Joyabaj () is a town and
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
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 ...
n
department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
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 po ...
. It is located about 50 kilometers 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 ...
, in the
Sierra de Chuacús mountains.
Joyabaj was an important part of the royal route to Mexico during the Spanish time. On February 4, 1976, the town was almost destroyed by an
earthquake
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...
. Most of its beautiful colonial houses and buildings were lost and hundreds of people died. Joyabaj was also hit hard by the civil war that lasted about 30 years in Guatemala. The majority of the ''ladinos'' (people with mixed Spanish and Indian heritage) fled to
Guatemala City
Guatemala City ( es, Ciudad de Guatemala), known locally as Guatemala or Guate, is the capital and largest city of Guatemala, and the most populous urban area in Central America. The city is located in the south-central part of the country, nest ...
.
The town's ''fiesta'' is celebrated from August 8–15. Many activities take place every day. One of the most important and fantastic celebrations is
El Palo Volador. This is a traditional dance in which flying angels (ángeles) spin to the ground from a huge wooden pole. The Palo Volador reenacts the descend of the angels into the underworld to battle the forces of darkness. This a pre-conquest ritual that has survived many centuries.
The people from Joyabaj are called ''Xoyes'' or ''Joyabatecos''.
References
{{Authority control
Municipalities of the Quiché Department