Panabá Municipality is one of the 106 municipalities in the state of Yucatán, Mexico. It is located in the eastern region of the Yucatán Peninsula's northern coast. Panabá is also the name of the municipality's largest township, which is also its municipal seat. The municipality is bounded at the north by the municipalities of San Felipe and Rio Lagartos, at the east by Tizimín, at the south by Sucilá and at the west by the municipalities of Dzilam de Bravo and Dzilam González. The modern Spanish spelling Panabá derives from the place`s name in the Yucatec Maya language, Panab' ha, meaning " water found by digging". The Mayan name combines the verb panab’ "to dig, to excavate" with the noun for "water."
Political Regionalisation
The municipality belongs to the First Federal Electoral District and the Tenth Local Election District.
Foundation
Throughout the colonial period, Panabá was under the jurisdiction of Valladolid through Tizimín. As a result of changes in the peninsula during the nineteenth century Panabá was part of the municipality of Tizimín until 1918. Pre-Columbian ruins have been discovered on a site in the village of Panabá showing that this place was inhabited during the pre-Hispanic period by Indians in the province of Domes.
Historical Monuments
Architecturally the town is notably attractive. The beautiful temple of San Pedro the Apostle is located in the city.
Ethnic Groups
The population of indigenous language speakers is 2,465 people.
Demographic Trends
According to the Census of Population and Housing made in June 2010 by the INEGI, the total population of the municipality was 7,461 people, of whom 3,718 are male and 3,713 are female. The total population of the town represents 0.32 per cent of the total population of the state.
Climate
Education, Health and Housing
The town has 4 levels of schools: preschool, primary, secondary and high school. There is a library located in the headquarters. A literacy campaign made by the National Institute for Adult Education succeeded in reducing illiteracy of the population in the municipality. In 1980, there were 663 people counted as illiterate and by 1986 this number was reduced to 136. According to the 2010 census, the literacy rate for people between 15 and 24 years of age was 97.2%. One medical unit of the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social is found in Panabá, in addition to private care. Typical housing in the region is constructed from wooden posts with wattle and daub walls and roofed with Huan,, however most are built with concrete blocks, cement, wood and sheet-metal.
Clothing and Customs
Normally women wear simple hupiles, highlighting the embroidered square neck and edge of the clothing. This is worn over a medium length skirt of figured fustian supported by a waistband of the same material. As footwear they wear sandals and to protect themselves from the sun they wear shawls. Country people, especially the elderly, dress in baggy trousers made from blanket material, a shirt buttoned down the front, an apron of ticking and a straw hat. For farm shows and major fiestas the women dress up in the terno, a three piece outfit of full-length white skirt with decorated hem, an under-garment made with fine materials and with a colored border and over this is worn a highly decorated top with a square neck, decorated with lace and usually hand-made embroidery in cross stitch. This is complemented by long gold chains, earrings, coral rosaries, filigree decorations and a shawl with the Virgin Mary. The men wear white straight cut pants, jackets without lapels made of fine material, the better one having gold buttons, espadrilles and jipijapa hats, without forgetting the traditional red scarf popularly known as a bandana and essential for the jarana, a local dance. For All Saints' Day and The Day of the Dead it is tradition to place an altar in a main room in the house, where the favorite food of the dead is offered up to them. Traditional Mucbil chicken accompanied by atole of corn and chocolate beaten with water. In the regional fiestas people dance jaranas and there is showing off among the participants.
