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Canillá is a
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in the Guatemalan department of
El Quiché EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American p ...
with a surface area of 123 km2 and a population of 15,053 people. People in Canillá speak
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
,
K'iche' K'iche', K'ichee', or Quiché may refer to: * K'iche' people of Guatemala, a subgroup of the Maya *K'iche' language, a Maya language spoken by the K'iche' people **Classical K'iche' language, the 16th century form of the K'iche' language *Kʼicheʼ ...
(a
Mayan language Mayan most commonly refers to: * Maya peoples, various indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Maya civilization, pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Mayan languages, language family spoken ...
), or both. Primary religions are
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
and
Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...
.


History


Pre Hispanic era

Worried about the defection of the aj K’ub’ul family chief -who had taken his family away in order to look for fertile and, above all, pacific land-, the K’iche’ king sent a group of soldiers to control every single movement of them. He was afraid that the aj K'ub'ul would look for reinforcements from other ethnic group in the area to form a strong army and then attack the k'iche's. The warriors settled to the east of the aj K’ub’ul and since the latter had moved away to look for peace and tranquility, they were a very peaceful community. And that is exactly what the warriors inform the K’iche’ king, reassuring him by telling that he should not worry about the exiled group, as they were really peaceful. As time went by, the k'iche' warriors realized that the aj K'ub'ul life was very different from the one they were used to have under the ruling of their king, as they simple worked on their land and crops and then enjoyed their families without having to worry about being invaded or called to fight in a war. Therefore, they went back to their place of origin, Tujalj (
Sacapulas Sacapulas is a town and municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. History Pre Hispanic era Worried about the defection of the aj K’ub’ul family chief -who had taken his family away in order to look for fertile and, above ...
and Canillá), but only to pick up their families and went on to settle a new community where they were once stationed to keep an eye on the aj K'ub'ul.


After the Spanish conquest of Guatemala

In the 16th and 17th centuries there were hardly any mention to Canillá. In the 18th century, however, then archbishop of Guatemala, doctor
Pedro Cortés y Larraz Pedro Cortés y Larraz (Belchite, Zaragoza, 6 July 1712 - Zaragoza, 7 July 1787) was Archbishop of Guatemala between 1767 and 1779 and bishop of Tortosa between 1780 and 1786. Biography Early life Graduated with a doctorate in Spain when he w ...
, made some notes on the place while he was traveling his parish between 1768 and made a stop at San Andrés Sahcabahá (
San Andrés Sajcabajá San Andrés Sajcabajá () is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. The municipality is formed by the town San Andrés Sajcabajá, and 62 rural communities. The majority (89%) of its population is ethnic K'iche'. History In ...
): "There is a ranch called Caniliá and even though there is a valley of about half hour, but the land is too dry and there is a maize of very deep ravines on both sides of the path; afterwards one crosses the Cacux river, who has a strong current from South to North". The "ranch" indication means that in those days there was still not a definitive human settlement, while the deep ravines come from the fact that Canillá is located in the Sierra de Chuacús mountains.


After the Independence of Central America

El Quiché Department was established by executive action of 12 February 1872, which formed it from land coming from
Sololá __NOTOC__ Sololá is a city in Guatemala. It is the capital of the department of Sololá and the administrative seat of Sololá municipality. It is located close to Lake Atitlan. The name is a Hispanicized form of its pre-Columbian name, one sp ...
and Totonicapán; in that executive action, a town called Caniyá is mentioned. In 1880, in the Population Census of that year, Canillá is listed as a settlement belonging to
San Andrés Sajcabajá San Andrés Sajcabajá () is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. The municipality is formed by the town San Andrés Sajcabajá, and 62 rural communities. The majority (89%) of its population is ethnic K'iche'. History In ...
. In the census, Canillá is a "settlement of the El Quiché Department, distant 51 km from
Santa Cruz del Quiché Santa Cruz del Quiché is a city, with a population of 78,279 (2018 census), in Guatemala. It serves as the capital of the El Quiché department and the municipal seat of Santa Cruz del Quiché municipality. The city is located at , at an elevati ...
, the department capital; and 607 inhabitants, who work in agriculture for the most part; there are not real industries in the area." Canillá was elevated to municipality by an executive action of president
José María Reina Barrios José María Reyna Barrios (24 December 1854 – 8 February 1898) was President of Guatemala from 15 March 1892 until his death on 8 February 1898. He was born in San Marcos, Guatemala and was nicknamed ''Reynita'', the diminutive form, bec ...
on 21 March 1893. The municipality was suppressed, however, by an executive action of president
Jorge Ubico Jorge Ubico Castañeda (10 November 1878 – 14 June 1946), nicknamed Number Five or also Central America's Napoleon, was a Guatemalan dictator. A general in the Guatemalan army, he was elected to the presidency in 1931, in an election where ...
on 26 August 1936 and went back to
San Andrés Sajcabajá San Andrés Sajcabajá () is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. The municipality is formed by the town San Andrés Sajcabajá, and 62 rural communities. The majority (89%) of its population is ethnic K'iche'. History In ...
as a human settlement. Years later, yet another executive action, this time of president
Jacobo Árbenz Guzmán Jacobo is both a surname and a given name of Spanish origin. Based on the name Jacob. Notable people with the name include: Surname: * Alfredo Jacobo (born 1982), Olympic breaststroke swimmer from Mexico * Cesar Chavez Jacobo, Dominican professio ...
, on 13 November 1951, reestablished the municipality under the same circumstances it was on 26 August 1936, when it was merged into San Andrés Sajcabajá. In May 1970 a school was built; the new structure had six classrooms, lunch room, warehouse, guardian room and the basic utilities. In the municipality there is a health center from the Secretariat of Public Health, which also started selling medications in early 1973. And as of 5 July 1973, the municipality had the authority to lease those municipal lots within its jurisdiction.


