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 include Spanish-speaking Ladinos and the K'iche' and Mam Maya groups, both with their own Maya language. The department consists of mountainous terrain, with its principal river being the Samalá River. the department is seismically active, suffering from both earthquakes and volcanic activity.

Prior to the Spanish conquest the territory included in the modern department formed a part of the K'iche' Kingdom of Q'umarkaj. The kingdom was defeated by the Spanish under Pedro de Alvarado in a number of decisive battles fought near the city of Quetzaltenango, then known as Xelaju. In the 19th century the territory of the modern department was included in the short-lived Central American state of Los Altos. The department was created by decree in 1845, five years after the fledgling state was crushed by Rafael Carrera.

The department has wide variations in local climate, due largely to marked differences in altitude in different areas. The year is divided into wet and dry seasons, with the wet season lasting from July to September and the dry season running from December to February. The wide climatic variation in the department allows for the production of a variety of agricultural products, including temperate fruits, vegetables and cereals in the highlands, as well as coffee on the lower slopes.

Quetzaltenango department has produced a number of high-profile Guatemalans, including several presidents as well as a number of musicians.

Name

The department takes its name from the city of Quetzaltenango, which serves as the departmental capital.Rouanet et al 1992, p.3. Although the original K'iche' inhabitants knew the city by the name ''Xelaju'', the Nahuatl-speaking allies of the Spanish Conquistadors named it ''Quetzaltenango'' in their own language, meaning "land of the quetzal birds".Cattelan 2004, p.5.

History

Early history

The territory that came to be included within the modern department of Quetzaltenango was the scene of several decisive battles in February 1524 between Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado and the K'iche' Kingdom of Q'umarkaj. Pedro de Alvarado had initially advanced with his army along the Pacific coast without opposition until they reached the Samalá River; this region formed a part of the K'iche' kingdom.Sharer and Traxler 2006, p.764. Alvarado then turned to head upriver into the Sierra Madre mountains towards the K'iche' heartlands, crossing the pass into the fertile valley of Quetzaltenango. On 12 February 1524 Alvarado's Mexican allies were ambushed in the pass and driven back by the K'iche' warriors but the Spanish cavalry charge that followed was a shock for the K'iche' who had never seen horses before. The cavalry scattered the K'iche' and the army crossed to the city of Xelaju, modern Quetzaltenango, to find it deserted by its inhabitants. Although the common view is that the K'iche' prince Tecun Uman died in the later battle near Olintepeque, the Spanish accounts are clear that at least one and possibly two of the lords of Q'umarkaj died in the fierce battles upon the initial approach to Quetzaltenango. The death of Tecun Uman is said to have taken place in the battle of El Pinar,Restall and Asselbergs 2007, pp.9, 30. and local tradition has his death taking place upon the Llanos de Urbina (Plains of Urbina), upon the approach to Quetzaltenango near the modern village of Cantel. Pedro de Alvardo, in his 3rd letter to Hernán Cortés, describes the death of one of the four lords of Q'umarkaj upon the approach to Quetzaltenango. The letter was dated 11 April 1524 and was written during his stay at Q'umarkaj. Almost a week later, on 18 February 1524,Gall 1967, p.41. a K'iche' army confronted the Spanish army in the Quetzaltenango valley where they were comprehensively defeated, with many K'iche' nobles among the dead. Such were the numbers of K'iche' dead that Olintepeque was given the new name ''Xequiquel'', roughly meaning "bathed in blood". This battle exhausted the K'iche' militarily and they asked for peace and offered tribute, inviting Pedro de Alvarado into their capital Q'umarkaj.Sharer & Traxler 2006, p.765.

On 2 February 1838, Quetzaltenango joined together with Huehuetenango, El Quiché, Retalhuleu, San Marcos, Sololá, Suchitepéquez and Totonicapán to form the short-lived Central American state of Los Altos, with the city of Quetzaltenango functioning as its capital.Rouanet et al 1992, p.5. The state was crushed in 1840 by general Rafael Carrera Turcios, at that time between periods in office as Guatemalan president.

Departmental history

Quetzaltenango was declared a department by decree of the Asamblea Nacional Constituyente on 16 September 1845.

In 1902 Quetzaltenango suffered a number of serious earthquakes. An earthquake struck on 18 April 1902, with its epicentre within the Santa María volcano.Pinto Soria & Escobar 1989, p.6. This was followed by a major eruption of the volcano from 24 to 26 October of the same year. The volcano emitted a massive column of ash, provoking a fierce lightning storm. The explosions emitted by the volcano were audible up to away.Pinto Soria & Escobar 1989, p.7. The government of Manuel Estrada Cabrera initially denied that the eruption had taken place in Guatemala, instead claiming that it had occurred in neighbouring Mexico. Although the eruption caused great loss of life in western Guatemala, the Guatemalan government downplayed its severity.Pinto Soria & Escobar 1989, p.8.

The activity of the volcano continued until 1906, followed be a period of calm that lasted until 1922. A new series of eruptions took place from 1922 through to 1929, and formed a new side crater, the Santiaguito volcano. On the night of 11 November 1929, a lava flow descended from the volcano towards El Palmar, killing hundreds of people, setting fire to a number of mountainsides and burying coffee plantations under several metres of lava.Pinto Soria & Escobar 1989, p.9.

Geography

The department of Quetzaltenango is situated in the western highlands of Guatemala and covers an area of approximately ,Rouanet et al 1992, p.1. approximately 1.8% of the total area of the Republic of Guatemala.Dirección Técnica de Coordinación Regional y Departamental 1999, p.1. The department is bordered on the west by the department of San Marcos, by the departments of Retalhuleu and Suchitepéquez to the south, by Huehuetenango Department to the north and by the departments of Totonicapán and Sololá to the east.

The department is mountainous in nature and includes a wide range of altitudes, from in Génova to in Sibilia.Rouanet et al 1992, p.7. The average altitude is above mean sea level. The principal mountains include the volcanoes Cerro Quemado, Chicabal, Lacandon, Santa María, Santiaguito, Santo Tomás (also known as Picul) and Siete Orejas, as well as Zunil peak, often erroneously referred to as a volcano. Cerro Quemado produces a number of thermal springs, several of which have been converted into baths. The area covered by the department is seismically active, with earthquakes measuring from 4.5 to 5.2 on the Richter scale.

The broken terrain of the department includes a number of wide valleys, including those occupied by the city of Quetzaltenango and the towns of San Juan Ostuncalco and Concepción Chiquirichapa. The varied terrain of the department also includes plains, canyons and high cliffs.

The most important river in the department is the Samalá River, flowing through the municipalities of Cantel, El Palmar, San Carlos Sija, Quetzaltenango, San Juan Ostuncalco and Zunil

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