Bacalar
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Etymology
The name most likely derives from Template:Langx, (Sian Ka'an Bakhalal) meaning "surrounded by reeds",[2] the name of the locality attested at the time of the 16th century arrival of the Spanish.
Lake Bacalar, a lagoon, is on the east side of the town.
History
Bacalar was a city of the Maya civilization in Pre-Columbian times, and was founded in 415 A.D. with the name of "Sian Ka'an Bakhalal". It was the first city in the region that the Spanish Conquistadores succeeded in taking and holding, in 1543 (during the 1543–1544 Pachecos entrada). In 1545 Gaspar Pacheco established the Spanish town here with the name Salamanca de Bacalar with the help of Juan de la Cámara. The southern half of what is now Quintana Roo was governed from Bacalar, answerable to the Captain General of Yucatán in Mérida.
After pirates sacked the town in the 17th century, the Fortress de San Felipe Bacalar was completed in 1729, and may be visited today.
In 1848 Bacalar had a population of about 5,000. In 1848, during the Caste War of Yucatán, rebellious Chan Santa Cruz Maya conquered the town. It was retaken by the Mexicans in 1902.
Bacalar was named a "Pueblo Mágico" in 2006.
Between 2005 and 2010 so-called Russian Mennonites who speak German established a colony in Salamanca that had 967 inhabitants in 2010 and 1.175 in 2020. All inhabitants were Protestants and only one of those aged 15 and over was illiterate.[3]
Transportation
Bacalar is also served by a station of the Tren Maya,[4] which opened on October 6, 2024, alongside the Chetumal Airport railway station.[5][6]
Additionally, the nearby Template:Ill and Chacchoben archeological sites are served by a separate Tren Maya station, called the Template:Ill (Script error: No such module "Lang".).[7]
References
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- ↑ 2010 census tables: INEGI Template:Webarchive
- ↑ Bak Halal, Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Bolles (1997), based on the Cordemex Mayan–Spanish dictionary (Barrera Vásquez et al., 1991).
- ↑ Salamanca in Bacalar (Quintana Roo) at www.citypopulation.de
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Further reading
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External links
Template:Wikivoyage Template:Sister project
- Municipio de Bacalar Template:Webarchive Official website of Bacalar Municipality
- Bacalar Mosaico
- Ayuntamiento de Othón P. Blanco Official website of Othón P. Blanco Municipality
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