San Mateo Ixtatán is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
in the
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 ...
n
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 Hi ...
. It is situated at above
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...
in the
Cuchumatanes
The Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, in western Guatemala, is the highest non-volcanic mountain range in Central America.
Etymology
The name "Cuchumatán" is derived from the Mam language, Mam words ''cuchuj'' (to join or unite) and ''matán'' (with ...
mountain range and covers 560 km² (220 sq mi) of terrain. It has a cold climate and is located in a
cloud forest
A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, Montane forest, montane, Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist forest characteri ...
. The temperature fluctuates between . The coldest months are from November to January and the warmest months are April and May. The town has a population of 15,090 (2018 census) and is the municipal center for an additional 28,000 people living in the surrounding mountain villages. It has a weekly market on Thursday and Sunday. The annual town festival takes place from September 19 to September 21, honoring their patron
Saint Matthew
Matthew the Apostle was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. According to Christian traditions, he was also one of the four Evangelists as author of the Gospel of Matthew, and thus is also known as Matthew the Evangelist.
The claim of his g ...
. The residents of San Mateo belong to the
Chuj Maya
Maya may refer to:
Ethnic groups
* Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America
** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples
** Mayan languages, the languages of the Maya peoples
* Maya (East Africa), a p ...
ethnic group and speak the
Mayan Chuj language
Chuj () is a Mayan language spoken by around 40,000 members of the Chuj people in Guatemala and around 3,000 members in Mexico. Chuj is a member of the Qʼanjobʼalan branch along with the languages of Tojolabʼal, Qʼanjobʼal, Akateko, ...
, not to be confused with Chuj baths, or wood-fired steam rooms, that are common throughout the central and western highlands.
Etymology
The derivation of "Ixtatán" is uncertain. In Chuj, '' = toy or doll; ' = lime, giving the translation of toy or doll of lime. These lime dolls can be seen on the Catholic church facade dating back to colonial times. According to historian Francisco Antonio de Fuentes y Guzmán (1690), the name means "Land of the Salt" from the words of ' = salt and ' = land. On the other hand, historian Jorge Luis Areola considers "Ixtatán" to be from the
Nahuatl
Nahuatl ( ; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahuas, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller popul ...
language, from the words ' = salt and ' = close or nearby.
History
Colonial history
In 1529, four years after the
Spanish conquest
The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered in the European Age of Discovery. It ...
of Huehuetenango, San Mateo Ixtatán (then known by the name of ''Ystapalapán'') was given in ''
encomienda
The ''encomienda'' () was a Spanish Labour (human activity), labour system that rewarded Conquistador, conquerors with the labour of conquered non-Christian peoples. In theory, the conquerors provided the labourers with benefits, including mil ...
'' to the
conquistador
Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...
Gonzalo de Ovalle, a companion of
Pedro de Alvarado
Pedro de Alvarado (; 1485 – 4 July 1541) was a Spanish conquistador, ''conquistador'', ''adelantado,'' governor and Captaincy General of Guatemala, captain general of Guatemala.Lovell, Lutz and Swezey 1984, p. 461. He participated in the c ...
, together with
Santa Eulalia and
Jacaltenango
Jacaltenango is a town and municipality situated in the Western Highlands of Guatemala. It is located in a valley surrounded by the Sierra Madre Mountains.
Jacaltenango serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same na ...
.
[San Mateo Ixtatán at Inforpressca](_blank)
In 1549, the first
reduction of San Mateo Ixtatán took place, overseen by
Dominican missionaries.
In the late 17th century, the Spanish missionary Fray Alonso De León reported that about eighty families in San Mateo Ixtatán did not pay tribute to the Spanish Crown or attend the
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
mass.
[Lovell 2000, pp. 416–417.] He described the inhabitants as quarrelsome and complained that they had built a pagan shrine in the hills among the ruins of
precolumbian
In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era, also known as the pre-contact era, or as the pre-Cabraline era specifically in Brazil, spans from the initial peopling of the Americas in the Upper Paleolithic to the onset of European c ...
temples, where they burnt incense and offerings and sacrificed turkeys.
He reported that every March they built bonfires around wooden crosses about two
leagues from the town and set them on fire.
Fray Alonso de León informed the colonial authorities that the practices of the natives were such that they were
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
in name only.
Eventually, Fray Alsonso De León was chased out of San Mateo Ixtatán by the locals.
In 1684, a council led by
Enrique Enriquez de Guzmán
Enrique () is the Spanish language, Spanish variant of the given name Heinrich (given name), Heinrich of Germanic origin.
Equivalents in other languages are Henry (given name), Henry (English), Enric (Catalan), Enrico (Italian), Henrik (Swedish, D ...
