Tecuala

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tecuala is both a municipality and a town in the Mexican state of Nayarit. The population of the municipality was 42,237 in a total area of 1,137 km² (2000) while the population of the town and municipal seat was 14,584 (2000). One of the longest beaches in the world, Playa Novillero, is located here.

"Tecuala" is the Castilian form of the Tecuallan word, which means "place of many wild animals".

1 Geography
2 Socio-demographic Profile
3 Social and communications infrastructure
4 Economic Activity
5 Cultural and Touristic Attractions
6 Government
7 External links

[edit] Geography

Location

The municipality of Tecuala is located in the northern part of the state of Nayarit, between parallels 22° 14', and 22° 34’ north latitude and meridians 105° 14’ and 105° 45’ west longitude. It is bounded in the north by the state of Sinaloa and the municipality of Acaponeta; in the south by the municipalities of Santiago Ixcuintla and Rosamorada, in the east by the municipality of Acaponeta and in the west by the Pacific Ocean. See maps at [1] and [2].

The total area of the municipality is 1,137 km², which makes up 4.12% of the total area of the state. It is the ninth largest municipalilty in area.

Population centers

The municipality is made up of 96 settlements, of which the most important are the municipal seat, Tecuala, with 15,354 inhabitants (1995), San Felipe Aztatán with 5,264, Quimichis with 3,936, Milpas Viejas with 2,142, Camalotita with 1,623 habitantes and La Presa with 1,297 inhabitants. These towns have 66% of the population, while the remaining 34% is distributed among 90 small settlements.

The land and water courses

There are two forms of relief: flat zones, which make up 95% of the area of the municipality, including places like Tecuala, Quimichis and San Felipe Aztatán. In the hilly zones, which make up the remaining 5%, there are places like Las Lumbres and Tierra Generosa. The average elevation is 10 meters above sea level and the main elevation is Cerro de Los Encinos, which has an elevation of 22 meters.

The municipality has three rivers: the Acaponeta, which crosses all the region to flow into the lagoon of Agua Brava; Las Cañas, which forms the boundary with the state of Sinaloa and flows into the estuary of Teacapán; and the San Francisco. There are several lagoons and estuaries like Agua Brava and Cuautla, to name a few.

Climate

The climate is hot, tropical, subhumid, with the rainy season from July to September, and the hottest months from June to August. The average annual rainfall is 1,200 ml. and the average annual temperature is 22 °C, varying between 26 °C and 18 °C.

Main ecosystems

The main vegetation is tropical, with coconut trees and mangroves in the lower regions of the municipality, but in some cases they have been substituted by agriculture. There are zones of virgin vegetation with deer, jaguars, rabbits, raccoons, badgers, tlacuaches (opossums), armadillos, and a great variety of birds and reptiles.

Natural resources

Fishing is the main resource. This activity is carried out on the coast, lagoons, and estuaries, with shrimp being the main species caught. There is a large area of beaches that are important for the tourist industry. Moreover, there are small areas for forestry and important areas used for agriculture and cattle raising.

Ecological concerns Tecuala has an extensive area forming part of the Marismas nacionales, the largest area of mangroves in the Mexican Pacific. Clearing for shrimp farms is one major threat to these mangroves. Logging is extensive in the area and is destroying critical habitat for many species. Water pollution caused by humans dumping waste in local rivers threatens the survival of many aquatic species. Pesticide run-off from agricultural fields eventually ends up in mangrove communities. Draining of mangroves to create farms and highways, and dam construction that alters the flow of fresh water are also destroying vast areas of critical habitat. See more at [3]

Land use

The land used in agriculture is cultivated with sorghum, beans, tobacco and corn; another part is used in the production of fruit and vegetables like melon, jícama, Chile, and tomatoes. Of the total municipal area 64% is used for cattle raising, 23% for agriculture, 1% is forest, and 13% is covered by water.

[edit] Socio-demographic Profile

Ethnic groups

Tecuala is the municipality with the lowest indigenous population in the state, 70 inhabitants in 1995, who made up 0.17% of the state population. The main ethnic groups were the Tepehuana and Cora with 26 land 17 inhabitants, respectively.

Demographic evolution

The population has been decreasing. In 1990 the census reported 45,793 inhabitants, while in 1995 there were 44,973, that is to say, the population growth rate for the period 1990-1995 was -0.3%. Because of the agricultural nature of the economy, which generates subemployment, many local residents have emigrated to the United States of America.

Religion

The main religion is Catholicism, which is practiced by 95% of the population. Those who reported no religion made up 1.8% and the remaining 3.2% were Evangelical Protestants.

[edit] Social and communications infrastructure

Education

The municipality of Tecuala meets the educational needs of its population with 37 preschool units, 53 primary school units, 24 lower secondary school units, 3 upper secondary school units, and 3 of middle level professional school. In the municipal seat there are 2 public libraries. The literacy rate was 98.5% in 1995.

Health

The health infrastructure is composed of one clinic under the control of IMSS, 2 clinics of the ISSSTT, 5 clinics of IMSS-SOLIDARIDAD and 9 of the Secretaría de Salud de Nayarit--8 of primary care and one hospital unit.

Supply

Private enterprises offer the services of supply of merchandise to the public markets, shops, green grocers, butchers, etc. There is a central supply center in the municipal seat.

Sport

There is a baseball stadium and three sports units in the municipal seat, as well as 53 sports centers distributed throughout the municipal area. The most important sports are baseball, basketball, and soccer.

