Motul Municipality

Motul
Municipality
Church of San Juan Bautista in Motul, Yucatán
Location of Motul in Yucatan
Motul Location within Mexico
Coordinates: 21°05′42″N 89°16′59″W / 21.09500°N 89.28306°W / 21.09500; -89.28306Coordinates: 21°05′42″N 89°16′59″W / 21.09500°N 89.28306°W / 21.09500; -89.28306
Country	Mexico
State	Yucatán
Government
• Type	2012–2015
• Municipal President	Jose Julian Pech Aguilar
Area
• Total	297.63 km2 (114.92 sq mi)
Elevation	6 m (20 ft)
Population (2010)
• Total	33,978
Time zone	Central Standard Time (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	Central Daylight Time (UTC-5)
INEGI Code	009
Website	Official Website

Motul Municipality (in the Yucatec Maya language: “Place of no overflowing”) is one of the 106 municipalities in the Mexican state of Yucatán containing (297.63 km²) of land and located roughly 45 km east of the city of Mérida.

The founder of Motul was a Maya priest named Zac Mutul. An exact date is unknown, but the city dates from the eleventh century. Before the conquest, it was part of the province of Ceh Pech and afterwards, became part of the encomienda system. In 1581, the encomendero was Francisco de Bracamonte.

In 1821, Yucatán was declared independent of the Spanish Crown. In 1825 the area was part of the Coastal region, with its headquarters in Izamal.

During the Caste War of Yucatán in 1847, the state government ordered that suspects who appeared to be part of the conspiracy to revolt against the white settlers be whipped. Some 200 Indians were punished and the headman of Motul, Baselio May along with two of his fellow leaders José Miguel Pech and Nicolás Kuk were beaten and condemned to die, though their participation in the revolt was dubious.

On 10 March 1852 the town was elevated to the category of Villa and made head of the municipality and on 22 February 1872, it was decreed a city.

From 29 to 31 March 31, 1918, the first Socialist Congress convened in Motul to examine worker's issues. That same year,on 8 July, the Kopté Rancho, which was part of the municipality, was elevated to the status of a town. On 30 September 1924, the name of the recently assassinated governor Felipe Carrillo Puerto was appended to the name of the city, but was later repealed. On 2 October 1933, it was appended again and the official name of the head of the municipality became Motul de Carrillo Puerto.

The municipal president is elected for a term of three years. The president appoints nine Councilpersons to serve on the board for three year terms, as the Secretary and councilors of sports, special events, public works, commissaries, public services, nomenclature, cemeteries, ecology, public lighting.