Valladolid, Yucatán

Valladolid
—  City  —
Coat of arms
Nickname(s): La Sultana del Oriente (The Sultan of the East)
Motto: Cuatro Veces Heróica (Four Times Heroic)
Location of Valladolid within State of Yucatan
Valladolid Location of Valladolid within Mexico
Coordinates: 20°41′22″N 88°12′06″W
Country	Mexico
State	Yucatán
Municipality	Valladolid
City Founded	May 28, 1540
Founder	Francisco de Montejo (the Nephew)
IDH	0.7745 high
Government
• Type	Ayuntamiento
• Body	H. Ayuntamiento de Valladolid
• Municipal president	Gonzalo Escalante
Area
• Total	431.4 sq mi (1,117.3 km2)
Elevation	30 ft (9 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	48,973
• Density	113.5/sq mi (43.8/km2)
Demonym	Vallisoletano(a)
Time zone	Central Standard Time
• Summer (DST)	Central Daylight Time (UTC)
ZIP	97780
Calling Code	985

Valladolid (Saki' in Maya) is a small city in Valladolid Municipality in the southeastern part of the Mexican state of Yucatán. Valladolid is in the inland eastern part of the state.

At the census of 2005 the population of the city was 45,868 inhabitants (the third-largest community in the state), and that of the municipality was 68,863. The municipality has an areal extent of 945.22 km² (364.95 sq mi) and includes many outlying communities, the largest of which are Popolá, Kanxoc, Yalcobá, and Xocén.

History

Named after Valladolid, at the time the capital of Spain, the first Valladolid in Yucatán was established by Spanish Conquistador Francisco de Montejo's nephew on May 27, 1543 at some distance from the current town, at a lagoon called Chouac-Ha in the municipality of Tizimin. However, early Spanish settlers complained about the mosquitos and humidity at the original location, and petitioned to have the city moved further inland.

On March 24, 1545, Valladolid was relocated to its current location, built atop a Maya town called Zaci or Zaci-Val, whose buildings were dismantled to reuse the stones to build the Spanish colonial town. The following year the Maya people revolted, but were put down with additional Spanish troops coming from Mérida.

Valladolid had a population of 15,000 in 1840. In January 1847, the native Mayans rioted, killing some eighty whites and sacking their houses. After a Mayan noble was shot by firing squad, the riot became a general uprising. It was led by Jacinto Pat, batab of Tihosuco and by Cecilio Chi of nearby Ichmul. The city and the surrounding region was the scene of intense battle during Yucatán's Caste War, and the Latino forces were forced to abandon Valladolid on March 14, 1848, with half being killed by ambush before they reached Mérida. The city was sacked by the Maya rebels but was recaptured later in the war.

Until the beginning of the 20th century, Valladolid was the third largest and most important city of the Yucatán Peninsula, (after Mérida and Campeche). It had a sizable well-to-do Criollo population, with a number of old Spanish style mansions in the old city. Valladolid was widely known under its nickname The Sultaness of the East.

Sights

Cenote Zací.

Notable sights in Valladolid are the Colonial era cathedral, the Convent of San Bernardino and Cenote Zaci, a landscaped freshwater well with a restaurant. The town is a popular base for visiting nearby major Mayan ruins such as Chichen Itza and Ek' Balam as well as Cenote Ik Kil.

Cuisine

The typical dish of the region is “Lomitos de Valladolid”, sausage and chicken in escabeche. Street vendors selling cochinitas pibil, a special pulled pork from a pig that's been cooked overnight buried in a pit, are commonplace.

References

• Link to tables of population data from Census of 2005 INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática
• Yucatán Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México

External links

• Valladolid on Wikitravel
• Valladolid on LocoGringo.com
• Valladolid on yucatantoday.com
• Valladolid en Valladolidvirtual