Santa Catarina Pinula is a town, with a population of 70,982 (2018 census)Citypopulation.de
Population of cities & town in Guatemala and 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 Department Guatemala Department is one of the 22 departments of Guatemala. The capital is Guatemala City, which also serves as the national capital. The department consists of Guatemala City and several of its suburbs. The department covers a surface are ...

of Guatemala. Its name, according to Guatemalan colonial historian

Francisco Antonio de Fuentes y Guzmán Francisco Antonio de Fuentes y Guzmán (1643–1700) was a Guatemalan '' criollo'' historian and poet. His only surviving work is the '' Recordación Florida''. Biography Fuentes y Guzmán was born to a wealthy family in Santiago de los Caballer ...

in his book '' Recordación Florida'' comes from: * Santa Catarina: the name of it saint patron

Catherine of Alexandria Catherine of Alexandria (also spelled Katherine); grc-gre, ἡ Ἁγία Αἰκατερίνη ἡ Μεγαλομάρτυς ; ar, سانت كاترين; la, Catharina Alexandrina). is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, ...

* Pinula: from pipil "Flour of water" ("Pinul": Flour of Pinole and "Ha": Water). This may come from the Mexican natives who came alongside Alvarado's forces.

History

The town was originally a native settlement called Pankaj, or Pinola, whose inhabitants presented a strong defense to the conquistadors from Pedro de Alvarado, until they had to finally surrender to the Spanish invaders at the fortified position of

Jalpatagua Jalpatagua () is a town and municipality in the Jutiapa department Jutiapa Department is a department of Guatemala that borders along El Salvador and the Pacific Ocean. The capital is the city of Jutiapa. As of 2018, it has a population of ...

, where they were withdrawn along with the Petapa natives.

Spanish colony

After the Spanish conquest, a town was founded in place of the old native settlement. It soon became one of the most notable settlements in the area, eventually serving as a curato headquarters for the

Order of Preachers 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 ...

, which in turn was under the jurisdiction of the Amatitlán convent. In 1690, when Fuentes y Guzmán wrote ''Recordación Florida'' the town was prosperous and its agriculture was booming, but it was not as well to do if its silver mines had been exploited. Fuentes y Guzmán told the story that, when the church was being built, the workers found a thick silver lining, but they rushed to hide it from the Spaniards, so the latter could not use it. In 1754, due to a Royal Decree, all the doctrines and curatos still belonging to regular orders were transferred to the secular clergy authorities.

El Cambray II tragedy: 2015

On the night of 1 October 2015 and following several days of heavy rains, a hill collapsed causing a mudslide that destroyed El Cambray II settlement, leaving behind hundreds of missing people, according to the first official reports. Besides, there were nine confirmed deaths, 34 injured and up to 65 displaced on more than 100 destroyed homes. After the landslide, the area was in Code Red.

Administrative organization

The region has a municipal capital (Santa Catarina Pinula), fifteen villages and seven settlements.

Climate

Santa Catarina Pinula has a

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

: ''Cwb'').

Sport

Guatemalan Olympic swimmer Kevin Avila Soto was born here.

Geographic location

Santa Catarina Pinula is completely surrounded by

municipalities:

Notes and references

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{Authority control Municipalities of the Guatemala Department