Economy

Canillá is an isolated city dependent on
subsistence farming Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow food crops to meet the needs of themselves and their families on smallholdings. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements, with little or no su ...
. Crops include corn,
platano Cooking bananas are banana cultivars in the genus ''Musa'' whose fruits are generally used in cooking. They may be eaten ripe or unripe and are generally starchy. Many cooking bananas are referred to as plantains (/ˈplæntɪn/, /plænˈteɪn/ ...
s, and other tropical fruits and
vegetables Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems ...
. The small central city has the Municipal offices, a
library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...
,
post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...
, and stores, including
telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...
services. Manufacturing includes brick making. The main roads connecting Canillá to
San Andrés Sajcabajá San Andrés Sajcabajá () is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. The municipality is formed by the town San Andrés Sajcabajá, and 62 rural communities. The majority (89%) of its population is ethnic K'iche'. History In ...
and
Santa Cruz del Quiché Santa Cruz del Quiché is a city, with a population of 78,279 (2018 census), in Guatemala. It serves as the capital of the El Quiché department and the municipal seat of Santa Cruz del Quiché municipality. The city is located at , at an elevati ...
, or Zacualpa and
Joyabaj Joyabaj () is a town and municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. It is located about 50 kilometers from Santa Cruz del Quiché, in the Sierra de Chuacús mountains. Joyabaj was an important part of the royal route to Mexico d ...
are unpaved and can be precarious in the rainy season; they suffer from erosion, potholes and landslides. The poor state of the roads seriously limits Canillá's access to regional markets. Employment opportunities in Canillá are few. Many people from Canillá travel for work, either to other areas of Guatemala, or to
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
or the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. One group from Canillá works in
Tuscarawas County, Ohio Tuscarawas County ( ) is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 93,263. Its county seat is New Philadelphia. Its name is a Delaware Indian word variously translated as "o ...
.


Mayan Ruins at Chijoj, called "Los Cerritos"

Outside Canillá past the Aldea (village) Chijoj are the
Mayan Mayan most commonly refers to: * Maya peoples, various indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Maya civilization, pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Mayan languages, language family spoken ...
ruins Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...
, called "Los Cerritos" (Spanish: "Little Hills"). The ruins present several patterns of
pyramid A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...
,
square In Euclidean geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90- degree angles, π/2 radian angles, or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle with two equal-length a ...
and rectangle. It has a large sports field where Mayans used to play. It looks like a large swimming pool. The road from Canillá to Chijoj continues, in good weather, to the ruins.


Geographic location


See also

*
Cubulco Cubulco is a small town, with a population of 10,681 (2018 census),Citypopulation.de
Population of cities & to ...
*
El Quiché EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American p ...
*
Sacapulas Sacapulas is a town and municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. History Pre Hispanic era Worried about the defection of the aj K’ub’ul family chief -who had taken his family away in order to look for fertile and, above ...
*
San Andrés Sajcabajá San Andrés Sajcabajá () is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. The municipality is formed by the town San Andrés Sajcabajá, and 62 rural communities. The majority (89%) of its population is ethnic K'iche'. History In ...


Notes and references


Notes


References


External links


Official municipal page (Spanish)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canilla Municipalities of the Quiché Department