, the then governor of Guatemala, decided upon the
reduction of San Mateo Ixtatán and nearby Santa Eulalia, both within the colonial administrative district of the
Corregimiento
''Corregimiento'' (; , ) is a Spanish term used for country subdivisions for royal administrative purposes, ensuring districts were under crown control as opposed to local elites. A ''corregimiento'' was usually headed by a '' corregidor''. The ...
of Huehuetenango.
On 29 January 1686, captain Melchor Rodríguez Mazariegos, under orders of the governor, left Huehuetenango for San Mateo Ixtatán, where he recruited indigenous warriors from the nearby villages, with 61 from San Mateo itself. It was believed by the Spanish colonial authorities that the inhabitants of San Mateo Ixtatán were friendly towards the still unconquered and fiercely hostile inhabitants of the
Lacandon region, which included parts of what is now the
Mexican state
State most commonly refers to:
* State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory
**Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country
**Nation state, a ...
of
Chiapas
Chiapas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas, is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises Municipalities of Chiapas, 124 municipalities and its capital and large ...
and the western part of the
Petén Basin
The Petén Basin is a geographical subregion of the Maya Lowlands, primarily located in northern Guatemala within the Department of El Petén, and into the state of Campeche in southeastern Mexico.
During the Late Preclassic and Classic periods ...
. In order to prevent news of the Spanish advance reaching the inhabitants of the Lacandon area, the governor ordered the capture of three community leaders of San Mateo, named as Cristóbal Domingo, Alonso Delgado and Gaspar Jorge, and had them sent under guard to be imprisoned in Huehuetenango. The governor himself arrived in San Mateo Ixtatán on 3 February, where captain Melchor Rodríguez Mazariegos was already awaiting him.
[Pons Sáez 1997, p. 156.] The governor ordered the captain to remain in the village to use it as a base of operations for penetrating the Lacandon region.
The Spanish missionaries Fray Diego de Rivas and Fray Pedro de la Concepción also remained in the town.
After this, governor Enrique Enriquez de Guzmán left San Mateo Ixtatán for Comitán in Chiapas, to enter the Lacandon region via
Ocosingo
Ocosingo is a city and its surrounding municipality of the same name in the Mexican state of Chiapas.
Overview
The northeastern boundary of the municipality is the Usumacinta River, along a portion where the river forms the international border ...
.
In 1695, a three-way invasion of the Lacandon was launched simultaneously from San Mateo Ixtatán,
Cobán
Cobán (), fully Santo Domingo de Cobán, is the capital of the department of Alta Verapaz in central Guatemala. It also serves as the administrative center for the surrounding Cobán municipality. It is located 219 km from Guatemala City.
A ...
and Ocosingo. Captain Melchor Rodriguez Mazariegos accompanied by Fray Diego de Rivas and 6 more missionaries together with 50 Spanish soldiers left Huehuetenango for San Mateo Ixtatán, managing to recruit 200 indigenous Maya warriors on the way; from Santa Eulalia, San Juan Solomá and San Mateo itself.
[Pons Sáez 1997, p. XXXIV.] They followed the same route used in 1686. On 28 February 1695, all three groups left their respective bases of operations to conquer the Lacandon.
The San Mateo group headed northeast into the Lacandon Jungle.
The
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...
built the
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
church in San Mateo, which fell within the parish of
Soloma.
Republican history
San Mateo Ixtatán was forced to give up some of their territory to create the municipality of
Nentón in 1876 and it struggled to keep its communal lands. At the beginning of the 1900s, a law was enacted throughout Guatemala that the mayor and councilmen should be
ladinos.
During the liberal government of
Justo Rufino Barrios
Justo Rufino Barrios Auyón (19 July 1835 – 2 April 1885) was a Guatemalan politician and military general who served as President of Guatemala from 1873 to his death in 1885. He was known for his liberal reforms and his attempts to reun ...
, extreme poverty and forced migrations to the southern coast created a lasting state of tension in the northern communities 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 Hi ...
and specifically in San Mateo Ixtatán. The ladino coastal plantation owners sent contractors to San Mateo Ixtatán on market days. These contractors gave money to local people promising double or triple the amount if they came to work in their coffee and cotton plantations. The locals signed documents insuring their manual labor, but were essentially enslaved because the contracts were unjust and treatment inhumane. On July 17, 1898, a plantation contractor was killed. To cover up the crime, 30 more ladinos were killed. One survived and informed the army who responded by killing 310 Chuj people from San Mateo Ixtatán.
Franja Transversal del Norte
The Northern Transversal Strip was officially created during the government of General Carlos Arana Osorio in 1970, by Legislative Decree 60–70, for agricultural development.
