Municipalities in Campeche are administratively autonomous of the state according to the 115th article of the 1917 Constitution of Mexico.[3] Every three years, citizens elect a municipal president (Spanish: presidente municipal) by a plurality voting system who heads a concurrently elected municipal council (ayuntamiento) responsible for providing all the public services for their constituents. The municipal council consists of a variable number of trustees and councillors (regidores y síndicos).[4] Municipalities are responsible for public services (such as water and sewerage), street lighting, public safety, traffic, and the maintenance of public parks, gardens and cemeteries.[5] They may also assist the state and federal governments in education, emergency fire and medical services, environmental protection and maintenance of monuments and historical landmarks. Since 1984, they have had the power to collect property taxes and user fees, although more funds are obtained from the state and federal governments than from their own income.[5]
The largest municipality by population in Campeche is the state capital Campeche, with 294,077 residents, while the smallest municipality by population is Palizada with 8,683 residents.[1] The largest municipality by area is Calakmul, which spans 14,031.51 km2 (5,417.60 sq mi), while Tenabo is the smallest at 1,061.63 km2 (409.90 sq mi).[2] The first municipalities to incorporate were Campeche, Carmen, and Hecelchakán on April 6, 1825,[6] and the newest municipalities are Dzitbalché and Seybaplaya, which incorporated January 1, 2021.[7]
Municipalities
Largest municipalities in Campeche by population
Campeche, Campeche's capital and largest municipality by population
Carmen, Campeche's second largest municipality by population
Coast of Champotón, the third largest municipality by population in Campeche
^The population, land area and population density for Calkiní reflects municipal boundaries prior to the 2021 separation of the municipality of Dzitbalché.[7]
^The 2020 population, land area and population density for Champotón reflects municipal boundaries after the 2021 separation of the municipality of Seybaplaya. The 2010 population for Champotón reflects its previous municipal boundaries including Seybaplaya.[7]
^No population figures are available as Dzitbalché incorporated on January 1, 2021 and was thus not counted as a separate municipality for the 2020 census.[1]
^Population figures are available as Seybaplaya despite its incorporation on January 1, 2021 after the 2020 census.[1]
^ abcde"Decreto Número 45"(PDF). Periódico Oficial del Estado de Campeche, Segunda Sección (in Spanish). 26 April 2019. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 17 October 2020.