Salcajá 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 ...

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 in ...

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 ...

. Salcajá is best known for the Church of San Jacinto, founded in 1524, which was the first church built in

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

since it was one of the first places invaded in the

Spanish conquest of Guatemala In a protracted conflict during the Spanish colonization of the Americas, Spanish colonisers gradually incorporated the territory that became the modern country of Guatemala into the colonial Viceroyalty of New Spain. Before the conquest, this te ...

. It is also known as ''La Conquistadora'' ("The Conqueress", "The Conqueror") presumably because of the time period and its religious influence on the indigenous population. After 490 years and several earthquakes, the building still is in relatively good condition. The church is open to the public for special events and on holidays. Visitors are now welcomed at the adjoined museum most mornings. This town is also known for its manufacture of ''corte'', the traditional Mayan dress for women. ' are found in 5 out of 10 houses. This little town is also known for its production of Red Liquor or '' Caldo de Frutas'' ("Fruit Juice"). This homemade liquor is vivid red in color due to the brewing of

hibiscus ''Hibiscus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. The genus is quite large, comprising several hundred species that are native to warm temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world. Member species ...

flower with several native fruits. Rompopo, a yellow alcoholic beverage made from eggs, is also manufactured in the town. The Saint of the town of Salcaja is

St. Louis, King of France Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly known as Saint Louis or Louis the Saint, was King of France from 1226 to 1270, and the most illustrious of the Direct Capetians. He was crowned in Reims at the age of 12, following the d ...

. He is celebrated with a carnival which runs from August 15 through the 28 but mong thisduring the celebration they also have many other carnivals that are either in the town or as close as 15 minutes away. Salcaja has a soccer team, called "America F.C.". The team members wear black and white striped jerseys, and they are in the second division of the Guatemalan league. Every year around August Salcajá's team plays against one of the strongest teams in the Major league, "Xelaju M.C." It is usually played at home in Salcajá in the "Estadio Panorama" which is in the suburbs of Salcajá.

References

-Miguel Rivera Dorado: La primera temporada de excavaciones en Salcajá, Guatemala, Revista Española de Antropología Americana, vol. VIII, pp. 111–125, Madrid 1978.

External links

Official website
''(Spanish only)'' * http://www.pbase.com/magpiejst/image/40816201 {{DEFAULTSORT:Salcaja Municipalities of the Quetzaltenango Department