Municipality of Emiliano Zapata (Tabasco)

Emiliano Zapata is a municipality of the Mexican state of Tabasco, located in the Usumacinta River region and in the Rios subregion.

It is known as n#34;The balcony of Usumacinta#34; due to the beautiful landscape that can be seen.

Its municipal seat is the city of Emiliano Zapata and it has a division also made up of 14 ejidos, 11 rancherías, 2 towns, 27 farms or ranches and 1 town.

Its area is 510 km², which corresponds to 1.78% of the state's total; This places the municipality in fifteenth place in territorial area. It borders to the North with the state of Campeche, to the South with the state of Chiapas, to the East with the municipalities of Balancán and Tenosique and to the West with the municipality of Jonuta and the state of Chiapas.

History

The oldest known human settlements in this territory date back to the 5th century BC. C., when Mayan groups from the Guatemalan Highlands and Chiapas began the settlement of the northwestern lowlands bathed by the Usumacinta River.

In the Preclassic Mayan ruins found here, artifacts of Olmec origin have been found that reveal that the Mayans of this region maintained commercial relations and made technological and cultural exchanges with the oldest known Mesoamerican civilization, which was later It would be reflected in pottery and sculpture and possibly even in their religion.

When the Spanish discovered the Yucatan Peninsula and the mouth of the Tabasco River, which they named after its discoverer Juan de Grijalva, the predominant ethnic groups in the region were of Mayan origin: Chontales, Acalanes and Mactunes, although they were beginning to groups from the central plateau of Mexico enter the region, especially the Mexica, one of the Nahua tribes.

In documents known as the Paxbolón Maldonado Papers, the originals of which are preserved in the Archive of the Indies in Seville, Spain, it is indicated that the dominion of the Mactunes extended to Iztapan, a territory then disputed by the Dzules, a tribe from the south of the Yucatan Peninsula.

It should be noted that when the conquistador Hernán Cortés was passing through this region during the expedition to Las Hibueras (now Honduras) in 1525, and which constituted the discovery of the Usumacinta region for the Western world, all the Mayan cities of the Classic period were abandoned, so they only found settlements belonging to what is known as the new Mayan empire or Postclassic Mayan, one of them was Istapan (Nahuatl name), a population that was in the site that today occupies the city of Emiliano Zapata.

In his True History of the Conquest of New Spain Bernal Díaz del Castillo describes how he arrived in the company of Cortés to the town of Istapa:

...We went to another town called Iztapa, and the Indians had gone to the other side of another very flowing river. And we went looking for them and brought the caciques and many Indians and Cortes spoke to them with halagos(...) and we studied in that village three days because there was good grass for the horses and a lot of corn, and Cortés said it was good land to pop up there a villa because he had news that in the surroundings there were good villages to serve such a villa...

After that expedition, there were few Spanish incursions into this territory. Only highlighting that of Alonso Dávila who founded the town of Salamanca de Acalán in the territory of today's Balancán; and Francisco Gil who in 1537 founded San Pedro Tanoche in the municipality of Tenosique; Both towns were soon depopulated due to their remoteness and indigenous hostility.

Well into the colonial era, coming from San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, then the most important evangelizing center in the Mexican southwest, Dominican, Franciscan and Augustinian friars arrived in this town with the intention of evangelizing the region. Years later, Dominican missionaries arrived at the small community that had been established on the left bank of the Usumacinta River and called it "Monte de Cristo" with which the population adopted the name of Montecristo, which in 1883 gave its name to the municipality.

In those years, the municipality became a mandatory stop for many travelers and expeditionaries who were interested in entering the jungle to explore the ruins of Palenque, Bonampak and Yaxchilán, as the Usumacinta was the only possible route from the Gulf of Mexico., with which the town grew.

In December 1883, according to the Organic Law of the Territory of the State of Tabasco, the municipality of Montecristo was created, with territory that was segregated from the municipality of Jonuta.

Due to religious persecution in the state, on December 27, 1927, by decree No. 5 of the XXX local Legislature, the name of the municipality of Montecristo was changed to Emiliano Zapata.

The most important Mayan vestiges in this municipality are named after Las Carmelitas, Montebello, Joval, Corozal and Chacaj. Although they are unexplored and not open to the public.

Geography

Municipal limits

Limited to the north by the municipalities of Jonuta, Balancán and the state of Campeche; to the east with the municipalities of Balancán and Tenosique; to the south with the municipality of Tenosique and the state of Chiapas; to the west with the state of Chiapas and the municipality of Jonuta.

