Etchojoa is both a municipality

Municipalities of Mexico

Municipalities are the second-level administrative division in Mexico . There are 2,438 municipalities in Mexico, making the average municipality population 45,616...

 and the name of the town that acts as the seat of that municipality. Founded in 1613, Etchojoa is located in the southwest of the Mexican state of Sonora

Sonora

Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....

. It is situated at 26°52′N 109°39′W. The total municipal area is 1,220.23 km². Etchojoa had a population of 56,129 in 2000, according to the official census. Neighboring municipalities are Navojoa

Navojoa

Navojoa is the fifth-largest city in the northern Mexican state of Sonora and is situated in the southern part of Sonora, south of the state's border with the U.S. state of Arizona. It is the administrative seat of a large municipality, located in the Mayo River Valley.-History:The city name...

, Huatabampo

Huatabampo

Huatabampo is a city and municipality in the state of Sonora, in northwestern Mexico. It is situated on the Gulf of California, near the mouth of the Mayo River. It is located at latitude . Huatabampo is 34 km southwest of Navojoa via Sonora State Highway 56 and Sonora State Highway 149...

 and Cajeme

Cajeme

Cajeme is one of the municipalities of the northwestern state of Sonora, Mexico. Its capital is Ciudad Obregón. It is named after Cajemé, a Yaqui leader...

.

Etchojoa has a large indigenous population made up of the Mayo Indians

Mayo people

The Mayo are a Mexican indigenous people living in the states of Sonora and Sinaloa, originally living near the Mayo River in Sonora. In their own language they call themselves Yoreme....

, almost 20% of the population in 2000. The municipality sits in the Valle Mayo (Mayo Valley), named for the Río Mayo

Mayo River, Mexico

The Mayo River is located in the Mexican state of Sonora. There is an important dam, named Adolfo Ruiz Cortines after one of the Presidents of Mexico, located up river, for the purpose of generating electricity, as well as irrigation for agriculture in the Mayo Valley. It is located 30 km...

, a vital source for irrigation.

The economy is based primarily on agriculture, with over 800 km² irrigated throughout the municipality in 2000. Fifty percent of the land is part of the ejido

Ejido

The ejido system is a process whereby the government promotes the use of communal land shared by the people of the community. This use of community land was a common practice during the time of Aztec rule in Mexico...

 system. Wheat, soy, corn, and citrus fruit are the most important crops.

External links

• Etchojoa, Ayuntamiento Digital (Official Website of Etchojoa, Sonora)

XEETCH, a government-run indigenous

Indigenous peoples of Mexico

Mexico, in the second article of its Constitution, is defined as a "pluricultural" nation in recognition of the diverse ethnic groups that constitute it, and in which the indigenous peoples are the original foundation...

 community radio

Community radio

Community radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest...

 station

Radio station

Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...

 that broadcasts in Mayo

Mayo language

Mayo is an Uto-Aztecan language. It is spoken by about 40,000 people, the Mexican Mayo or Yoreme Indians, who live in the South of the Mexican state of Sonora and in the North of the neighboring state of Sinaloa...

, Yaqui

Yaqui language

Yaqui , locally known as Yoeme or Yoem Noki, is a Native American language of the Uto-Aztecan family. It is spoken by about 15,000 people, mostly of the border Yaqui people, in the region around the Mexican state of Sonora, and Arizona in the United States.-Phonology:The remarks below use the...

 and Guarijio

Guarijio language

Huarijio is an Uto-Aztecan language of the states of Chihuahua and Sonora in northwestern Mexico...

, is based in Etchojoa.