In 1816, the citizens of the village of San Cristóbal de Alvarado sought the designation of
Town from
Ferdinand VII,
King of Spain. The King granted the village the title of Town on 8 September 1816 by Royal Decree, at a cost of 92,800
maravedís. Almost two years later, on 5 September 1818, Ferdinand VII authorized the first Honorable
Ayuntamiento or
city council. On 3 October 1818, the first City Council was established with
Tomás Hondal serving as first Mayor. Once the
Independence War was over, the State enacted its own Constitution in which the state territory was divided in 4
departments and 12
cantons. The municipality of Alvarado was assigned to the Canton of Veracruz in the Department of Veracruz. ==Geography==