Apastepeque
Encyclopedia
Apastepeque is a municipality in the San Vicente Department
, El Salvador
. It is located approximately 50 km east of San Salvador
and approximately 6 km from San Vicente
. The town has approximately 10,000 residents with 19,895 in municipality.
The town is known for its fiestas and cultural traditions throughout the year, starting in January with Fiesta de los Moros, in May, Santa Rita's festivities, in July the patron Santiago, and in December, the annual Christmas carnaval.
, to the north east the municipality of Santa Clara
, to the east with San Ildefonso
, to the south with Ciudad de San Vicente (the department capital) and to the west with the municipality of San Cayetano Istepeque
. It is 6 km from Ciudad de San Vicente and 58 km from San Salvador.
s are celebrated in the city such as that between 16 to July 25 in honor of the patron saint
Saint James the Great
(Santiago Apóstol), where they indulge in much religious, cultural and social activity such as masquerades, dances and concerts.
In the Nahuatl language, Apastepeque means “Hill of the Alabastro”. Alabastro is a type of limestone
. In the Nahuatl language, Saguayapa, a settlement adjacent to the main town means “Rivers of frogs and sands”. These twin towns, are separated by the Raymundo Street to the north of the parochial church Santiago Apóstol. The north part is occupied by Saguayapa and the south part by Apastepeque. Apastepeque celebrates many celebrations annually, initiating in the month of January to honor San Sebastián Martyr. This festival is regarded as the second most important in the city and the dances of the Moors and Christians which are deeply engrained in the history of the city are performed to celebrate the event.
, mostly subsistence farming and cultivation
Sugar cane forms a crucial pillar of the economy. The sugar cane is appreciated not only as a food product but for its medicinal qualities.
San Vicente Department
San Vicente is a department of El Salvador in the center of the country. The capital is San Vicente. On October 4, 1834, San Vicente City of Austria and Lorenzana was made the capital of State of El Salvador during the Federal Republic of Central America...
, El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
. It is located approximately 50 km east of San Salvador
San Salvador
The city of San Salvador the capital and largest city of El Salvador, which has been designated a Gamma World City. Its complete name is La Ciudad de Gran San Salvador...
and approximately 6 km from San Vicente
San Vicente, El Salvador
San Vicente is a municipality in the San Vicente department of El Salvador. It was founded by 50 Spanish families in 1635, under the Tempisque tree, which is still standing today....
. The town has approximately 10,000 residents with 19,895 in municipality.
The town is known for its fiestas and cultural traditions throughout the year, starting in January with Fiesta de los Moros, in May, Santa Rita's festivities, in July the patron Santiago, and in December, the annual Christmas carnaval.
Geography
Apastepeque is a municipality of the San Vicente Department. It is located towards the southeast of the centre of the country to the east of San Salvador and lies at an altitude of 590m. Bordering to the north is the municipalitiy of San Esteban CatarinaSan Esteban Catarina
San Esteban Catarina is a municipality in the San Vicente department of El Salvador. San Esteban Catarina is set on a hill and it has kept the traditional sets of a typical village. Every year in San esteban Catarina there is a hot hair balloon festival....
, to the north east the municipality of Santa Clara
Santa Clara, San Vicente
Santa Clara is a municipality in the San Vicente Department of El Salvador. It is located approximately east of San Salvador and approximately from San Vicente...
, to the east with San Ildefonso
San Ildefonso
San Ildefonso, or La Granja, or La Granja de San Ildefonso, is a town and municipality in the province of Segovia, Spain, situated some 54 km northwest of Madrid.-History:...
, to the south with Ciudad de San Vicente (the department capital) and to the west with the municipality of San Cayetano Istepeque
San Cayetano Istepeque
San Cayetano Istepeque , is a municipality in the San Vicente department of El Salvador. Its altitude is approximately 510 m....
. It is 6 km from Ciudad de San Vicente and 58 km from San Salvador.
Arts and culture
Apastepeque is a city with a rich religious and cultural tradition and character that fuses together the elements of pre and colonial influences with those of the new generation. One of the monuments in Apastepeque of great renown is the church that was built during the colonial period. However it has been damaged several times due to earthquakes and recently underwent a reconstruction after the 2001 disaster. Notable fiestaFestival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
s are celebrated in the city such as that between 16 to July 25 in honor of the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
Saint James the Great
Saint James the Great
James, son of Zebedee was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was a son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of John the Apostle...
(Santiago Apóstol), where they indulge in much religious, cultural and social activity such as masquerades, dances and concerts.
In the Nahuatl language, Apastepeque means “Hill of the Alabastro”. Alabastro is a type of limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
. In the Nahuatl language, Saguayapa, a settlement adjacent to the main town means “Rivers of frogs and sands”. These twin towns, are separated by the Raymundo Street to the north of the parochial church Santiago Apóstol. The north part is occupied by Saguayapa and the south part by Apastepeque. Apastepeque celebrates many celebrations annually, initiating in the month of January to honor San Sebastián Martyr. This festival is regarded as the second most important in the city and the dances of the Moors and Christians which are deeply engrained in the history of the city are performed to celebrate the event.
Economy
Traditionally, the economy of the city has been based on agricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, mostly subsistence farming and cultivation
Sugar cane forms a crucial pillar of the economy. The sugar cane is appreciated not only as a food product but for its medicinal qualities.