The decree literally said: "It is of public interest and national emergency, the establishment of Agrarian Development Zones in the area included within the municipalities: San Ana Huista, San Antonio Huista,
Nentón, Jacaltenango, San Mateo Ixtatán, and Santa Cruz Barillas in
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 Hi ...
; Chajul and San Miguel Uspantán in Quiché; Cobán,
Chisec
Chisec is a town and municipality in the north of the Guatemalan department of Alta Verapaz that was founded in 1813. It is situated at 230 metres (755 ft) above sea level. The municipality covers a territory of 1,244 km2.
The 2018 cens ...
,
San Pedro Carchá
San Pedro Carchá, usually referred to as Carchá, is a town and a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Alta Verapaz. The municipality covers an area of and is situated at 1,282 m above sea level.
At the 2018 census, the population of th ...
,
Lanquín,
Senahú,
Cahabón and
Chahal, in Alta Verapaz and the entire department of
Izabal."
Salt
Highly saturated salt water comes from the ground in several sacred wells. Historically, it is said that many traveled through San Mateo Ixtatán seeking the salt produced there. Many gather to pray in front of the wells to the goddess of salt, Atz’am. Women haul the salt-water up the long mountainside in plastic jugs where they use it as is or boil it to make a tasty, white salt. The salt is most famous as K'ik' Atz'am, Sal Negra or black salt. This is made by a few women in the town by adding a secret ingredient to the salt water as it boils. The black salt is very tasty and highly prized. It is said to have curative powers for the treatment of stomach ailments and headache.
The well is managed by the mayor's office and is open from Monday through Saturday from 1 to 5 pm.
Archaeological sites
Within the town of San Mateo Ixtatán, there are protected, but not excavated archaeological sites. The largest one is known as ''Yol K'u'' meaning ''within the Sun'' or ''
Wajxaklajun
Wajxaklajun (pronounced ) (also known as Ystapalapán, Yolk'u, El Calvario, Carvao and Curvao) is a ruin of the ancient Maya civilization situated adjacent to the modern town of San Mateo Ixtatán, in the Huehuetenango Department of Guatemala. W ...
'' meaning ''eighteen''.
[MINEDUC 2001, p. 18.] It is spectacularly situated on a promontory, surrounded by four large mounds. It is said to have been an astronomical temple. Another, ''
K'atepan'', can be seen from ''Yol K'u'' on the other side of the valley and means ''old temple'' in the
Chuj language
Chuj () is a Mayan language spoken by around 40,000 members of the Chuj people in Guatemala and around 3,000 members in Mexico. Chuj is a member of the Qʼanjobʼalan branch along with the languages of Tojolabʼal, Qʼanjobʼal, Akateko, ...
. It lies just north of San Mateo.
The archaeological site of Curvao at San Mateo Ixtatán has been dated to the
Classic Period.
[MINEDUC 2001, p. 12.]
Clothing
Traditional clothing of San Mateo Ixtatán for men and women is still seen within the community. The men use a woollen ''. It is made of two woven pieces of brown or black sheep's wool, sewn together on the sides leaving the sleeves open for the arms.
[Stzolalil Stz'ib'chaj Heb' Chuj, ALMG, 2007, p. 33] The women traditionally wear a ''corte'' or long, Mayan wrap-around skirt. It is generally a bright red base patterned with white, yellow and green stripes. Cotton scarves are tied in their hair. The woman's ''
huipil
''Huipil'' (Nahuatl: ''huīpīlli'' ; Ch'orti': ''b’ujk''; Chuj: ''nip'') is the most common traditional garment worn by indigenous women from central Mexico to Central America.
It is a loose-fitting tunic, generally made from two or three ...
'' or top is a brightly multi-colored, hand-woven cotton poncho with a lacy collar.
It is said that a full-size ''huipil'' from San Mateo Ixtatán takes about 9 months to a year to make.
Climate
San Mateo Ixtatán has an
oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...
(
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 ...
: ''Cfb'').
Geographic location
See also
*
*
*
Franja Transversal del Norte
Notes and references
Bibliography
:
:
:
:
:
Further reading
:
:
External links
*
Municipality in SpanishIxtatan FoundationCharlottesville, Virginia based non-profit that works in San Mateo Ixtatán
Academia de las Lenguas MayasINGUATSatellite Map of San Mateo IxtatánPrensa Libre Revista D ''De la sal a los dólares''A news article in Spanish about how San Mateo Ixtatán is changing.
{{DEFAULTSORT:San Mateo Ixtatan
Municipalities of the Huehuetenango Department