Momostenango 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 ...
in the
Totonicapán department
Totonicapán is one of the 22 departments of Guatemala. The capital is the city of Totonicapán.
History
Historical chronicler Francisco Antonio de Fuentes y Guzmán, described the municipalities of Totonicapán in his 1689 “Recordación Flor ...
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 Hon ...
. The municipality is situated in the North-West of Totonicapán, in the Western highlands of Guatemala.
Population
Momostenango's population is predominantly of Maya K'iche' descent. 70% of the population live in rural areas and most are small farmers growing maize and beans for their own consumption, as well as wheat.
The municipality is subdivided in the town of Momostenango, 14 villages and 169 smaller communities called ''caseríos'' or ''parajes''.
Momostenango is the birthplace of the Maya K'iche' poet
Humberto Ak'ab'al Humberto is a Portuguese and Spanish masculine given name of Germanic origin. It may refer to:
*Humberto Aguilar Coronado
* Humberto Ak'ab'al
* Humberto Albiñana
* Humberto Albornoz
* Humberto Alonso Morelli
* Humberto Alonso Razo
* Humberto Andra ...
(1952-2019), who writes in
K'iche' (Quiché) and in
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 Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
.
Geography
Momostenango borders to the North with the municipalities of
Malacatancito
Malacatancito () is a municipality 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 ...
(
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 ...
,
San Bartolo and
Santa Lucía La Reforma
Santa Lucía La Reforma () is a municipality in the Totonicapán department
Totonicapán is one of the 22 departments of Guatemala. The capital is the city of Totonicapán.
History
Historical chronicler Francisco Antonio de Fuentes y Guzmán ...
, to its South with
and the municipality of
Totonicapán
Totonicapán is a city in Guatemala. It serves as the capital of the department of Totonicapán and as the administrative seat for the surrounding municipality of Totonicapán.
History
In 1838 Totonicapam was declared an independent republic, ...
, to the East with
Santa María Chiquimula
Santa María Chiquimula is a town, with a population of 15,919 (2018 census), and a municipality in the Totonicapán department of Guatemala
Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), i ...
, and to the West with
San Carlos Sija
San Carlos Sija is a municipality in 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 de ...
(
Quezaltenango).
The municipality's territory of 305 km
2 has a mountainous topography with elevations ranging from 1800 m in the North-East, to 3300 m (Cerro Tená) to the West. The mountains on its western border are a watershed for the Salinas and
Samalá river
The Samalá is a river in southwestern Guatemala. Its sources are in the Sierra Madre, Valle De Écija range, in the departments of Quetzaltenango and Totonicapán. From there it flows down, past the towns San Carlos Sija in the Valle De É ...
basins. Most of the 49 waterflows are tributaries of the
Chixoy River
The Chixoy River or Río Chixoy is a river in Guatemala. The river is called Río Negro from its sources in the highlands of Huehuetenango and El Quiché until it reaches the Chixoy hydroelectric dam (located at ), where the Río Salamá and Ri ...
in the
Salinas river basin.
Like most of the central highlands, the climate is relatively cold, and is marked by a rainy season starting in mid-May, and a dry season starting in October. Yearly precipitation is around 1200 mm, except for the much dryer northern part of the municipality which receives 400–800 mm of rainfall.
Communities
The Municipality of Momostenango is divided into the following principal administrative units.
Towns (''Pueblos'')
*Momostenango (municipal seat)
::Wards (''Barrios''): Patizité, Santa Ana, Santa Catarina, Santa Isabel
Villages (''Aldeas'')
*Chinimabé
*Los Cipreses
*Nicajá
*Patulup
*Pitzal
*Santa Ana
*San Antonio Pasajoc
*San Vicente Buenabaj
*Tierra Blanca
*Tierra Colorada
*Tunayac
*Tzanjon
*Xequemeyá
*Xolajap
Hamlets (''Caseríos'')
*Caserio Pasuc Momostenango
*Canquixajá
*Chojonacruz
*Chonimatux
*Choxacol
*Chuiabaj
*Jutacaj
*Nimtzituj
*Pancá
*Pologua
*Pueblo Viejo
*Rachoquel
*San José Sigüila
*Xeabaj
Places (''Parajes'')
*Chicorral
*Pamumus
References
External links
*
Momostenango blog
{{Authority control
Municipalities of the Totonicapán Department