San Mateo Ixtatán is a
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
Huehuetenango. It is situated at above
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...
in the
Cuchumatanes
The Sierra de los Cuchumatanes is the highest non-volcanic mountain range in Central America. Its elevations range from to over , and it covers a total area of .Lovell 2005:11 With an area of situated above , it is also the most extensive hig ...
mountain range and covers of terrain. It has a cold climate and is located in a
cloud forest
A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud c ...
. The temperature fluctuates between . The coldest months are from November to January and the warmest months are April and May. The town has a population of 15,090 (2018 census) and is the municipal center for an additional 28,000 people living in the surrounding mountain villages. It has a weekly market on Thursday and Sunday. The annual town festival takes place from September 19 to September 21 honoring their patron
Saint Matthew. The residents of San Mateo belong to the
Chuj Chuj might refer to:
* A component of Russian and Polish profanity
* Chuj language, a Mayan language spoken in western Guatemala and southern Mexico
* Chuj people
The Chuj or Chuh are a Maya people, whose homeland is in Guatemala and Mexico. Popula ...
Maya ethnic group and speak the
Mayan
Mayan most commonly refers to:
* Maya peoples, various indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and northern Central America
* Maya civilization, pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica and northern Central America
* Mayan languages, language family spoken ...
Chuj language, not to be confused with Chuj baths, or wood fired steam rooms that are common throughout the central and western highlands.
Etymology
The derivation of "Ixtatán" is uncertain. In Chuj, '' = toy or doll; ' = lime, giving the translation of toy or doll of lime. These lime dolls can be seen on the Catholic church facade dating back to colonial times. According to historian Francisco Antonio de Fuentes y Guzmán (1690), the name means "Land of the Salt" from the words of ' = salt and ' = land. On the other hand, historian Jorge Luis Areola considers "Ixtatán" to be from the
Nahuatl
Nahuatl (; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahua peoples, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller ...
language, from the words ' = salt and ' = close or nearby.
History
Colonial history
In 1529, four years after the
Spanish conquest of Huehuetenango, San Mateo Ixtatán (then known by the name of ''Ystapalapán'') was given in ''
encomienda
The ''encomienda'' () was a Spanish labour system that rewarded conquerors with the labour of conquered non-Christian peoples. The labourers, in theory, were provided with benefits by the conquerors for whom they laboured, including military ...
'' to the
conquistador
Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (, ; meaning 'conquerors') were the explorer-soldiers of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, O ...
Gonzalo de Ovalle, a companion of
Pedro de Alvarado
Pedro de Alvarado (; c. 1485 – 4 July 1541) was a Spanish conquistador and governor of Guatemala.Lovell, Lutz and Swezey 1984, p. 461. He participated in the conquest of Cuba, in Juan de Grijalva's exploration of the coasts of the Yucatá ...
, together with
Santa Eulalia and
Jacaltenango.
[San Mateo Ixtatán at Inforpressca](_blank)
In 1549, the first
reduction of San Mateo Ixtatán took place, overseen by
Dominican missionaries.
In the late 17th century, the Spanish missionary Fray Alonso De León reported that about eighty families in San Mateo Ixtatán did not pay tribute to the Spanish Crown or attend the
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
mass.
[Lovell 2000, pp. 416–417.] He described the inhabitants as quarrelsome and complained that they had built a pagan shrine in the hills among the ruins of
precolumbian temples, where they burnt incense and offerings and sacrificed turkeys.
He reported that every March they built bonfires around wooden crosses about two
leagues from the town and set them on fire.
Fray Alonso de León informed the colonial authorities that the practices of the natives were such that they were
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
in name only.
Eventually, Fray Alsonso De León was chased out of San Mateo Ixtatán by the locals.
In 1684, a council led by
Enrique Enriquez de Guzmán
Enrique () is the Spanish variant of the given name Heinrich of Germanic origin.
Equivalents in other languages are Henry (English), Enric (Catalan), Enrico (Italian), Henrik (Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian), Heinrich (German), Hendrik, Henk (Du ...
, the then governor of Guatemala, decided upon the
reduction of San Mateo Ixtatán and nearby Santa Eulalia, both within the colonial administrative district of the
Corregimiento of Huehuetenango.
