Pajapita 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

San Marcos department San Marcos is a department in northwestern Guatemala, on the Pacific Ocean and along the western Guatemala-Mexico border. The department's capital is the city of San Marcos. History Colonial period The Spanish conquest of Guatemalan Highla ...

of Guatemala.It was created on 31 May 1920, after the station of Vado Ancho on the Panamerican Railroad of Guatemala was built. Due to its privileged location on the way from Guatemala 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 ...

, Pajapita enjoyed considerable development while the Guatemalan railways were owned by

International Railways of Central America Guatemala has a network of narrow gauge railroads, passenger and freight trains currently run. History Construction of the first railway in Guatemala commenced in 1877 and the first section began operation in 1880, connecting Puerto San ...

(IRCA}, an American company that belonged to the

United Fruit Company The United Fruit Company (now Chiquita) was an American multinational corporation that traded in tropical fruit (primarily bananas) grown on Latin American plantations and sold in the United States and Europe. The company was formed in 1899 fro ...

. However, with the decline of the rail that followed the constructions of major highways in the country the importance of the town of Vado Ancho diminished, to the point that in the early 21st century it was completely abandoned. Pajapita is called also "Land of the Almond trees".

Transport

Panamerican Railroad of Guatemala

Pajapita started developing with the construction of the Vado Ancho railroad terminal in the 1900s. On April 18, 1902, thanks to his excellent personal rapport with then president

Manuel Estrada Cabrera Manuel José Estrada Cabrera (21 November 1857 – 24 September 1924) was the President of Guatemala from 1898 to 1920. A lawyer with no military background, he was a strong ruler (dictator) who modernised the country's industry and transportat ...

, pharmacist and writer Antonio Macías del Real won the concession to build the Panamerican Railroad of Guatemala sections between Las Cruces,

Retalhuleu The city of Retalhuleu () is situated in south-western Guatemala. It is the departmental seat of Retalhuleu Department as well as the municipal seat of Retalhuleu Municipality. Retalhuleu stands at about 240 metres above sea level. The city has a ...

and Vado Ancho in Pajapita; however, he could not finish the line to Coatepeque in

Quetzaltenango Department Quetzaltenango is a department in the western highlands of Guatemala. The capital is the city of Quetzaltenango, the second largest city in Guatemala.Rouanet et al 1992, p.14. The department is divided up into 24 municipalities. The inhabitants ...

and had to give away his rights to the Central Railway Company, who finished the section. The original contract with Macías del Real had been extremely generous and had been signed by the lieutenant secretary of Economy, José Flamenco and approved by Estrada Cabrera; the contract authorized the exclusivity on the construction and usage of the railroad for twenty four years, counting from the moment the section was open to the public. Besides, Macías del Real and his descendants would have enjoyed the revenue from the railway for 99 years, after which the line was supposed to go back to the State of Guatemala.

Climate

Pajapita has

tropical climate Tropical climate is the first of the five major climate groups in the Köppen climate classification identified with the letter A. Tropical climates are defined by a monthly average temperature of 18 °C (64.4 °F) or higher in the cool ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: ''Am'').

Geographic location

Pajapita is surrounded by

San Marcos Department San Marcos is a department in northwestern Guatemala, on the Pacific Ocean and along the western Guatemala-Mexico border. The department's capital is the city of San Marcos. History Colonial period The Spanish conquest of Guatemalan Highla ...

municipalities, except by the southeast, where it borders Coatepeque, a

municipality.

Notes and references

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

Some Information in Spanish
{{San Marcos Department Municipalities of the San Marcos Department