Settlement classification in Mexico

Mexico's states classify their settlements in a variety of fashions:

Under Article 106 of the Municipal Law of the State of Aguascalientes,[1]^{[permanent dead link‍]} the state defines its settlements as follows:

• Ciudad (city): Census population in excess of 15,000 inhabitants.
• Villa (town): Census population of over 1,000.
• Poblado (village): Census population of between 500 and 1,000.
• Ranchería (hamlet): All other settlements.

According to Article 10 of the Organic Municipal Law of the State of Baja California Sur,[2] the state classifies its settlements as follows:

• Ciudad (city): A settlement with more than 12,000 inhabitants, or a municipal seat irrespective of population.
• Villa (town): More than 5,000 inhabitants.
• Pueblo (village): More than 2,000 inhabitants.
• Congregación (congregation): More than 200 inhabitants.
• Ranchería (hamlet): Fewer than 200 inhabitants.

According to Article 12 of the Organic Municipalities Law of the State of Campeche,[3] the state classifies its settlements as follows:

• Ciudad (city): A settlement with at least 5,000 inhabitants.
• Villa (town): At least 2,000 inhabitants.
• Pueblo (village): At least 1,000 inhabitants.
• Congregación (congregation): Fewer than 1,000 inhabitants, but with facilities for a rural school and municipal offices.

According to the Law on the Political and Administrative Classification of Population Centres in the State of Chiapas,[4] the state classifies its settlements as follows:

• Ciudades (cities): At least 10,000 inhabitants, and adequate urban infrastructure.
• Villas (towns): At least 5,000 inhabitants.
• Pueblos (villages): At least 2,500 inhabitants
• Rancherías, colonias, parajes, cantones and riberas (hamlets and neighbourhoods): At least 300 inhabitants.

To serve as a municipal seat, a settlement must be either a city or town. The granting of all settlement statuses is a function of the State Congress.

According to Article 13 bis of the Municipal Code of the State of Chihuahua,[5]^{[permanent dead link‍]} the state classifies its settlements as follows:

• Ciudad (city): More than 8000 inhabitants.
• Poblado (town): More than 2500 inhabitants.
• Comunidad (community): More than 500 inhabitants.
• Ranchería (hamlet): More than 100 inhabitants.

According to Article 22 of the Municipal Code for the State of Coahuila de Zaragoza,[6] the state classifies its settlements as follows:

• Ciudad (city): More than 20,000 inhabitants, or a municipal seat irrespective of size.
• Villa (town): More than 7,000 inhabitants.
• Pueblo (village): More than 2,500 inhabitants.
• Ranchería (hamlet): More than 1,000 inhabitants.
• Caserío (rural hamlet): Up to 1,000 inhabitants, in rural areas.

According to Article 13 of the Organic Law of Free Municipalities of the State of Colima,[7] the state classifies its settlements as follows:

• Ciudad (city): Census population in excess of 10,000 inhabitants.
• Pueblo (town): Census population in excess of 2,000 inhabitants.
• Ranchería (village): All other settlements.

According to Article 6 of the Organic Law of the Free Municipality of the State of Durango,[8]^{[permanent dead link‍]} the state categorises its settlements as follows:

• Ciudad (city): At least 6,000 inhabitants.
• Villa (town): At least 4,000 inhabitants.
• Pueblo (village): At least 1,000 inhabitants.

According to Article 23 of the Organic Municipal Law of the State of Guanajuato,[9] the state classifies its settlements as follows:

• Ciudad (city): At least 20,000 inhabitants.
• Villa (town): At least 7,000 inhabitants.
• Pueblo (village): At least 2,500 inhabitants.
• Ranchería (hamlet): At least 500 inhabitants.
• Caserío (rural hamlet): Less than 500 inhabitants, in rural areas.

According to Article 1 of the Law number 59, territorial division of the state,[10] the state classifies its settlements as follows:

• Ciudad (city): At least 5,000 inhabitants.
• Pueblo (village): between 500 and 4,999 inhabitants.
• Cuadrilla (hamlet): between 100 and 499 inhabitants.
• Ranchería (rural hamlet): between 50 and 99 inhabitants.

