Mahates

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Mahates
Municipality and town
Flag
Location of the municipality and town of Mahates in the Bolívar Department of Colombia
Country	Colombia
Department	Bolívar Department
Population  (Census 2018[1])
• Total	26,075
Time zone	UTC-5 (Colombia Standard Time)
Climate	Aw

Mahates is a river town and municipality located in the Bolívar Department, northern Colombia. The town of Mahates was founded on April 17, 1533 by Spanish conquistador Pedro de Heredia.

The municipality of Mahates also covers the village of Palenque de San Basilio, inhabited mainly by Afro-Colombians which are direct descendants of African slaves brought by the Spanish during the Colonization of the Americas and have preserved their ancestral traditions. In 2005 the Palenque de San Basilio village was proclaimed Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.