Cosgaya

Cosgaya is a comisaría of Mérida municipality about 26 km northwest of the city centre, west of the highway to Progreso. It borders Komchén to the east, Suytunchén and Sierra Papacal to the northwest and Noc Ac to the southeast. The village had 809 inhabitants in the 2020 census. It takes its name from Juan de Dios Cosgaya, who governed Yucatán in the 1830s; it was earlier called San Matías, after the apostle Saint Matthias, who is still the village's patron. In the 19th century it was a small ranchería attached to the Nohluch ranch.

Today Cosgaya is a small village with mostly paved streets and pavements. Its centre is the casa comisarial, a long yellow building with a corridor and a small theatre, set on a broad lawn; nearby are the Catholic church, a primary school, a kindergarten, a sports court and a children's park. Three evangelical temples serve part of the population.

The country around Cosgaya keeps traces of older settlements. There is a minor Maya archaeological site near the village, and to the east stand the remains of a former hacienda. Close by is the abandoned chapel of Uluch, a village that has disappeared: its stone front with a three-arched belfry rises out of the scrub, and inside, faded painted decoration survives around the altar niche. The old Hacienda Chunoxil also lies in the area. These ruins are on private or ejido land in the bush, so ask locally before walking out to them.