Bácum

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Bácum is a small city and municipality in the south of the Mexican state of Sonora at 27°32′N, 110°05′W.

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[edit] Area and population

The area of the municipality is 1,409.7 km² (544.3 mi²) and the population was 21,322 in 2005, of whom 3,600 resided in the municipal seat. This was situated at an elevation of 50 meters (160 ft) above sea level.

[edit] Location

Bácum is bounded by the municipality of Cajeme in the east, Guaymas in the west and the Gulf of California in the south. The municipality lies next to the large urban center of Ciudad Obregón, in one of the two valleys of the Yaqui River and the water is used for irrigation in a system of canals.

[edit] Yaqui Indians

The indigenous community is very large with over 9,000 inhabitants identified Yaqui in the 2000 census. [1]

[edit] History

The town of Bácum is one of the eight traditional towns of the Yaqui and was founded in 1617 by the Jesuit missionaries Andrés Pérez de Rivas and Tomás Basilio, and christened with the name Santa Rosa de Bácum. In 1930 it was incorporated into the municipality of Cajeme and granted autonomy in 1931.

In 1949 the Yaqui River overflowed its banks and caused severe damage to agriculture and livestock raising. The river is now controlled by the Presa Álvaro Obregón dam upriver.

[edit] Economy

The main economic activity is intensive agriculture with over 300 square kilometers under irrigation by canal. The main crops are wheat, corn, soybeans, barley, cotton, and garden vegetables, as well as seasonal crops such as alfalfa and some fruits.

There is a coastline in the south of 12 kilometers and some fishing is practiced.

Industries are small and consist of packing houses for vegetables and liquid fertilizer production.

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