Banámichi

Banámichi is both a small town and a municipality in the north of the Mexican state of Sonora. Geographical coordinates are coord|30|01|N|110|13|W|.

Area and Population

The municipal area is 773.06 and the population was 1,464 in 2005, with 82% or 1,096 inhabitants residing in the town itself. [http://www.inegi.gob.mx/inegi/default.aspx/] . There were 1.96 inhabitants per square kilometer in the municipality, which has been losing population since the census of 1995. The lack of economic opportunities has caused many people to immigrate, especially to the United States of America.

Geography

Most of the land is mountainous and soils are poor. There are still pine and oak trees in higher elevations, and some logging is carried out. The Sonora River crosses the region. The area still has wild life such as the mule deer, big horn sheep, white tailed deer, bobcats, possums, mourning dove, wild turkey, and quail.

Education and Health Care

Banámichi has the only middle-level school in the region, serving an area from the municipalities of Mazocahui to Arizpe. There is no hospital and the population is served by a public health clinic.

Communications

A state highway (paved) links the municipality with the state capital, Hermosillo, and the cities of Arizpe and Cananea. There is an airfield for small planes.

Economic activity

The main economic activities are agriculture and cattle raising. More than half the population works in these areas [http://www.e-local.gob.mx/wb2/ELOCAL/EMM_sonora] . Subsistence farming is carried out to produce corn and beans while most of the farming is of grasses for cattle feed. The cattle herd had over 10,000 head in 2000. [http://www.e-local.gob.mx/wb2/ELOCAL/EMM_sonora] .

Industry is limited to a handful of micro industries and a modest plant assembling fish hooks for the North American market.

Tourist attractions

The town plaza is very attractive with the main church Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Loreto, which was begun in the 17th century and retains it original structure with additions from the 1940s. The Palacio Municipal, or city hall is also interesting. The Hidalgo Plaza in the town center contains the Piedra Historica, an ancient petroglyph, which scholars believe represents an irrigation map. [http://www.mexicoecoresort.com/region.html/ La Posada del Rio Sonora]

Origin of the Name and History

The name is derived from the Opata word "Banamitzi", which means, "Where the water turns" or "lowered by water". The region was once inhabited by the Opata people; in 1639 the Spanish missionary Bartolomé Castaños S.J. founded the settlement of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios de Banámichi. In 1930 it became part of the municipality of Arizpe and got its autonomy in 1931, with Banámichi as its municipal seat.

ources

* [http://www.e-local.gob.mx/wb2/ELOCAL/EMM_sonora/ Enciclopedia de los municipios de Mexico]
* [http://www.inegi.gob.mx/inegi/default.aspx/National Institute of Statistics]

External links

* [http://www.sonoraturismo.gob.mx/banamichi-sonora.htm/ Pueblos de Sonora article on Banámichi]