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Quiché (department)
Encyclopedia
El Quiché is a department
of Guatemala
.
El Quiché department is in the heartland of the Quiché (K'iche') people, to the north-west of Guatemala City
. The capital is Santa Cruz del Quiché
.
While most of its indigenous population speaks the K'iche' language
, other Mayan languages
spoken in the department are Ixil (Nebaj
- Chajul
- Cotzal
area), Uspantek
(Uspantán
area), Sakapultek
(Sacapulas
area), as well as Poqomchi'
and Q'ekchi in the North-Eastern part bordering with the Alta Verapaz
department.
and the mountain ranges of the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, Sierra de Chuacús
, and the foothills of the volcanic mountain range on the department's South-Western border with Chimaltenango
, which together make up for 79% of the department's territory. The northern part of the department is formed by tropical lowlands which cover 21% of the department's territory.
The principal drainage basin
s in El Quiché are the Salinas, Motagua, Xaclbal and Ixcan river basins. The Salinas river basin (3668 km2), includes the Chixoy River
which is a tributary
of the Río Salinas
and Río Usumacinta. The Motagua basin (1042 km2) includes the Río Grande which is an important tributary
of the Río Motagua. The smaller Xaclbal
(779 km2) and Ixcan basins (187 km2) are situated in the North-East of El Quiché. El Quiché has a small number of shallow lakes ("lagunas"): laguna de Lemoa and the laguna de La Estancia, both in Santa Cruz del Quiché
, and the laguna de San Antonio in San Antonio Ilotenango
.
and the ruins of Q'umarkaj.
The department has several pre-colonial archeological sites, including Q'umarkaj (near Santa Cruz del Quiché
), Pascual Abaj (in Chichicastenango
), Cerro de San Andrés (in San Andrés Sajcabajá
), Los Cerritos and La Laguna (in Canillá
). Most of these sites are used as ceremonial centers in the Maya religion
A regional museum
can be found in Chichicastenango and Nebaj
.
Though not as well known as the Santo Tomas church in Chichicastenango most other towns in the department have catholic churches dating from the colonial era.
The Visis Cabá biosphere reserve
(450 km2) is the only protected natural reserve in El Quiché. It is located in the North of Chajul, on the communal lands of the Ixil
communities. The creation of protected natural reserves is being considered for El Amay in Chicamán
and La Vega del Zope in Chinique
.
People show their affection for the country by throwing fruit over their right shoulder.
:
Department (subnational entity)
Department is the name given to the administrative and political subdivisions of many countries.As a territorial unit, "department" was first used by the French Revolutionary governments, apparently to emphasize that each territory was simply an administrative sub-division of the united sovereign...
of Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
.
El Quiché department is in the heartland of the Quiché (K'iche') people, to the north-west of Guatemala City
Guatemala City
Guatemala City , is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala and Central America...
. The capital is Santa Cruz del Quiché
Santa Cruz del Quiché
Santa Cruz del Quiché is a city in Guatemala. It serves as the capital of El Quiché department and the municipal seat of Santa Cruz del Quiché municipality.The city is located at , at an elevation of 2,021 m above sea level...
.
Population
El Quiché has historically been one of the most populous departments of Guatemala. Its population of 655,100(as of 2002) is predominantly of Mayan descent.While most of its indigenous population speaks the K'iche' language
K'iche' language
The K’iche’ language is a part of the Mayan language family. It is spoken by many K'iche' people in the central highlands of Guatemala. With close to a million speakers , it is the second-most widely spoken language in the country after Spanish...
, other Mayan languages
Mayan languages
The Mayan languages form a language family spoken in Mesoamerica and northern Central America. Mayan languages are spoken by at least 6 million indigenous Maya, primarily in Guatemala, Mexico, Belize and Honduras...
spoken in the department are Ixil (Nebaj
Santa Maria Nebaj
Santa Maria Nebaj is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. Santa Maria Nebaj is part of the Ixil Community, along with San Juan Cotzal and San Gaspar Chajul. Native residents speak the Mayan Ixil language.There is a nearby pre-Columbian archaeological site of the Maya...