According to Article 20 of the Organic Municipal Law of the State of Hidalgo,[11] the state classifies its settlements as follows:

• Ciudad (city): More than 25,000 inhabitants.
• Villa (town): More than 10,000 inhabitants.
• Pueblo (village): More than 5,000 inhabitants.
• Comunidad (community) or congregación (congregation): More than 500 inhabitants.
• Ranchería (hamlet): Fewer than 500 inhabitants.

According to Chapter II of the Organic Municipal Law of the State of Jalisco,[12] the state classifies its settlements as follows:

• Ciudad (city): At least 50,000 inhabitants.
• Delegación municipal (municipal borough): At least 2,500 inhabitants.
• Poblado (town): All others.

According to Article 9 of the Organic Municipal Law of the State of Mexico,[13] the state classifies its settlements as follows:

• Ciudad (city): More than 15,000 inhabitants.
• Villa (town): Between 5,000 and 15,000 inhabitants.
• Pueblo (village): Between 1,000 and 5,000 inhabitants.
• Ranchería (hamlet): Between 500 and 1,000 inhabitants.
• Caserío (small hamlet): Fewer than 500 inhabitants.

Elevating a settlement to a city status is a function of the State Congress. The lower statuses can be granted by municipal authorities.

According to Article 1 of the Organic Law of the Territorial Division of Michoacán,[14] the state classifies its settlements as follows:

• Distrito (district): Number of inhabitants not specified.
• Municipalidad (municipality): Number of inhabitants not specified.
• Tenencia (tenure or holding): Number of inhabitants not specified.
• Otras (others): Hacienda, Rancho, Ranchería, and Colonia.

According to Article 23 of the Organic Municipal Law of the State of Morelos,[15]^{[permanent dead link‍]} the state classifies its settlements as follows:

• Ciudad (city): More than 25,000 inhabitants, and appropriate urban infrastructure.
• Villa (town): More than 15,000 inhabitants, and appropriate urban infrastructure.
• Pueblo (village): More than 7,000 inhabitants, and appropriate urban infrastructure.
• Ranchería (hamlet): More than 3,000 inhabitants, and appropriate urban infrastructure.
• Congregación (congregation): Fewer than 3,000 inhabitants.

Under the Law of Political Categories for Settlements in the State of Nayarit,[16] the state classifies its settlements as follows:

• Ciudad (city): At least 3,000 inhabitants, of whom 75% are active in commerce, industry, or professions or trades.
• Villa (town): At least 1,500 inhabitants, of whom 50% are active in commerce, industry, or professions or trades.
• Pueblo (village): At least 700 inhabitants, of whom at least 10% are active in commerce, industry, or professions or trades.
• Congregación (congregation): At least 300 inhabitants
• Ranchería (hamlet): At least 90 inhabitants.
• Hacienda (estate): Number irrelevant, homes tied to an estate.
• Rancho (homestead): All others.

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According to the Municipal Law of the State of Oaxaca,[17] the state classifies its settlements as follows:

• Ciudad (city): at least 20,000 inhabitants.
• Villa (town): at least 18,000 inhabitants.
• Pueblo (village): at least 15,000 inhabitants.
• Ranchería (hamlet): at least 10,000 inhabitants.
• Congregación (small hamlet): a permanent rural or ejidal settlement of at least 5,000 people engaged in agriculture.
• Nucleo rural (rural community): at least 500 inhabitants.

According to the Organic Municipal Law of the State of Puebla,[18] the state classifies its settlements in terms of their populations and their provision of certain basic public services (schools, clinics, abattoirs, graveyards, etc.):

• Ciudad (city): Census population of at least 20,000.
• Villa (town): Census population of at least 10,000.
• Pueblo (village): Census population of at least 2,500.
• Ranchería (hamlet): Census population of at least 500, and at least 5 km from the nearest city, town or village.
• Comunidad (community): Up to 500 inhabitants, and at least 5 km from the nearest larger settlement.
• Barrio (neighbourhood): Collection of houses structured as blocks (manzanas) that may be part of a town, village, hamlet, or community.
• Sección (section): Collection of blocks, neighbourhoods, colonias, communities, or hamlets that individually or collectively total more than 1,000 inhabitants.

