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.

It is located in the state's Papaloapan region and is bordered by the municipalities of Boca del Río, Tlalixcoyan, Medellín, Ignacio de la Llave, Ixmatlahuacan, Acula, Tlacotalpan and Lerdo de Tejada.

The municipality is crossed by the Papaloapan and Blanco rivers, both of which drain into the Alvarado Lagoon complex.

Dunes are common in rural and urban areas; an example of this is the neighborhood of Lomas del Rosario (lit.