Yanga | |
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Municipality and town | |
![]() Statue of Gaspar Yanga in the town | |
Coordinates: 18°50′N 96°48′W / 18.833°N 96.800°W | |
Country | ![]() |
State | Veracruz |
Area | |
• Total | 102.82 km2 (39.70 sq mi) |
Elevation | 520 m (1,710 ft) |
Population (2005) | |
• Total | 15,547 |
Time zone | UTC-6 (Central Standard Time) |
Yanga is a municipality located in the southern area of the Mexican state of Veracruz, about 80 km from the state capital of Xalapa. It was formerly known as San Lorenzo de los Negros (after a colony of cimarrons in the early 17th century) or San Lorenzo de Cerralvo (after a 17th-century Spanish colonial priest). In 1932 it was renamed after Gaspar Yanga, the cimarron leader who in 1609 resisted attack by Spanish forces trying to regain control of the area.