According to the Organic Municipal Law of the State of Querétaro,[19] the state classifies its settlements in terms of their populations and their provision of certain basic public services (schools, clinics, abattoirs, graveyards, etc.):

• Ciudad (city): Census population of at least 30,000, or a municipal seat irrespective of size.
• Villa (town): Census population of at least 7,000.
• Pueblo (village): Census population of at least 2,000.
• Ranchería (hamlet): Census population of at least 500.
• Caserío (rural community): Rural settlement of up to 500 inhabitants.

According to the Organic Municipal Law of the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo,[20] the state classifies its settlements as follows:

• Ciudad (city): more than 10,000 inhabitants, or a municipal seat irrespective of size.
• Villa (town): more than 5,000 inhabitants.
• Pueblo (village): more than 2,000 inhabitants.
• Ranchería (hamlet): more than 500 inhabitants.
• Congregación (small hamlet): fewer than 500 inhabitants

According to article 9 of the Organic Municipal Law of the Free and Sovereign State of San Luis Potosí,[21] the state classifies its settlements as follows:

• Ciudad (city): more than 20,000 inhabitants, wherein certain medical and police services are available and infrastructure is in place.
• Villa (town): more than 6,500 inhabitants, wherein certain medical and police services are available and infrastructure is in place.
• Pueblo (village): more than 1,000 inhabitants, with certain basic services.
• Ranchería (hamlet): fewer than 1,000 inhabitants.

According to article 12 of the Organic Municipal Law of the Free and Sovereign State of Sinaloa,[22] the state classifies its settlements as follows:

• Ciudad (city): more than 25,000 inhabitants, or a municipal seat regardless of population.
• Villa (town): more than 5,000 inhabitants, or a sindicate seat regardless of population.
• Pueblo (village): more than 2,000 inhabitants, or a comissarate seat regardless of population.
• Rancho (hamlet): fewer than 2,000 inhabitants.

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According to article 9 of the Organic Municipal Law of the State of Tabasco,[23] the state classifies its settlements in terms of their population and their provision of certain basic public services:

• Ciudad (city): At least 7,500 inhabitants.
• Villa (town): At least 5,000 inhabitants.
• Pueblo (village): At least 2,500 inhabitants.
• Ranchería (hamlet): At least 1,000 inhabitants.

According to Article 13 of the Municipal Code for the State of Tamaulipas,[24] the state classifies its settlements as follows:

• Ciudad (city): At least 25,000 inhabitants.
• Villa (town): At least 5,000 inhabitants.
• Congregación o Poblado (village): At least 1,000 inhabitants.
• Ranchería (large hamlet): up to 1,000 inhabitants.

According to the Organic Municipal Law of the State of Tlaxcala,[25] the state classifies its settlements in terms of their population and their provision of certain basic public services:

• Ciudad (city): At least 20,000 inhabitants.
• Villa (town): At least 10,000 inhabitants.
• Pueblo (village): At least 1,000 inhabitants.
• Colonia (neighbourhood): At least 300 inhabitants.
• Ranchería (hamlet): Fewer than 300 inhabitants.

According to Article 11 of the Organic Law of the Free Municipality of the State of Veracruz,[26] the state categorises its settlements as follows:

• Ciudad (city): 30000+ inhabitants
• Villa (town): 10000+
• Pueblo (village): 5000+
• Ranchería (large hamlet): 500-2000
• Caserío (small hamlet): up to 500

According to Article 12 of the Government Law of the Municipality of the State of Yucatán,[27] the state categorises its settlements as follows:

• Ciudad (city): 15,000+ inhabitants
• Villa (town): 8,000+
• Pueblo (village): 3,000+
• Comisaría (commissariat): 500+
• Subcomisaría (sub-commissariat): up to 500

According to Article 25 of the Organic Law of the Municipality of the State of Zacatecas,[28] the state categorises its settlements as follows:

• Ciudad (city): 15,000+ inhabitants
• Pueblo (town): 2,500+
• Localidad rural (rural community): up to 500

• Localities of Mexico