Municipalities of Guanajuato



Guanajuato is a state in North Central Mexico that is divided into 46 municipalities. According to the 2020 Mexican census, Guanajuato is the sixth most populous state with inhabitants and the 22nd largest by land area spanning 30691.61 km2.

Municipalities in Guanajuato are administratively autonomous of the state according to the 115th article of the 1917 Constitution of Mexico. Every three years, citizens elect a municipal president (Spanish: presidente municipal) by a plurality voting system who heads a concurrently elected municipal council (ayuntamiento) responsible for providing all the public services for their constituents. The municipal council consists of a variable number of trustees and councillors (regidores y síndicos). Municipalities are responsible for public services (such as water and sewerage), street lighting, public safety, traffic, and the maintenance of public parks, gardens and cemeteries. They may also assist the state and federal governments in education, emergency fire and medical services, environmental protection and maintenance of monuments and historical landmarks. Since 1984, they have had the power to collect property taxes and user fees, although more funds are obtained from the state and federal governments than from their own income.

The largest municipality by population in Guanajuato and third largest in Mexico is León, with 1,721,215 residents or approximately 27.9% of the state population. The smallest municipality by population is Atarjea with 5,296 residents. The largest municipality by land area is San Felipe which spans 3014.924 km2, and the smallest is Pueblo Nuevo which spans 60.046 km2. The first state constitution, Constitución Política del Estado Libre de Guanajuato, resulted in the formation of the first 17 municipalities in Guanajuato on April 15, 1826. The newest municipality is Doctor Mora, incorporated on September 22, 1935.