Sinanché

Sinanché is a village of about 2,600 people (2,586 in the 2020 census) and the seat of the municipality of the same name, on the inland side of Yucatán's north coast. It lies about 54 km northeast of Mérida in a straight line, roughly 10 km east of Telchac Pueblo and 15 km from the coast at San Crisanto, the beach village that belongs to the same municipality. Yobaín is about 7 km to the east. The name comes from the Maya sina'an che', "scorpion tree".

Before the conquest the land was part of the Maya province of Ceh Pech. Under Spanish rule the conquistador Juan de la Cámara held the encomienda of Sinanché, and his descendants kept land here and around Temax for centuries. After independence the village belonged to the Partido de la Costa, run from Izamal, and in 1846 it passed to the Partido de Motul; it became a free municipality in 1918. In 1919 the ranchería of Petkanché was moved into Sinanché from Telchac Pueblo. The municipality lies in the old henequen zone: it was known for high henequen yields, had its own fibre-stripping plant, and still has fields of the agave. Today maize, beans, cattle and, on the coast, fishing keep people busy.

The village centre is compact. The church of San Buenaventura, built in the 17th century, stands up a flight of steps at the main square, with a carved altarpiece inside; facing it is the arcaded municipal palace with its yellow clock tower, which also dates from the 1600s. Just outside town are the ruins of the former Hacienda Santa Cruz, whose old walls stand along a dirt track. The main festival is on 14 July for San Buenaventura, the patron saint, with processions, bullfights and vaquerías.