Dwellings

The municipality had a total of 10,415 dwellings in 1995, of which 10,401 were private and 14 collective. Of the total number 83.4% had drinking water, 86.6% drainage and approximately 96.3% had electricity. There was an average of 4 occupants per dwelling.

Dwellings in the rural area are, for the most part, built of light materials like wood, adobe, brick, and sheet metal. In the municipal seat the dwellings are more modern and are built of high resistance materials.

Possession of household goods

Number of dwellings (2000): 10,580
Number of dwellings with a radio: 7,994
Number of dwellings with a television: 9,353
Number of dwellings with a videocassette: 2,917
Number of dwellings with a food blender (liquifier): 8,160
Number of dwellings with a refrigerator: 7,389
Number of dwellings with a washing machine: 5,454
Number of dwellings with a telephone: 2,248
Number of dwellings with a water heater: 909
Number of dwellings with an automobile or pickup truck: 2,452
Number of dwellings with a computer: 140

Means of Communication

There is a telephone network which covers most of the population centers, a central post office and telegraph office, and 19 post office branches. There is one local newspaper.

Routes of Communication

The road network was 214.3 kilometers (1995), of which 130.5 were rural gravelled roads, 62.5 paved state feeding highways, 5.4 federal trunk highway, 14.4 gravelled state feeding roads, and only 1.5 kilometers of dirt road. The paved highways are Tecuala-Novillero; Tecuala-junction with international highway and San Felipe Aztátan; and Milpas Viejas-junction with international highway. There is an aerodrome and a bus station that has local, state, and national service.

[edit] Economic Activity

Agriculture

The planted area of the municipality was 371.09 square kilometres in 1995. The most important crops were sorghum, beans, tobacco, corn, Chile, watermelon, and jícama. Sorghum and beans made up 85% of the cultivated area in the spring-summer season.

Animal Raising

Tecuala is the third largest producer of cattle in the state after La Yesca and Tepic, with a population of 57,645 head (1995). In equines, with a population of 6,904 head, it occupied second place in the state after Tepic. The herd of swine was 8,054 head, goats 1,852 and sheep 481. There were 158,600 units of poultry.

Fishing

The main fishing product is shrimp with almost 1,100 tons annually. Of the types of shrimp, the most important in volume is estuary shrimp, although there is also production of shrimp in tanks and ocean shrimp. Other fish captures are: huachinango, lisa, langostino and tilapia. Annual production is over 1,300 tons.

Manufacturing

The main manufactured products are food, drinks, and tobacco, which make up 84% of the manufacturing sector, followed by textiles, clothing, and leather with 5.7%, and metallic products like machinery with 5.4%.

Commerce

Wholesale commerce had 23 establishments in 1995, which employed 150 persons. Income derived from this sector was 23% of the total, with food, beverages, and tobacco the most important. The remaining 77% corresponded to retail activity with food, beverages, tobacco, and sales of gasoline the most important.

Services

In 1995 there were 381 establishments of services. The restaurant and hotel industry brought in 46% of the income, followed by repair and maintenance with 15%, and finally services related to agriculture, animal raising, construction, transportation, finances, and commerce with 13%.

Economically Active Population by Sector

The economically active population represented 26% of the total population. It was distributed according to the following: 56% participated in agricultural activities, 9% in the manufacturing sector, and 30% in the services sector. The remaining 5% were in non-specified activities.

[edit] Cultural and Touristic Attractions

Historical Monuments

A monument standing out is the church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Sagrado Corazón de Jesús), built in the midddle of the 20th century. In the ejido of San Cayetano we can find the ruins of the hacienda of the same name dating from the eighteenth century.

In San Felipe Aztatán there is a monument erected to honor "Mexicanidad", since some scholars believe this place to be the original site of the Mexicas or Aztecas, who set out from here to found México-Tenochtitlán.

Festivals, Dances, and Traditions

The main festival is that of Easter, when there are fireworks and the burning of Judas. Another festival is that of 12 December, when the Virgin of Guadalupe is commemorated with processions, dances, fireworks, and sporting events.

Typical Dishes

There is a tradition in the preparation of different dishes of shirmp and fish, although there are also dishes made of beef. The traditional beverages are cold drinks made of barley, tamarind, nanché, and jamaica. There are stalls specializing in botanas, or tapas, made of shrimp, fish, and other seafood. The tamales made of shrimp and the coconut sweets (cocadas) are well known all over the country.

Tourist Centers

The popular Novillero beach is in the Guinness Book for being one of the longest beaches in the world--82 kilometers. The Acaponeta River flows into the ocean here and nearby is the Agua Brava lagoon, a place of great fishing and shrimp production. In San Felipe Aztatán one can visit the abovementioned monument to the origins of the Mexican people.

[edit] Government

The Ayuntamiento (city government) is made up of the Presidente Municipal (mayor), a Síndico (legal adviser) and ten Regidores (councilmembers). Of the latter, 7 are elected by a majority vote and 3 by proportional representation. There is a "suplente" or substitute for each one.

The Commissions or departments are

Gobernación. (Government)
Asuntos Constitucionales y Reglamentos. (Constitutional matters and Regulations)
Hacienda y Cuenta Pública. (Finances)
Obras y Servicios Públicos. (Works and Public Services)
Planeación del Desarrollo Económico y Social. (Planning of Economic and Social Development)
Justicia y Seguridad Pública. (Justice and Public Safety)
Control y Administración del Desarrollo Urbano y Ecológico. (Control and Administration of Urban and Ecological Development)
Educación y Cultura. (Education and Culture)

In 2006 the Presidente Municipal was Victor Martín Diaz Garcia, elected for the period 2005-2008.