- Chajul
Chajul
Chajul is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. Chajul is part of the Ixil Community, along with San Juan Cotzal and Santa Maria Nebaj. The Ixil region is isolated by beautiful mountains and has maintained its rich Ixil Mayan traditions and language...
- Cotzal
San Juan Cotzal
San Juan Cotzal is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. San Juan Cotzal is part of the Ixil Community, along with Santa Maria Nebaj and San Gaspar Chajul....
area), Uspantek
Uspantek language
The Uspanteko is a Mayan language of Guatemala, closely related to K'iche'. It is spoken in the Uspantán and Playa Grande Ixcán municipios, in the Department El Quiché. It is also one of only three Mayan languages to have developed contrastive tone...
(Uspantán
Uspantán
Uspantán is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. It is one of the largest municipalities of El Quiché and stretches from the mountainous highlands in the South to the tropical lowlands in the North. The municipal seat is in Villa de San Miguel Uspantán with a population of 2,800...
area), Sakapultek
Sakapultek
Sakapultek or Sacapulteco is a Mayan language very closely related to K'iche'. It is spoken by approximately 15,000 people in Sacapulas, El Quiché department and in Guatemala City....
(Sacapulas
Sacapulas
Sacapulas is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché.In 2006, Sacapulas was connected by a new paved road to Aguacatán and to Nebaj. This road will give the entire area new access to markets and opportunities for economic development....
area), as well as Poqomchi'
Poqomchi' language
Poqomchi’ is a Mayan language spoken by the Poqomchi’ Maya of Guatemala, and is very closely related to Poqomam. Its two main dialects, eastern and western, were spoken by 90,000 or so people in the year 2000, in Purulhá, Baja Verapaz, and in the following municipalities of Alta Verapaz: Santa...
and Q'ekchi in the North-Eastern part bordering with the Alta Verapaz
Alta Verapaz
Alta Verapaz is a department in the north central part of Guatemala. The capital and chief city of the department is Cobán. Verapaz is bordered to the north by El Petén, to the east by Izabal, to the south by Zacapa, El Progreso, and Baja Verapaz, and to the west by El Quiché.Also in Alta Verapaz...
department.
Geography
The topographical composition of El Quiché is dominated by the central highlandsGuatemalan Highlands
The Guatemalan Highlands is an upland region in southern Guatemala, lying between the Sierra Madre de Chiapas to the south and the Petén lowlands to the north....
and the mountain ranges of the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, Sierra de Chuacús
Sierra de Chuacús
The Sierra de Chuacús is situated in the central highlands of Guatemala, and runs southeast from El Quiché to Baja Verapaz. Its northwestern border is marked by the Chixoy River basin in Uspantán, which separates it from the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes. Its eastern border is marked by the Salamá...
, and the foothills of the volcanic mountain range on the department's South-Western border with Chimaltenango
Chimaltenango
Chimaltenango is a town in Guatemala of some 43,900 people . It serves as both the capital of the department of Chimaltenango and the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name....
, which together make up for 79% of the department's territory. The northern part of the department is formed by tropical lowlands which cover 21% of the department's territory.
The principal drainage basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
s in El Quiché are the Salinas, Motagua, Xaclbal and Ixcan river basins. The Salinas river basin (3668 km2), includes the Chixoy River
Chixoy River
The Chixoy River or Río Negro is a river in Guatemala. The river is called Río Negro from its sources in the highlands of Huehuetenango and El Quiché until it reaches the Chixoy hydroelectric dam , where the Río Salamá and Rio Carchela converge with the Río Negro...
which is a tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Río Salinas
Salinas River (Guatemala)
The Salinas is a river in Guatemala. The river is called Chixoy River from its sources in the highlands of Huehuetenango and El Quiché until it reaches the Chixoy hydroelectric dam , where the Río Salama and Rio Carchela converge with the Río Negro...
and Río Usumacinta. The Motagua basin (1042 km2) includes the Río Grande which is an important tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Río Motagua. The smaller Xaclbal
Xalbal River
The Xalbal River is a river of Guatemala.Its sources are located in the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes in the department of El Quiché, where the river is called Río Xaclbal or Río Chajul...
