Quiché () is a
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
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 ...
. It is in the heartland of the
K'iche' (Quiché) people, to the north-west of
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 capital is
Santa Cruz del Quiché. The word K'iche comes from the language of the same name, which means "many trees".
Population
Quiché has historically been one of the most populous departments of Guatemala. At the 2018 census it had a population of 949,261.
Mayans account for 88.6% of the department's population.
K'iche' people are the largest Mayan ethnic group in the department, and account for 65.1% of the total population.
The department is named after them.
While most of its indigenous population speaks the
K'iche' (Quiché) language, other
Mayan languages spoken in the department are
Ixil (
Nebaj
Nebaj is an archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization, located in the western Guatemala highlands near the Ixil village of Santa Maria Nebaj. What is now known as the Fenton Vase was excavated from this site. It is now held in ...
-
Chajul
Chajul (; full name San Gaspar Chajul) is a town and municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. Chajul is part of the Ixil Community, along with San Juan Cotzal and Santa Maria Nebaj. The Ixil region is isolated by beautiful mountain ...
-
Cotzal
San Juan Cotzal () is a town and municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. San Juan Cotzal is part of the Ixil Community, along with Santa Maria Nebaj and San Gaspar Chajul.
History
Pre-Hispanic era
Worried about the defect ...
area),
Uspantek (
Uspantán
Uspantán is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. It is one of the largest municipalities of El Quiché and stretches from the mountainous highlands in the South to the tropical lowlands in the North. The municipal seat is ...
area),
Sakapultek (
Sacapulas area), as well as
Poqomchi' and
Q'eqchi' in the northeast, bordering the
Alta Verapaz
Alta Verapaz () is a Departments of Guatemala, department in the north central part of Guatemala. The capital and chief city of the department is Cobán. Verapaz is bordered to the north by Petén (department), El Petén, to the east by Izabal ...
department.
Geography
The topographical composition of Quiché is dominated by the
central highlands and the mountain ranges of the
Sierra de los Cuchumatanes,
Sierra de Chuacús
The Sierra de Chuacús is situated in the central highlands of Guatemala, and runs southeast from El Quiché to Baja Verapaz. Its northwestern border is marked by the Chixoy River basin in Uspantán, which separates it from the Sierra de los Cuch ...
, and the foothills of the volcanic mountain range on the department's South-Western border with
Chimaltenango, which together make up for 79% of the department's territory. The northern part of the department is formed by tropical lowlands which cover 21% of the department's territory.
The principal
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...
s in El Quiché are the Salinas, Motagua, Xaclbal and
Ixcán
Ixcán is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. Its administrative centre is the town of Playa Grande. The municipality consists of 176 communities, called ''aldeas''. It has an area of 1693 km2. It is the northernmos ...
river basins. The Salinas river basin (3668 km2), includes the
Chixoy River which is a
tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...
of the
Río Salinas and Río
Usumacinta
The Usumacinta River (; named after the howler monkey) is a river in southeastern Mexico and northwestern Guatemala. It is formed by the junction of the Pasión River, which arises in the Sierra de Santa Cruz (in Guatemala) and the Salinas R ...
. The Motagua basin (1042 km2) includes the Río Grande which is an important
tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...
of the
Río Motagua
The Motagua River () is a river in Guatemala. It rises in the western highlands of Guatemala where it is also called Río Grande, and runs in an easterly direction to the Gulf of Honduras. The final few kilometres of the river form part of the ...
. The smaller
Xaclbal (779 km2) and
Ixcán
Ixcán is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. Its administrative centre is the town of Playa Grande. The municipality consists of 176 communities, called ''aldeas''. It has an area of 1693 km2. It is the northernmos ...
basins (187 km2) are situated in the North-East of El Quiché. El Quiché has a small number of shallow lakes ("lagunas"):
laguna de Lemoa
Laguna (Italian and Spanish for lagoon) may refer to:
People
* Abe Laguna (born 1992), American DJ known as Ookay
* Andrés Laguna (1499–1559), Spanish physician, pharmacologist, and botanist
* Ana Laguna (born 1955), Spanish-Swedish ballet dan ...
and the
laguna de La Estancia, both in
Santa Cruz del Quiché, and the
laguna de San Antonio
Laguna (Italian and Spanish for lagoon) may refer to:
People
* Abe Laguna (born 1992), American DJ known as Ookay
* Andrés Laguna (1499–1559), Spanish physician, pharmacologist, and botanist
* Ana Laguna (born 1955), Spanish-Swedish ballet ...
in
San Antonio Ilotenango
San Antonio Ilotenango is a municipality 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 a ...
