San Cristóbal Acasaguastlán
Encyclopedia
San Cristóbal Acasaguastlán is a town in the El Progreso department
of Guatemala
. San Cristóbal Acasaguastlán is located on the northern bank of the Motagua River
at an altitude of 250 m. It had a population of 6,129 people at the 2002 census, and covers a territory of 124 square kilometres (47.9 sq mi). San Cristóbal Acasaguastlán borders on San Agustín Acasaguastlán
to the northwest, Usumatlán
to the east, and El Jicaro
to the south. It is located on the inter-ocean highway (CA-9), 101 km from Guatemala City
.
; its people are associated with the cultures of Copán
and Quiriguá
. In the ninth and tenth centuries AD, the Nahuas settled in the vicinity of San Cristóbal Acasaguastlán, beginning a cultural mixture leading to their indigenous language (Alaguilac
). At the time of the Spanish conquest
the town of San Cristobal was founded, driving the aboriginal peoples from their town to scattered settlements in the mountains. At the time of conquest, the town of Acasaguastlán was a holy and sacred place for the Indians. It did not have major construction, only mounds as in Guaytán. The Spanish used the prehistoric Acasaguastlán province for their town of San Cristobal; its central square was the site for one of the pro-independence riots of 1812. After Guatemala gained its independence from Spain in 1821, San Cristóbal Acasaguastlán belonged to the Zacapa Department under Decree 683 of April 13, 1908; with Legislative Decree 1965 of April 3, 1934 the new Department of El Progreso was established, which included San Cristóbal Acasaguastlán. Two of the finest examples of 16th-century Baroque architecture can be found in San Agustín Acasaguastlán and San Cristóbal Acasaguastlán in El Progreso.
. The restoration project has been undertaken to undo damage caused by the earthquake of 1976
.
Departments of Guatemala
||Guatemala is divided into 22 departments :#Alta Verapaz#Baja Verapaz#Chimaltenango#Chiquimula#Petén#El Progreso#El Quiché#Escuintla#Guatemala#Huehuetenango#Izabal#Jalapa#Jutiapa#Quetzaltenango#Retalhuleu#Sacatepéquez...
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...
. San Cristóbal Acasaguastlán is located on the northern bank of the Motagua River
Motagua River
The Motagua River is a long river in Guatemala. It rises in the western highlands of Guatemala where it is also called Río Grande, and runs in an easterly direction to the Gulf of Honduras. The final few kilometres of the river form part of the Guatemala/Honduras border...
at an altitude of 250 m. It had a population of 6,129 people at the 2002 census, and covers a territory of 124 square kilometres (47.9 sq mi). San Cristóbal Acasaguastlán borders on San Agustín Acasaguastlán
San Agustín Acasaguastlán
San Agustín Acasaguastlán is a municipality in the El Progreso department of Guatemala....
to the northwest, Usumatlán
Usumatlán
Usumatlán is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Zacapa....
to the east, and El Jicaro
El Jícaro, El Progreso
El Jícaro is a municipality in the El Progreso department of Guatemala....
to the south. It is located on the inter-ocean highway (CA-9), 101 km from Guatemala City
Guatemala City
Guatemala City , is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala and Central America...
.
History
San Cristóbal Acasaguastlán's history has its origins in Mayan cultureMaya peoples
The Maya people constitute a diverse range of the Native American people of southern Mexico and northern Central America. The overarching term "Maya" is a collective designation to include the peoples of the region who share some degree of cultural and linguistic heritage; however, the term...
; its people are associated with the cultures of Copán
Copán
Copán is an archaeological site of the Maya civilization located in the Copán Department of western Honduras, not far from the border with Guatemala. It was the capital city of a major Classic period kingdom from the 5th to 9th centuries AD...
and Quiriguá
Quiriguá
Quiriguá is an ancient Maya archaeological site in the department of Izabal in south-eastern Guatemala. It is a medium-sized site covering approximately along the lower Motagua River, with the ceremonial center about from the north bank. During the Maya Classic Period , Quiriguá was situated at...
. In the ninth and tenth centuries AD, the Nahuas settled in the vicinity of San Cristóbal Acasaguastlán, beginning a cultural mixture leading to their indigenous language (Alaguilac
Alaguilac language
Agüilac is an undocumented indigenous American language that is thought to have been spoken in Guatemala at the time of the Spanish conquest.-Views on the language:...
). At the time of the Spanish conquest
Spanish conquest of Guatemala
The Spanish conquest of Guatemala was a conflict that formed a part of the Spanish colonization of the Americas within the territory of what became the modern country of Guatemala in Central America...
the town of San Cristobal was founded, driving the aboriginal peoples from their town to scattered settlements in the mountains. At the time of conquest, the town of Acasaguastlán was a holy and sacred place for the Indians. It did not have major construction, only mounds as in Guaytán. The Spanish used the prehistoric Acasaguastlán province for their town of San Cristobal; its central square was the site for one of the pro-independence riots of 1812. After Guatemala gained its independence from Spain in 1821, San Cristóbal Acasaguastlán belonged to the Zacapa Department under Decree 683 of April 13, 1908; with Legislative Decree 1965 of April 3, 1934 the new Department of El Progreso was established, which included San Cristóbal Acasaguastlán. Two of the finest examples of 16th-century Baroque architecture can be found in San Agustín Acasaguastlán and San Cristóbal Acasaguastlán in El Progreso.
Education
San Cristobal is currently (as of 2011) the only municipality in Guatemala reporting a 100% literacy rate.Church
The colonial Cathedral of San Cristobal of 1654 is being restored, and promises to be on a par with the cathedrals and churches found in AntiguaAntigua
Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
. The restoration project has been undertaken to undo damage caused by the earthquake of 1976
1976 Guatemala earthquake
The 1976 Guatemala earthquake struck on February 4, 1976 at 03:01:43 local time . It was a 7.5 Mw earthquake, centered in the Motagua Fault, about 160 km northeast of Guatemala City, Guatemala...
.
Further reading
- McNally, Shelagh. Adventure Guide to Guatemala (Adventure Guides Series). Grand Rapids: Hunter (NJ), 2003.
- Oss, Adriaan C. van. Catholic Colonialism: A Parish History of Guatemala, 1524-1821 (Cambridge Latin American Studies). New York: Cambridge UP, 2002.