On 29 January 1686, captain Melchor Rodríguez Mazariegos, under orders of the governor, left Huehuetenango for San Mateo Ixtatán, where he recruited indigenous warriors from the nearby villages, with 61 from San Mateo itself. It was believed by the Spanish colonial authorities that the inhabitants of San Mateo Ixtatán were friendly towards the still unconquered and fiercely hostile inhabitants of the
Lacandon region
The Lacandon Jungle (Spanish: ''Selva Lacandona'') is an area of rainforest which stretches from Chiapas, Mexico, into Guatemala. The heart of this rainforest is located in the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas near the border with Guate ...
, which included parts of what is now the
Mexican
Mexican may refer to:
Mexico and its culture
*Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America
** People
*** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants
*** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...
state of
Chiapas
Chiapas (; Tzotzil language, Tzotzil and Tzeltal language, Tzeltal: ''Chyapas'' ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, ...
and the western part of the
Petén Basin
The Petén Basin is a geographical subregion of Mesoamerica, primarily located in northern Guatemala within the Department of El Petén, and into Campeche state in southeastern Mexico.
During the Late Preclassic and Classic periods of pre-Columb ...
. In order to prevent news of the Spanish advance reaching the inhabitants of the Lacandon area, the governor ordered the capture of three community leaders of San Mateo, named as Cristóbal Domingo, Alonso Delgado and Gaspar Jorge, and had them sent under guard to be imprisoned in Huehuetenango. The governor himself arrived in San Mateo Ixtatán on 3 February, where captain Melchor Rodríguez Mazariegos was already awaiting him.
[Pons Sáez 1997, p. 156.] The governor ordered the captain to remain in the village to use it as a base of operations for penetrating the Lacandon region.
The Spanish missionaries Fray Diego de Rivas and Fray Pedro de la Concepción also remained in the town.
After this, governor Enrique Enriquez de Guzmán left San Mateo Ixtatán for Comitán in Chiapas, to enter the Lacandon region via
Ocosingo.
In 1695, a three-way invasion of the Lacandon was launched simultaneously from San Mateo Ixtatán,
Cobán and Ocosingo. Captain Melchor Rodriguez Mazariegos accompanied by Fray Diego de Rivas and 6 more missionaries together with 50 Spanish soldiers left Huehuetenango for San Mateo Ixtatán, managing to recruit 200 indigenous Maya warriors on the way; from Santa Eulalia, San Juan Solomá and San Mateo itself.
[Pons Sáez 1997, p. XXXIV.] They followed the same route used in 1686. On 28 February 1695, all three groups left their respective bases of operations to conquer the Lacandon.
The San Mateo group headed northeast into the Lacandon Jungle.
The
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...
built the
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
church in San Mateo, which fell within the parish of
Soloma
San Pedro Soloma (also known as in Qʼanjobʼal) is a town and municipality of Huehuetenango, a department of Guatemala. It is located in the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes at 2,300 m above sea level. The municipality covers a total area of 264  ...
.
Republican history
San Mateo Ixtatán was forced to give up some of their territory to create the municipality of
Nentón
Nentón is a town and municipality in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango. Its territory extends 717 km2 with a population of 45,679. It became a municipality on December 5, 1876 and was formerly known as San Benito Nentón. The po ...
in 1876 and it struggled to keep its communal lands. At the beginning of the 1900s, a law was enacted throughout Guatemala that the mayor and councilmen should be
ladinos.
During the liberal government of
Justo Rufino Barrios, extreme poverty and forced migrations to the southern coast created a lasting state of tension in the northern communities of
Huehuetenango and specifically in San Mateo Ixtatán. The ladino coastal plantation owners sent contractors to San Mateo Ixtatán on market days. These contractors gave money to local people promising double or triple the amount if they came to work in their coffee and cotton plantations. The locals signed documents insuring their manual labor, but were essentially enslaved because the contracts were unjust and treatment inhumane. On July 17, 1898, a plantation contractor was killed. To cover up the crime, 30 more ladinos were killed. One survived and informed the army who responded by killing 310 Chuj people from San Mateo Ixtatán.
Franja Transversal del Norte
The Northern Transversal Strip was officially created during the government of General Carlos Arana Osorio in 1970, by Legislative Decree 60–70, for agricultural development.
