San Juan Ixcoy (also known as in Qʼanjobʼal) 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 Guatemalan department of

Huehuetenango Huehuetenango () is a city and municipality in the highlands of western Guatemala. It is also the capital of the department of Huehuetenango. The city is situated from Guatemala City, and is the last departmental capital on the Pan-American High ...

. The municipality covers an area of and is formed by the town of San Juan Ixcoy, 11 villages and 33 ''caserios'' (rural communities). Its population of 19,367 (in 2002) is predominantly of

Maya Maya may refer to: Civilizations * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (Ethiopia), a popul ...

Q'anjob'al descent. San Juan Ixcoy is located in the

Sierra de los 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 ...

range and borders with the municipalities of Soloma and Santa Eulalia in the North,

Chiantla Chiantla () is a town and municipality in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango. The municipality is situated at 2,000 metres above sea level and covers an area of 521 km2. The annual festival is on January 28. History Mercedaria ...

in the South and

Nebaj Nebaj is an archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization, located in the western Guatemala highlands near the Ixil people, Ixil village of Santa Maria Nebaj. What is now known as the Fenton Vase was excavated from this site. It is n ...

in the East. By road, San Juan Ixcoy is directly served by RN-9-N. No rail transport exists nearby, and while there is an airport in

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

, the closest international airport is

La Aurora International Airport La Aurora International Airport ( es, Aeropuerto Internacional La Aurora, ) serves Guatemala City, Guatemala. It is located south of Guatemala City's center and from Antigua Guatemala. It is administered by the Dirección General de Aeronáut ...

. Most households depend on

subsistence agricultural Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow food crops to meet the needs of themselves and their families on smallholdings. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements, with little or no su ...

and produce maize, beans and ayote (''Cucurbita argyrosperma''), as well as potatoes, wheat, and horticultural products. Artesanal production of textiles and traditional crafts adds to household income. Other economic activities include labour migration to the large plantations on the Guatemalan south coast and in some cases to the United States.

References

External links

Official site of the Municipality
{{Coord, 15, 36, N, 91, 27, W, display=title, region:GT_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki Municipalities of the Huehuetenango Department