The free municipality of Palizada gets its name from the dying bog wood called the palo, or stick, of Campeche, the palo of Brazil and the palo of tinte. Its first name was that of San Joaquín de la Papalotada, then San Ignacio de la Empalizada, and later was changed to Palizada.
Palizada is bordered to the north and the east with the municipality of Carmen; to the south and the west with the state of Tabasco. In ancient times, the people in what is now the municipal of Palizada were the indigenous Náhuatl Chontal, similar to the cacicazgo of Acalán Tixchel; its name comes from the Nahoa language and means “Place of the Canoes”. When the Europeans first came to these lands in the sixteenth century, they crossed a stretch of the Usumacinta River and renamed it the Palizada River for the large quantity of trunks that lay in its currents. On May 10, 1668, the first European immigrants preliminarily settled here, and in 1674 they settled on the riverbanks and founded the town of San Joaquín de la Palotada, today renamed Palizada.
Officially, Palizada was established by the Spanish on August16th, 1792, by the royal warrant of Carlos II, to impede the English pirates positioned on the Isla del Carmen from invading these lands.
Palizada was the main site for precious woods including palo de tinte in the region; these were transported by the river to be shipped to Europe, just as in Villa del Carmen.
After Mexican independence, Palizada shifted hands a few times, belonging for a time to the political parties of Carmen, Tabasco, and Yucatan. In 1823, while discussing the New Constitution Act of the Nation, it was decided that the Laguna de Términos, including Carmen and its annexing towns, including Palizada, be united with the Yucatan.
In 1850 it was given the category of villa, and in 1868 the villa received the title of Patriot and Liberal for recognition of the services lent to the national cause against the intervention of France and the Spanish empire. After the revolution, on January 1st, 1916, the category changed to free municipality. The governor of the state, Alberto Trueba Urbina, later elevated Palizada to the category of city on August 13th, 1959.
The main festival is celebrated in honor of the patron saint, San Joaquín, which starts August 15th and ends August 31st. It is celebrated with the essential agricultural and cattle ranching festival, organized popular dances, amusement park rides, vaquerías, or couple’s dances, sporting, and water contests. Also, the festival of Corpus Christi is celebrated in honor of the Señor de Tila, whose chapel you find approximately four marine leagues from the city. The traditions and customs of this town are unique, as is the hospitality and cordiality visitors feel from the moment they arrive; thus it is said that the Campechean character in Palizada is special, and that here it reaches its maximum expression.
Another deeply-rooted tradition is the ceremony of the Fieles Difuntos in November.
Every Sunday, the townspeople customarily walk around the outskirts of the park, with the women traveling in one direction and the men in the other, to give young unmarried people opportunities to find a match.
The people traditionally wake up at 5 am to go to the market and enjoy a delicious chocolate shake and panetelas that are eaten in honor of the deceased “Negro Alí,” located in the market.
