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Municipalities (''municipios'' in Spanish) are the second-level administrative division in Mexico, where the first-level administrative division is the ''state'' (Spanish: estado). There are 2,438 municipalities in Mexico, with an average population 45,616. The internal political organization and their responsibilities are outlined in the 115th article of the 1917 Constitution〔(Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos ) Article 115〕 and further expanded in the constitutions of the states to which they belong. ==Structure== All Mexican states are divided into municipalities. Each municipality is administratively autonomous; citizens elect a "municipal president" (''presidente municipal'') who heads an ''ayuntamiento'' or municipal council, responsible for providing all the public services for their constituents. This concept, which originated after the Mexican Revolution, is known as a ''municipio libre'' ("free municipality"). A municipal president heads the ''ayuntamiento'' (municipal council). The municipal president is elected by plurality and cannot be reelected for the next immediate term. The municipal council consists of a ''cabildo'' (chairman) with a ''síndico'' and several ''regidores'' (trustees). If the municipality covers a large area and contains more than one city or town (collectively called ''localidades''), one city or town is selected as a ''cabecera municipal'' (head city, seat of the municipal government) while the rest elect representatives to a ''presidencia auxiliar'' or ''junta auxiliar'' (auxiliary presidency or council). In that sense, a municipality in Mexico is roughly equivalent to the counties of the United States, whereas the auxiliary presidency is equivalent to a township. Nonetheless, auxiliary presidencies are not considered a third-level administrative division since they depend fiscally on the municipalities in which they are located. North-western and south-eastern states are divided into small numbers of large municipalities (e.g. Baja California is divided into only five municipalities), and therefore they cover large areas incorporating several separated cities or towns that do not necessarily conform to one single conurbation. Central and southern states, on the other hand, are divided into a large number of small municipalities (e.g. Oaxaca is divided into 570 municipalities), and therefore large urban areas usually extend over several municipalities which form one single conurbation. Although an urban area might cover an entire municipality, auxiliary councils might still be used for administrative purposes. Municipalities are responsible for public services (such as water and sewerage), street lighting, public safety, traffic, supervision of slaughterhouses and the cleaning and 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 1983, they can collect property taxes and user fees, although more funds are obtained from the state and federal governments than from their own collection efforts. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Municipalities of Mexico」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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