.
Tourism
Places of interest in the department include the town of
Chichicastenango and the ruins of
Q'umarkaj. The department has several pre-colonial archeological sites, including
Q'umarkaj (near
Santa Cruz del Quiché),
Pascual Abaj
Pascual Abaj (alternatively written Pascual Ab'aj),Ventura Peliz 2007, p. 64. also known as Turcaj, Turk'aj, Turuk'aj and Turukaj,Rodríguez Rouanet et al 1993, p. 18. is a pre-Columbian Maya idol at Chichicastenango that survived the Spanish conqu ...
(in
Chichicastenango), Cerro de San Andrés (in
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 ...
),
Chutixtiox (near
Sacapulas), Los Cerritos and La Laguna (in
Canillá
Canillá is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché with a surface area of 123 km2 and a population of 15,053 people.
People in Canillá speak Spanish, K'iche' (a Mayan language), or both. Primary religions are Catholic ...
). Most of these sites are used as ceremonial centers in the
Maya religion
The traditional Maya or Mayan religion of the extant Maya peoples of Guatemala, Belize, western Honduras, and the Tabasco, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Campeche and Yucatán states of Mexico is part of the wider frame of Mesoamerican religion. As is t ...
.
A
regional museum
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
can be found in Chichicastenango and
Nebaj
Nebaj is an archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization, located in the western Guatemala highlands near the Ixil village of Santa Maria Nebaj. What is now known as the Fenton Vase was excavated from this site. It is now held in ...
.
Though not as well known as the Santo Tomás church in Chichicastenango most other towns in the department have catholic churches dating from the colonial era.
The
Visis Cabá biosphere reserve (450 km
2) is the only protected natural reserve in El Quiché. It is located in the North of Chajul, on the communal lands of the
Ixil communities. The creation of protected natural reserves is being considered for
El Amay in
Chicamán
Chicamán is a municipality 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 eng ...
and
La Vega del Zope in
Chinique.
Crime
Crime in the Quiché department is low, the homicide rate of 3 per 100,000 people is more akin to Western Europe than to the Guatemalan region in general.
Municipalities
The department is divided into 21
municipalities
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 ...
:
#
Canillá
Canillá is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché with a surface area of 123 km2 and a population of 15,053 people.
People in Canillá speak Spanish, K'iche' (a Mayan language), or both. Primary religions are Catholic ...
#
Chajul
Chajul (; full name San Gaspar Chajul) is a town and municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. Chajul is part of the Ixil Community, along with San Juan Cotzal and Santa Maria Nebaj. The Ixil region is isolated by beautiful mountain ...
#
Chicamán
Chicamán is a municipality 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 eng ...
#
Chiché
#
Chichicastenango
#
Chinique
#
Cunén
Santa María Cunén (usually abbreviated to Cunén) is a town and municipality in the El Quiché department of Guatemala. The municipality covers 195 km2. At an average altitude of 1,827 metres above sea level, its climate is temperate. It is ...
#
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 du ...
#
Nebaj
Nebaj is an archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization, located in the western Guatemala highlands near the Ixil village of Santa Maria Nebaj. What is now known as the Fenton Vase was excavated from this site. It is now held in ...
#
Sacapulas
#
Patzité
#
Pachalúm
#
Ixcán
Ixcán is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. Its administrative centre is the town of Playa Grande. The municipality consists of 176 communities, called ''aldeas''. It has an area of 1693 km2. It is the northernmos ...
#
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 ...
#
San Antonio Ilotenango
San Antonio Ilotenango is a municipality 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 a ...
#
San Bartolomé Jocotenango
#
San Juan Cotzal
San Juan Cotzal () is a town and municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. San Juan Cotzal is part of the Ixil Community, along with Santa Maria Nebaj and San Gaspar Chajul.
History
Pre-Hispanic era
Worried about the defec ...
#
San Pedro Jocopilas
#
Santa Cruz del Quiché
#
Uspantán
Uspantán is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. It is one of the largest municipalities of El Quiché and stretches from the mountainous highlands in the South to the tropical lowlands in the North. The municipal seat is ...
#
Zacualpa
Zacualpa () is a town and municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. The family of Nobel Peace Prize winner is originally from this municipality.
Etymology
Many place names in Guatemala, including the name of the country, are Na ...
References
External links
Interactive department map
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quiche Department
Departments of Guatemala