Northwest: Jonuta	North: Palizada y Carmen (Campeche)	Northeast: Balancán and Carmen (Campeche)
West: Palenque y Catazajá (Chiapas)		This: Balancan
Southwest: La Libertad (Chiapas)	South: Freedom and Palenque (Chiapas)	Sureste: Tenosique

Climate

The climate is warm-humid, with abundant rain in summer and autumn. It has an average annual temperature of 26.55 °C, with the average monthly maximum in May being 31 °C, with 22.7 °C and the average minimum in January and February being 10.7 °C; the absolute maximum and minimum reach 53 °C and 03 °C respectively.

A small part to the south of the municipality bordering the state of Chiapas, has a warm-humid climate with rain all year round (Af); These rains decrease slightly in winter, a period in which 14.4% of the annual total is recorded.

The precipitation regime is characterized by a total annual rainfall of 1,864 mm, with an average monthly maximum of 318 mm in the month of September and monthly minimum of 12 mm in the month of April.

The annual average relative humidity is estimated at 80%, with a maximum of 85% in February and March, and a minimum of 75% in May.

The highest wind speeds are concentrated in the months of November and December with speeds that reach 52 km/h, with the lowest wind speeds occurring in June, with a speed of 3 km/h.

Orography

Most of the surface is flat. There are hills that do not exceed a height greater than 30 m s. n. m., located in the center of the municipality and around the municipal seat.

Hydrography

The main river is the Usumacinta, which receives on its left bank the waters of the Chacamax River, as well as those of the Hondo, Jobo, Pochote and other less important streams.

It has a lake potential of 32,800 hectares, highlighting the lagoons of Mariche, Saquilá, Chaschoc, Seja, San Ignacio, San Marcos, San Francisco, Guanal, Chacamax, Chinchil, Nueva Esperanza, Las Delicias, Pochote, Guanal and Chinchil.

Flora and Fauna

There are several types of vegetation, among which the secondary evergreen secondary forest stands out with an approximate height of 15 to 30 m; This ecosystem has been disappearing due to the felling of trees for the establishment of pastures and for temporary agricultural practices. In certain areas, secondary vegetation is found as a result of land abandonment.

There is also another type of vegetation that is used by livestock, which is made up of low natural grass and isolated trees of 5 to 10 m; This ecosystem is called savannah.

Others are the popales, low muddy soils populated with plants called platanillo; These areas are used for agriculture at certain times of the year. There are other small areas called tulares, which have similar characteristics to those of the popales.

In each of the aforementioned ecosystems the fauna is scarce; However, at certain times of the year birds and fish abound; On a smaller scale there are chelonians such as turtles, mojinas, guaos, pochitoques and hicoteas; and reptiles such as iguanas and garrobos; Small mammals such as armadillos and tepezcuintles are prized for their meat, while it is increasingly difficult to see a manatee upstream of the Usumacinta River.

Demography

According to the results of the 2020 Population and Housing Census carried out by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, the total population of the municipality is 32,181 inhabitants, which represents an average growth of 0.89% annually in the period 2010-2020 based on the 29,518 inhabitants registered in the previous census. As of 2020, the density of the municipality was 54.33 inhabitants/km².

Graphic of demographic evolution of Emiliano Zapata between 2000 and 2020

Source: National Institute of Geography and Information Statistics

48% of the inhabitants were men and 52% were women. 94.7% of the inhabitants over 15 years of age (22,429 people) were literate. A small percentage of the population, (679 people), is indigenous.

In 2010, it was classified as a municipality with a very low degree of social vulnerability, with 12.52% of its population in a state of extreme poverty. According to the data obtained in the 2020 census, the situation of extreme poverty affected 11.2% of the population (3,302 people).

Main locations

According to data from the 2010 census, the population of the municipality was concentrated in 65 localities, of which 43 were small towns with less than 100 inhabitants.

The information collected in the 2020 census indicates that the most populated localities are:

Education

The educational system of all levels in the municipality consists of 68 schools, 9,372 pupils attended regularly by 443 teachers. Of these 68 schools, 26 are preschool, 29 primary, 7 secondary schools, 2 upper secondary schools and a special educational centre.

Economy

Main Sectors, Products and Services.

Primary Sector

Agriculture

In the municipality of Montecristo, agriculture is one of the main resources of the local economy, highlighting the crops of: corn, rice, beans, sorghum and watermelon.