The decree literally said: "It is of public interest and national emergency, the establishment of Agrarian Development Zones in the area included within the municipalities: San Ana Huista, San Antonio Huista,
Nentón
Nentón is a town and municipality in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango. Its territory extends 717 km2 with a population of 45,679. It became a municipality on December 5, 1876 and was formerly known as San Benito Nentón. The po ...
, Jacaltenango, San Mateo Ixtatán, and Santa Cruz Barillas in
Huehuetenango; Chajul and San Miguel Uspantán in Quiché; Cobán,
Chisec
Chisec is a town and municipality in the north of the Guatemalan department of Alta Verapaz that was founded in 1813. It is situated at 230 metres (755 ft) above sea level. The municipality covers a territory of 1244 km². Approximately ...
,
,
Lanquín,
Senahú
Senahú is a town and municipality of the Department of Alta Verapaz in the Republic of Guatemala.
The community of San Antonio Senahú was founded by Q'eqchi' Mayan refugees from a series of 19th-century conflicts in the Ishi Mountains of Centr ...
,
Cahabón and
Chahal, in Alta Verapaz and the entire department of
Izabal."
Salt
Highly saturated salt water comes from the ground in several sacred wells. Historically, it is said that many traveled through San Mateo Ixtatán seeking the salt produced there. Many gather to pray in front of the wells to the goddess of salt, Atz’am. Women haul the salt-water up the long mountainside in plastic jugs where they use it as is or boil it to make a tasty, white salt. The salt is most famous as K'ik' Atz'am, Sal Negra or black salt. This is made by a few women in the town by adding a secret ingredient to the salt water as it boils. The black salt is very tasty and highly prized. It is said to have curative powers for the treatment of stomach ailments and headache.
The well is managed by the mayor's office and is open from Monday through Saturday from 1 to 5 pm.
Archaeological sites
Within the town of San Mateo Ixtatán, there are protected, but not excavated archaeological sites. The largest one is known as ''Yol K'u'' meaning ''within the sun'' or ''
Wajxaklajun'' meaning ''eighteen''.
[MINEDUC 2001, p. 18.] It is spectacularly situated on a promontory, surrounded by four large mounds. It is said to have been an astronomical temple. Another, ''
K'atepan'', can be seen from ''Yol K'u'' on the other side of the valley and means ''old temple'' in the
Chuj language. It lies just north of San Mateo.
The archaeological site of Curvao at San Mateo Ixtatán has been dated to the
Classic Period
Mesoamerican chronology divides the history of prehispanic Mesoamerica into several periods: the Paleo-Indian (first human habitation until 3500 BCE); the Archaic (before 2600 BCE), the Preclassic or Formative (2500 BCE –  ...
.
[MINEDUC 2001, p. 12.]
Clothing
Traditional clothing of San Mateo Ixtatán for men and women is still seen within the community. The men use a woollen ''. It is made of two woven pieces of brown or black sheep's wool, sewn together on the sides leaving the sleeves open for the arms.
[Stzolalil Stz'ib'chaj Heb' Chuj, ALMG, 2007, p. 33] The women traditionally wear a ''corte'' or long, Mayan wrap-around skirt. It is generally a bright red base patterned with white, yellow and green stripes. Cotton scarves are tied in their hair. The woman's ''
huipil'' or top is a brightly multi-colored, hand-woven cotton poncho with a lacy collar.
It is said that a full-size ''huipil'' from San Mateo Ixtatán takes about 9 months to a year to make.
Climate
San Mateo Ixtatán has an
oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...
(
Köppen: ''Cfb'').
Geographic location
See also
*
*
*
Franja Transversal del Norte
Notes and references
Bibliography
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Further reading
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External links
*
Municipality in SpanishIxtatan FoundationCharlottesville, Virginia based non-profit that works in San Mateo Ixtatán
Academia de las Lenguas MayasINGUATSatellite Map of San Mateo IxtatánPrensa Libre Revista D ''De la sal a los dólares''A news article in Spanish about how San Mateo Ixtatán is changing.
{{DEFAULTSORT:San Mateo Ixtatan
Municipalities of the Huehuetenango Department