(779 km2) and Ixcan basins (187 km2) are situated in the North-East of El Quiché. El Quiché has a small number of shallow lakes ("lagunas"): laguna de Lemoa and the laguna de La Estancia, both in Santa Cruz del Quiché
Santa Cruz del Quiché
Santa Cruz del Quiché is a city in Guatemala. It serves as the capital of El Quiché department and the municipal seat of Santa Cruz del Quiché municipality.The city is located at , at an elevation of 2,021 m above sea level...
, and the laguna de San Antonio in San Antonio Ilotenango
San Antonio Ilotenango
San Antonio Ilotenango is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché.-Further reading:* Falla, Ricardo . Quiché rebelde: religious conversion, politics, and ethnic identity in Guatemala. University of Texas Press, 2001. ISBN:0292725329 ----...
.
Tourism
Places of interest in the department include the town of ChichicastenangoChichicastenango
Chichicastenango, also known as Santo Tomás Chichicastenango, is a town in the El Quiché department of Guatemala, known for its traditional K'iche' Maya culture. The Spanish conquistadors gave the town its name from the Nahuatl name used by their soldiers from Tlaxcala: Tzitzicaztenanco, or City...
and the ruins of Q'umarkaj.
The department has several pre-colonial archeological sites, including Q'umarkaj (near Santa Cruz del Quiché
Santa Cruz del Quiché
Santa Cruz del Quiché is a city in Guatemala. It serves as the capital of El Quiché department and the municipal seat of Santa Cruz del Quiché municipality.The city is located at , at an elevation of 2,021 m above sea level...
), Pascual Abaj (in Chichicastenango
Chichicastenango
Chichicastenango, also known as Santo Tomás Chichicastenango, is a town in the El Quiché department of Guatemala, known for its traditional K'iche' Maya culture. The Spanish conquistadors gave the town its name from the Nahuatl name used by their soldiers from Tlaxcala: Tzitzicaztenanco, or City...
), Cerro de San Andrés (in San Andrés Sajcabajá
San Andrés Sajcabajá
San Andrés Sajcabajá is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. The municipality is formed by the town San Andrés Sajcabajá, and 62 rural communities. The majority of its population is ethnic K'iche'.-History:...
), Los Cerritos and La Laguna (in Canillá
Canillá
Canillá is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché with surface of 123 km2 and population 8121 people.People in Canillá speak Spanish, K'iche' , or both. Primary religions are Catholic and Evangelical.- Economy :...
). Most of these sites are used as ceremonial centers in the Maya religion
Maya religion
The traditional Maya religion of western Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico is a southeastern variant of Mesoamerican religion. As is the case with many other contemporary Mesoamerican religions, it results from centuries of symbiosis with Roman Catholicism...
A regional museum
Chichicastenango Regional Museum
The Chichicastenango Regional Museum or Museo Regional is a museum in Chichicastenango, Guatemala. It is located at the Iglesia de Santo Tomás and has a number of noted ancient artifacts in jade, stone, and ceramic. Some of the clay figurines and ancient clay pots dat back to 1200...
can be found in Chichicastenango and Nebaj
Nebaj
Nebaj is an archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization, located in the western Guatemala highlands....
.
Though not as well known as the Santo Tomas church in Chichicastenango most other towns in the department have catholic churches dating from the colonial era.
The Visis Cabá biosphere reserve
Visis Cabá
The Visis Cabá biosphere reserve is a protected area in the department of El Quiché. It is also known as Biósfera Ixil, and is located in the North of the municipality of Chajul, on the communal lands of the Ixil communities....
