Nacajuca

Nacajuca
City
Nacajuca
San Antonio de Padua Church
Coordinates: 18°10′09″N 93°01′11″W / 18.16917°N 93.01972°W / 18.16917; -93.01972Coordinates: 18°10′09″N 93°01′11″W / 18.16917°N 93.01972°W / 18.16917; -93.01972
Country	Mexico
State	Tabasco
Government
• Municipal President	Marco Antonio Leyva
Elevation (of seat)	10 m (30 ft)
Population (2010) Municipality
• Municipality	83,356
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
Postal code (of seat)	86220
Website	nacajuca.gob.mx/index.cfm

Nacajuca is a city in Nacajuca Municipality in the state of Tabasco, Mexico. It is part of the Chontalapa region in the north center of the state and a major center of Tabasco’s Chontal Maya population. Although the local economy is still based on agriculture and livestock, oil production, handcrafts and some tourism are important aspects as well. The environment of the area is low-lying flat land susceptible to flooding including being hard hit by the 2007 Tabasco flood and more recent flooding in 2011.

The city of Nacajuca is located in the north of the state of Tabasco, Mexico, in the Chontalpa Region, 26 km from the state capital of Villahermosa. It is the seat for the municipality of the same name with all governmental functions thereof. It also is the location for most state and federal buildings and services as well. Its main economic activities are commerce and agriculture. It has a population of about 8,200 people.

The Parque Central Miguel Hidalgo (Miguel Hidalgo Central Park) marks the historic center of the city and is the site of most of its civic, cultural and recreational events. It has a modest kiosk in the center with a monument to Miguel Hidalgo in the southwest corner. It has walkways, garden areas with fig and coconut trees.

The San Antonio de Padua Temple is located facing the Hidalgo Park. The current construction dates to 1965 in mostly Gothic style. The main facade has three levels with a triangular crest. The facade is flanked by two towers with four levels and a spire decorated with doves, which support a metallic cross. The facade has pointed arches with three entrances, windows on the second level of the portal and the third and fourth levels of the towers. The third level of the portal has a rose window as well as the second level of the towers. Another is found on the north tower which the south tower has a clock. The interior has a basilica layout with the central nave higher than the side ones. This permits illumination from the windows in the center as well as the side windows.

The name comes from Nahuatl and means “place of pale or discolored faces.” This name was given to the area by the Aztecs, who notice the pale complexion of most of the people here due to then prevalent malaria. The municipality’s seal was created in 1998. It contains images related to the area’s Chontal population, its wetlands environment with a snail speaking in the center. Underneath is the world “YIXTUP” which is its name in the Chontal language along with a legend that reads “People first, things after.”