Livestock

Livestock farming is another important sector in the local economy, with this activity being practiced extensively. There are 49,030 heads of cattle, predominantly zebu breeds, including: Brahmin, Nelore, Indubrasil and Gyr. Likewise, European breeds such as the Swiss, Dutch, among others, have also begun to be introduced.

Dairy production is captured by the Ultra Dairy company, established in the state capital. According to INEGI data, in 2000 there were: 42,817 cattle; 7,495 pigs; 957 sheep; 2,599 horses and 91,993 poultry.

Fisheries

One of the most important economic activities is riverside fishing, dedicated to the capture of bass, carp, mojarra, booby (type of catfish), pejelagarto and pigüa (river prawn).

Secondary Sector

Industry

This sector constitutes a line of medium importance; Highlights include food establishments made based on products from the region, 2 ice factories, 3 water purification plants, a broom factory, saddlery items, furniture, and construction materials. There are small family businesses that are dedicated to activities such as carpentry, blacksmithing, nixtamal mills, cheese factories, block makers, and candy making.

The forestry development company “Púlsar”, dedicated to planting eucalyptus, has a nursery established near the municipal seat, from where it supplies saplings to the municipalities of Balancán, Jonuta and Tenosique; The purpose of this forestry cultivation is the provision of raw materials for the manufacture of paper and derivatives.

Tertiary Sector

Trade

There are food stores, grocery stores, supermarkets, shopping centers, clothing stores, boutiques, shoe stores, nightclubs, gift stores, stationery stores, veterinary stores, agrochemicals, balanced foods, patent pharmacies, hardware stores, construction, spare parts stores, automotive agencies, etc.

Services

The municipality has banking services, ATMs, hotels, restaurants, bars, escorts, escrotcafeterias, internet cafes, car dealerships, car washes, automotive service, mechanical and body shops, medical offices and private clinics. Regional hospital, also has a Basic Rehabilitation Unit.

Economically Active Population by Sector

The total population in conditions of activity in 1990 was 15,508 inhabitants, a figure that represented 69.71% of the total municipal population and 1.03% of the state population.

In 1990 the economically active population (EAP) reached the figure of 6,993 employed people, a figure that represented 45.09% of the municipal population; The inactive were 8,560 and represented 55.19%; In the range of others, there were 255 that represented 1.64% of the municipal total.

The economic activities of the municipality by sector are distributed as follows according to the 2000 census:

Tourism

New Hope Lagoon

Shortly before reaching the city of Emiliano Zapata, coming from the Gulf Circuit Highway, there is a tourist inn framed in the background by the Usumacinta River, from where you can see the Nueva Esperanza lagoon. It has restaurants, a parking area and is an ideal place for fishing, framed in the background by the Usumacinta River.

CHAS-CHOC Lagoon

The Chas-Choc lagoon is a destination of great interest in the municipality. It is the main place to be exploited for tourism, this is because its river dimensions are a great attraction to observe, explore and investigate, it has a great variety of flora and fauna increasing its peak of migratory birds in the months of January until the end of May. In the surroundings of the Chas-Choc lagoon you can see the well-known howler monkey or saraguato species that makes sunsets unforgettable listening to its howls throughout the lagoon.

Villa Chable

20 minutes from the municipal seat is the town of Chable, which has the second oldest church in the state of Tabasco, which only preserves its façade. And the old town of the former Chable estate.

City of Emiliano Zapata

The municipal seat is a city built on gentle hills that allow panoramic views of the Usumacinta River. In front of the city, during the dry season, beaches appear on the river, which are visited by hundreds of bathers, who cool off in the river waters. In the "playón" There is a great atmosphere, musical groups and you can practice water sports.

The city has a museum, it displays information and objects related to Zapata, the Mexican Revolution, Tabasco, Carlos Pellicer and two very important pre-Hispanic cultures in the region, the Olmec and the Mayan, cared for by Professor Martínez, professor at Colegio Montecristo S.C.

In the urban infrastructure, monuments, sculptures, the boardwalk stand out, and in the summer season, which coincides with the vacation season in the month of April, you can enjoy beautiful Playones on the Usumacinta River, as well as tours in boat and practice some water sports.

Parking

The Parqueológico is an area of 52 hectares where you can enjoy horseback riding, bicycle rides, a social gathering area and extreme sports such as the motocross track and commando track. You can also take a photographic safari, learn about the exuberant species of flora and fauna during fantastic bicycle tours, among other activities. It is located on the Emiliano Zapata-Tenosique highway, this natural attraction is located on the edge of the road.