San Pedro Sacatepéquez () is a city, with a population of 49,589 (2018 census), and a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the

San Marcos department San Marcos is a department in southwestern 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 Highl ...

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

. The municipality covers an area of 114 km² at an altitude of 2330 metres and has a population of 79,158 (2018 census). The city of San Pedro was named after Saint Peter Apostle, and a rooster is the official mascot. People born in the City are known as "Shecanos" because of a local pastry "sheca" that is famous throughout Guatemala. The City is located en route to the city of Quetzaltenango in a valley called La Ermita y la Esmeralda and is directly adjacent to the city of San Marcos. There is a strong rivalry with the capital city of the province of San Marcos that has existed from its beginnings. This rivalry manifests itself mostly at sporting events with some events unfortunately turning violent. San Pedro is thought by some to be the real capitol of the department because for many years the majority of businesses were located there as opposed to San Marcos however, universities, private schools and a military school are within San Marcos. The area as a whole is also known for its sweaters and warm clothing. It has a large market near the town square. The Mayan population wears some of the most colorful typical garments in the country usually bright yellows, greens and blues. The indigenous population in San Marcos speaks both the ancient Mayan language Ma'am and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

History

Titian - Portrait of Charles V Seated - WGA22964

The first documented historical account of San Pedro Sacatepéquez is from 1 May 1543, when in

Barcelona, Spain Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a pop ...

a Royal letter from emperor

Carlos V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

thanked the services of the people from Sacatepéquez during the pacific conquest of Lacandón and the Verapaz, granting them special privileges.

After the Independence of Central America

On 13 October 1876, according to decree 165 of the government of

Justo Rufino Barrios Justo Rufino Barrios Auyón (19 July 1835 – 2 April 1885) was a Guatemalan politician and military general who served as President of Guatemala from 1873 to his death in 1885. He was known for his liberal reforms and his attempts to reun ...

and considering that it was convenient to improve the condition of the natives and a petition from some leaders from San Pedro Sacatepéquez, then president Barrios authorized that, for legal purposes, the natives from San Pedro Sacatepéquez be declared ladinos so they could use western clothing.This decree was active until it was cancelled by decree #1719 of 29 August 1935, issued by president general

Jorge Ubico Jorge Ubico Castañeda (10 November 1878 – 14 June 1946), nicknamed Number Five or also Central America's Napoleon, was a Guatemalan military officer, politician, and dictator who served as the president of Guatemala from 1931 to 1944. A ge ...

1897 Quetzaltenango Revolt

In September 1897, after the failure of both the interoceanic railroad and the Central American Expo and the deep economic crisis that Guatemala was facing after the plummeting of both coffee and silver international prices, Quetzaltengo people raised in arms against the decision of present

José María Reina Barrios José María Reyna Barrios (December 24, 1854 – February 8, 1898) was President of Guatemala from March 15, 1892 until his assassination on February 8, 1898. He was a moderate of Guatemala's Liberal Party, who worked to solidify the less ...

to extend his presidential term until 1902. A group of rebels, among them a former Secretary of Reina Barrios's cabinet - Próspero Morales-, began to combat on 7 September 1897 attacking San Marcos; after several battles and some gains, the rebels were definitely defeated on 4 October 1897. As a result, on 23 October 1897, San Pedro Sacatepéquez became the capital of

San Marcos Department San Marcos is a department in southwestern 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 Highl ...

20th century

In 1902 the eruption of the Santa María volcano in the neighboring department of

Quetzaltenango Quetzaltenango (, also known by its Maya name Xelajú or Xela ) is a municipality and namesake department in western Guatemala. The city is located in a mountain valley at an elevation of above sea level at its lowest part. It may reach above ...

was responsible for the destruction of the twin towns of San Marcos and San Pedro Sacatepéquez. Before 1902 the volcano had been dormant for at least 500 years and possibly several thousand years, but its awakening was clearly indicated by a

seismic swarm In seismology, an earthquake swarm is a sequence of seismic events occurring in a local area within a relatively short period. The time span used to define a swarm varies, but may be days, months, or years. Such an energy release is different fr ...

in the region starting in January 1902, which included a major earthquake in April 1902. The eruption began on 24 October, and the largest explosions occurred over the following two days, ejecting an estimated of

magma Magma () is the molten or semi-molten natural material from which all igneous rocks are formed. Magma (sometimes colloquially but incorrectly referred to as ''lava'') is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and evidence of magmatism has also ...

