San Andrés Itzapa () is a town, with a population of 24,992 (2018 census), and a municipality of Chimaltenango,

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 ...

. San Andrés Itzapa is in the eastern region of Chimaltenango, while the district capital lies to the north, Acatenango lies to the south and to the east is Parramos. The municipality cover an area of 63.7 km², with a total population of 32,083.

Origin of the name

San Andrés Itzapa (Itzapa means flint) is an ancient town. The village is mentioned in the Annals of the Cakchiquels, written in 1571. The Spanish named the area "Itzapa y de San Andrés" in honor of their patron saint, the apostle San Andrés (

Saint Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( ; ; ; ) was an apostle of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was a fisherman and one of the Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus. The title First-Called () used by the Eastern Orthodox Church stems from the Gospel of Jo ...

). The Spanish also called the area "Valle del Durazno" (Valley of the peaches), as the prickly pears common in this area resembled the orchards of home.

Organization

Languages

Both Spanish and Kaqchiquel are spoken, although migration from other regions has brought an influx of other languages, such as Kʼicheʼ and Tzʼutujil.

Flora and fauna

San Andrés Itzapa has several heavily forested areas, which include eucalyptus, poplars, pines, holly, oaks, cypress and other evergreen and deciduous species. Plants found in San Andrés Itzapa include canaque, casuarina, conacaste, hormigo, grabilea and palo blanco, as well as varieties of aloe. Animals include coyote, armadillos, mountain lions, tisote, lynxes, goyoy, kinkajou, squirrels, racoons, wild boars, dove, cayayes, pajuil, and pheasant.

Agricultural products

Wheat, cotton, corn, beans, avocado, chayote, beet, radish, squash, carrot, broccoli, cabbage, coffee and guaque Chile peppers are grown.

Crafts

The municipality is rich in the craftsmanship of leather goods such as knife and machete sheaths, sandals, articles of jade, tables and chairs, ropemaking, and others.

Celebrations

* Convite (the last Saturday of January) * Feria Titular (from 22 November to 1 December) * Corpus Christi (late June) * Corrida de Cintas (15 September) * Maximón (28 October) * Saint Andrew the Apostle (30 November)

Places of interest

* Xipacay bath * Temple of San Simón

Volunteer Organizations

* DOCARE Clinic - An American

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

medical outreach program operated by the

American Osteopathic Association The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) is the representative member organization for the more than 197,000 osteopathic medical doctors ( D.O.s) and osteopathic medical students in the United States. The AOA is headquartered in Chicago, Illi ...

. This clinic was established in 2011 in conjunction with Guatemalan non-profit ASSADE, employs a full-time physician and nurse, and regularly hosts medical students and physician trainees from American programs as volunteer medical providers. *Maya Pedal - small local NGO dedicated to supporting rural development through the design and production of pedal powered machines, or ''bicimaquinas''. As of September 2012, Maya Pedal recently underwent an organizational change, please refer to the website or Facebook page for more information. *Project Genesis- Local nonprofit that provides education and community development programs to the children of San Andrés and the surrounding villages. It aims to build a school and begin employing full-time teachers. The project currently relies on international volunteers, and was founded by Ricardo Armas who lives in Jocotenango.

Climate

San Andrés Itzapa has a

subtropical highland climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring c ...

(

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'').

Geographic location

San Andrés Itzapa is surrounded by

Chimaltenango Department Chimaltenango is a department of Guatemala. The capital is Chimaltenango. Geography Located to the east are Guatemala Department, home to Guatemala City, and Sacatepéquez Department, while also bordered by Quiché Department and Baja Verap ...

municipalities:

Notes and references

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:San Andres Itzapa Municipalities of the Chimaltenango Department