(450 km2) is the only protected natural reserve in El Quiché. It is located in the North of Chajul, on the communal lands of the Ixil
Ixil people
Ixil is the name of a Mayan people in Guatemala. The Ixil live in three municipalities in the Cuchumatanes mountains in the northern part of the department El Quiché...
communities. The creation of protected natural reserves is being considered for El Amay in Chicamán
Chicaman
Chicamán is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché.Tourists may visit the Canyon El Barbudo and the Quatro Chorros waterfalls.- External links :* ----...
and La Vega del Zope in Chinique
Chinique
Chinique is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché....
.
People show their affection for the country by throwing fruit over their right shoulder.
Municipalities
The department is divided into municipalitiesMunicipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
:
- CanilláCanilláCanillá is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché with surface of 123 km2 and population 8121 people.People in Canillá speak Spanish, K'iche' , or both. Primary religions are Catholic and Evangelical.- Economy :...
- ChajulChajulChajul is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. Chajul is part of the Ixil Community, along with San Juan Cotzal and Santa Maria Nebaj. The Ixil region is isolated by beautiful mountains and has maintained its rich Ixil Mayan traditions and language...
- ChicamanChicamanChicamán is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché.Tourists may visit the Canyon El Barbudo and the Quatro Chorros waterfalls.- External links :* ----...
- ChichéChiché, GuatemalaChiché is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché....
- Chichicastenango
- ChiniqueChiniqueChinique is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché....
- CunénCunénCunén is a municipality in the El Quiché department of Guatemala. The municipality covers 168 square kilometers. At an average altitude of 1,827 meters above sea level, its climate is temperate. It is 68 kilometers from the departmental capital, Santa Cruz del Quiché, as measured by paved road....
- JoyabajJoyabajJoyabaj is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. It is located about 50 kilometers from Santa Cruz del Quiché, in the Sierra de Chuacús mountains....
- NebajSanta Maria NebajSanta Maria Nebaj is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. Santa Maria Nebaj is part of the Ixil Community, along with San Juan Cotzal and San Gaspar Chajul. Native residents speak the Mayan Ixil language.There is a nearby pre-Columbian archaeological site of the Maya...
- SacapulasSacapulasSacapulas is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché.In 2006, Sacapulas was connected by a new paved road to Aguacatán and to Nebaj. This road will give the entire area new access to markets and opportunities for economic development....
- PatzitéPatzitéPatzité is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché....
- PachalúmPachalúmPachalúm is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché.Pachalúm was previously a village in the municipality of Joyabaj, but was recognized as separate municipality in 1986....
- Playa Grande Ixcán
- San Andrés SajcabajáSan Andrés SajcabajáSan Andrés Sajcabajá is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. The municipality is formed by the town San Andrés Sajcabajá, and 62 rural communities. The majority of its population is ethnic K'iche'.-History:...
- San Antonio IlotenangoSan Antonio IlotenangoSan Antonio Ilotenango is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché.-Further reading:* Falla, Ricardo . Quiché rebelde: religious conversion, politics, and ethnic identity in Guatemala. University of Texas Press, 2001. ISBN:0292725329 ----...
- San Bartolomé JocotenangoSan Bartolomé JocotenangoSan Bartolomé Jocotenango is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché.The celebrations for the town's patron saint, San Bartolomé Apóstol, are on 22-25 of August....
- San Juan CotzalSan Juan CotzalSan Juan Cotzal is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. San Juan Cotzal is part of the Ixil Community, along with Santa Maria Nebaj and San Gaspar Chajul....
- San Pedro JocopilasSan Pedro JocopilasSan Pedro Jocopilas is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché....
- Santa Cruz del Quiché
- UspantánUspantánUspantán is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. It is one of the largest municipalities of El Quiché and stretches from the mountainous highlands in the South to the tropical lowlands in the North. The municipal seat is in Villa de San Miguel Uspantán with a population of 2,800...
- ZacualpaZacualpaZacualpa is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché.*...