. The

pumice Pumice (), called pumicite in its powdered or dust form, is a volcanic rock that consists of extremely vesicular rough-textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals. It is typically light-colored. Scoria is another vesicula ...

formed in the climactic eruption fell over an area of about , and

volcanic ash Volcanic ash consists of fragments of rock, mineral crystals, and volcanic glass, produced during volcanic eruptions and measuring less than 2 mm (0.079 inches) in diameter. The term volcanic ash is also often loosely used to r ...

was detected as far away as

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, away. The eruption tore away much of the south-western flank of the volcano, leaving a crater about in diameter and about deep, stretching from just below the summit to an elevation of about . The first evidence of the eruption was a sprinkling of sand on Quezaltenango. The wind then changed from the south to the east and ashes began to fall at Helvetia, a coffee plantation six miles to the South-West. Because of the lack of previous

Holocene The Holocene () is the current geologic time scale, geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago. It follows the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene to ...

activity at Santa María, local people did not recognise the preceding seismicity as warning signs of an eruption. At least 5,000 people died as a result of the eruption itself, and a subsequent outbreak of

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

killed many more. The towns were rebuilt and on 3 December 1926, San Pedro was designated as a city, but on 16 December 1935, it was annexed to San Marcos forming the municipality of La Unión San Marcos. However, this system did not work and La Unión San Marcos was broken apart on 20 July 1945, but San Pedro Sacatepéquez lost the capital of San Marcos Department to the municipality of San Marcos. On 21 August 1940 the main fair of the town was set to be celebrated on the last week of June, being the main event on 29 June, day of the Apostles

Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...

and

Saint Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

. The celebration is known as "Flor de Retana" (Spanish: Flower of Retana) and the people dresses up with vintage ceremonial clothing to celebrate their ancestors.

Culture

Catholic church bell

The bell is the oldest of its kind in

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

as it was put in place by friar Francisco Bravo, O.P. in 1577. On the top of the bell one can read the inscription "Año de 1577" (Spanish: "Year of 1577") and a Latin prayer "Pro Novis Virgo María alleluya ore tuorpis".; in the midsection it has a Spanish inscription that read "Siendo comendador el Padre Francisco Bravo, año MDLXXVII" (Spanish: When father Francisco Bravo was in charge of this town, year 1577); and, finally, at the bottom one can read "Ptrus Apostulus et Paulus. Doctor genetium-ipsinos-Docueon. Legetuan Domine". It is now inside the church, close to the main entrance; it is one meter high, with an outer diameter of 0.95m and is 0.08 m thick; it weighs half a ton. Over the centuries it has developed cracks that rendered it useless for its main purpose.

Letter from Carlos V

In a Royal communication, dated in

in 1543, Spanish Emperor

, among other things, thanks native chief Pedro from Sacatepéquez his help for friars Pedro de Angulo, Rodrigo de Ladrada and

Bartolomé de las Casas Bartolomé de las Casas, Dominican Order, OP ( ; ); 11 November 1484 – 18 July 1566) was a Spanish clergyman, writer, and activist best known for his work as an historian and social reformer. He arrived in Hispaniola as a layman, then became ...

, O.P. during the pacific conquest of the Teculiclán and Lacandón provinces (which became the Verapaces), a process known as the "Tezulutlan Capitulations".

Silver medal from king Fernando VII

With 2.54 cm in diameter and 1 cm thick, this medal was a gift from king

Fernando VII Ferdinand VII (; 14 October 1784 – 29 September 1833) was King of Spain during the early 19th century. He reigned briefly in 1808 and then again from 1813 to his death in 1833. Before 1813 he was known as ''el Deseado'' (the Desired), and af ...

to the people of San Pedro Sacatepéquez. On the tail side one can read the inscription "A la fiel generosidad de los indios del reyno de Guatemala" (Spanish: "To the loyal generosity of the Indians of the

Kingdom of Guatemala The Captaincy General of Guatemala (), also known as the Kingdom of Guatemala (), was an administrative division of the Spanish Empire, under the viceroyalty of New Spain in Central America, including present-day Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras ...

. On the flip side, on top says "Viva Fernando VII rey de España e Indias." (Spanish: Long life to king Fernando VII of Spain and the Indies") and the bottom it reads "Año de 1,809" (Spanish:Year of 1809).

Sports

Deportivo San Pedro football club have been playing in the second tier of Guatemalan football since 1996; its play its home games in the Estadio Municipal San Pedro Sacatepequez.

Climate

San Pedro Sacatepéquez has

temperate climate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ra ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Cwb''). But climate change has already begun to heat this municipality as well as the surrounding municipalities.

Geographic location

San Pedro Sacatepéquez is at 249 km west of

Guatemala City Guatemala City (, also known colloquially by the nickname Guate), is the Capital city, national capital and largest city of the Guatemala, Republic of Guatemala. It is also the Municipalities of Guatemala, municipal capital of the Guatemala Depa ...

and 48 km from

. However, it is only one km away from San Marcos.

Notes and references

References

External links

Municipal Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:San Pedro Sacatepequez, San Marcos Municipalities of the San Marcos Department