Sacatepéquez () is one of the 22 departments 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 ...

. The name comes from

Sacatepéquez Sacatepéquez () was a city in Guatemala from November 21, 1542 until July 29, 1773 when it was destroyed by the Santa Marta earthquake. Sacatepéquez means ''grasshill'' and gave its name to the Sacatepéquez Department. Sacatepéquez and Antig ...

, a city from November 21, 1542, until July 29, 1773, when it was destroyed by the 1773 Guatemalan Earthquake (Santa Marta Earthquake). Sacatepéquez means ''grasshill'' in the

Nahuatl language Nahuatl (; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan languages, Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahuas, Nahua peoples, most of whom live mainly in ...

. The capital of Sacatepéquez is Antigua Guatemala which is home to an extensive textile marketplace. Other important cities include Ciudad Vieja and

San Lucas Sacatepéquez San Lucas Sacatepéquez () is a town, with a population of 20,723 (2018 census),Citypopulation.de
Population o ...

, which also hosts a marketplace and is a culinary attraction. The Chajoma were a group of indigenous people who were Kaqchikel speaking Indians identified

Mixco Viejo Mixco Viejo () ("Old Mixco"), occasionally spelt Mixcu Viejo, is an archaeological site in the north east of the Chimaltenango department of Guatemala, some to the north of Guatemala City and from the junction of the rivers Pixcaya and Mo ...

as their capital, and spread throughout the Sacatepequez Department until their capital was moved to Ciudad Vieja, in Antigua.

Name

Sacatepéquez has also been spelled ''Zacatepeques''.

Population

Sacatepéquez Department has a population of 330,469 (2018 census). In 1850, the area had a population of an estimated 56,000. The southern area, which is closer to Guatemala City, has the largest population.

Municipalities

Alotenango Alotenango (''Alo-tenamitl-co''; translation "in the wall of the parrots") (variation: Atchalan) is a town and municipality in the Guatemalan department of Sacatepéquez. According to the 2018 census, the town has a population of 23,358. The mu ...

# Antigua Guatemala # Ciudad Vieja #

Jocotenango Jocotenango (alternate: Xocotenango; translation from Kaqchikel: "place of many plums") is a town and small municipality in the northeast section of Guatemalan department of Sacatepéquez, and is situated north of Antigua Guatemala. It has seven ...

# Magdalena Milpas Altas # Pastores #

San Antonio Aguas Calientes San Antonio Aguas Calientes () is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Sacatepéquez. The municipal seat is the town of San Andrés Ceballos which is known for its weavers. Maya Maya may refer to: Civilizations * Maya peoples, of so ...

# San Bartolomé Milpas Altas #

San Lucas Sacatepéquez San Lucas Sacatepéquez () is a town, with a population of 20,723 (2018 census),Citypopulation.de
Population o ...

San Miguel Dueñas San Miguel Dueñas is a town and municipality in the Guatemalan department of Sacatepéquez Sacatepéquez () was a city in Guatemala from November 21, 1542 until July 29, 1773 when it was destroyed by the Santa Marta earthquake. Sacatepéque ...

Santiago Sacatepéquez Santiago Sacatepéquez () is a town, with a population of 24,100 (2018 census),Citypopulation.de
Population ...

Santa Catarina Barahona Santa Catarina Barahona () is a municipality 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 ...

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas Santa Lucía Milpas Altas () is a town and municipality in the Guatemalan department of Sacatepéquez. The town has a population of 12,234 (2018 census).Santa María de Jesús Santa Maria de Jesus () is a town, with a population of 21,795 (2018 census),Citypopulation.de
Population of c ...

Santo Domingo Xenacoj Santo Domingo Xenacoj is a town, with a population of 10,632 (2018 census),Citypopulation.de
Population of cit ...

# Sumpango

Geography

The area is

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...

ous, with what the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

described, in 1850, as a "mild climate." Guatemala hosts a chain of active and dormant volcanoes, with those in Sacatepequez including Acatenago, Volcan De Agua (Volcano of Water), and Volcan de Fuego (Volcano of Fire).

Jocote ''Spondias purpura'' is a species of flowering plant in the cashew family, Anacardiaceae, that is native to tropical regions of the Americas, from Mexico to Brazil. It is also very common in most of the Caribbean islands. It is commonly known as ...

s, a fruit of the cashew family, grow in the region.

Economy

The more populated areas produce

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

and various crops, including

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

Livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...

is also raised, with trade going towards Guatemala City. The southern area of the department produces

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. S ...

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

, and

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

. As of 1850, products were being shipped out of

Iztapa Iztapa (), or Puerto de Iztapa, is a municipality in the Escuintla department of Guatemala. It is located on the shores of the Pacific Ocean and surrounded by Michatoya and Maria Linda Rivers, and also by the Canal de Chiquimulilla. Its popula ...

. Although Guatemala is able to produce cash crops such as bananas and textiles, 72% of people living in rural areas live in poverty with 31% of them reaching extreme poverty.

References

External links

* Departments of Guatemala {{Guatemala-geo-stub