Concepción Las Minas () is a
municipality in southern
Chiquimula department of
Guatemala
Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
in
Central America. It has a population of 11,693 (2018)
Citypopulation.de
Population of departments and municipalities in Guatemala and cover an area of 222 km2.
History
Concepción Las Minas was recognized as a municipality on 8 June 1893 by decree of President José MarÃa Reyna Barrios
José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ).
In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...
; however the current municipality and its boundaries was created on 17 April 1972. The municipality owes its double-barreled name to the local mines, where in colonial times lead, copper, iron and silver were extracted, and to the local church which is dedicated to the Virgin of the Conception
Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...
. The municipal fiesta
''Fiesta'' (Spanish for "religious feast", "festival", or "party") may refer to:
Events
*Fiesta San Antonio, a 10-day event held every April in San Antonio, Texas
*St. Peter's Fiesta, a five-day festival in Gloucester, Massachusetts
*Fiestas d ...
is held at the end of February and is in honor of the Virgin.
Geography
Politically, the Concepción Las Minas municipality is bounded to the east by Honduras
Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...
, to the south by El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...
and to the west by the Jutiapa Department of Guatemala. It is only to the north that it is connected with the rest of Chiquimula Department, namely the municipalities of to the north and Esquipulas to the northeast.
The municipality lies on the Montecristo Massif
The Trifinio Fraternidad Transboundary Biosphere Reserve is a transboundary protected area located where the borders of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras meet (thus the prefix ''tri'' in its name). It protects the Montecristo massif and its cloud ...
with its highest point being the Monte Cristo volcano, known as Trifino de Monte Cristo () which Guatemala shares with El Salvador and Honduras. It has five mountain ranges and nineteen peaks. Most of the streams in the area, like the Rio Seco, are ephemeral; however, even though their flow is considerably diminished in the dry season the Rio Frio, the Rio Anguiatú and the Rio Grande de Zacapa do not go completely dry. Most of the former forested areas in the municipality have been converted to grasslands for cattle raising, but some forests remain, particularly at the higher elevations. The forests are mostly pine, with some mixed hardwoods. The only protected area is the Trifinio Biosphere Reserve
The Trifinio Biosphere Reserve is a protected area in Guatemala, located where the borders of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras meet (thus the prefix ''tri'' in its name). The reserve was created in 1987, and has an area of 221.79 km2. It protec ...
, which is also known as the ''Biosfera de la Fraternidad''.
Economy
The municipality exports cattle and other livestock, but relies heavily on remittance
A remittance is a non-commercial transfer of money by a foreign worker, a member of a diaspora community, or a citizen with familial ties abroad, for household income in their home country or homeland. Money sent home by migrants competes wit ...
s from emigres in the United States.
References
External links
"Concepción las Minas, Chiquimula"
Official website
"Concep. Las Mina Google Satellite Map"
Maplandia World Gazetteer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Concepcion Las Minas
Municipalities of the Chiquimula Department