximately 62 km (38.5 mi) south of Mérida.

The ancient Maya site of Oxkintok and the caves of Calcehtok are close to Maxcanú, while another ancient Maya settlement, Chunchucmil, is located ca. 25 kilometers west of the town.

Facilities available in Maxcanú include: internet cafes; grocery stores; fresh produce market; family restaurants; public telephones; DVD rental; hardware stores; bus station (for connections to Mérida and Campeche); and a "combi" taxi stand for travelling to local villages.

Maxcanú is the birthplace of Alfredo Barrera Vásquez, the noted Mexican anthropologist and Mayanist scholar who was the principal editor behind the Diccionario Cordemex, the influential Mayan-Spanish dictionary and orthography.

Climate

References

Coordinates: 20°35′N 89°59′W / 20.583°N 89.983°W / 20.583; -89.983

Maxcanú Municipality

Maxcanú Municipality (in the Yucatec Maya language: “his four monkeys”) is one of the 106 municipalities in the Mexican state of Yucatán. Its seat is the town of Maxcanú. The municipality covers an area of approximately 1,321 km² and is located roughly 52 km southwest of the city of Mérida.

Borders

The municipality shares borders with the following adjacent municipalities:

History

Maxcanú Municipality belonged to the chieftainship of Ah-Canul prior to the conquest. After the Spanish arrived, the area was organized as an encomienda. In 1734, the encomendero was José Domingo Pardío, who was charged with 256 native inhabitants.

In 1821, Yucatán was declared independent of the Spanish Crown. In 1825 the area was part of the Camino Real Bajo region, with its headquarters in Hunucmá. In 1847, as part of the Caste War of Yucatán, the state government passed laws for public flogging of Indians who might be conspiring against the Spanish. The local Indian headman and 200 natives were beaten.