Chimaltenango (Guatemala)
| Chimaltenango | ||
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Coordinates: 14 ° 40 ′ N , 90 ° 49 ′ W Chimaltenango on the map of Guatemala
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| Basic data | ||
| Country | Guatemala | |
| Department | Chimaltenango | |
| City foundation | 1526 | |
| Residents | 40,000 | |
| City insignia | ||
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| Detailed data | ||
| surface | 212 km 2 | |
| Population density | 189 people / km 2 | |
| Waters | Rio guacalate | |
| Time zone | UTC −6 | |
| City Presidency | Augusto Belarmino Montúfar Ramírez | |
| City patron | Santa Ana | |
| Website | ||
Chimaltenango is a city in Guatemala and the administrative seat of the Chimaltenango department and the municipality of the same name , which extends over 212 km² and has over 40,000 inhabitants.
Location and climate
The city is located about 55 km west of Guatemala City in the central highlands of the Sierra Madre at about 1,800 m. Chimaltenango can be reached via the Interamericana (CA 1), which has been converted into a motorway between Guatemala City and Chimaltenango. The connection to the expressway to Antigua Guatemala is at Chimaltenango .
The climate in Chimaltenango and the surrounding area is temperate to cold. The rainy season lasts from May to October.
Economy and tourism
Chimaltenango lives mainly from agriculture, handicrafts ( brickworks in El Tejar) and the service sector. The city benefits from the heavy through traffic and is considered a commercial center. Bars, simple restaurants, repair shops and petrol stations shape economic life. The watershed between the Atlantic and Pacific regions runs by a fountain in the central city park . Nearby is the Balneario Los Aposentos water park , which families from the capital love to visit on weekends. A little further to the west, near the village of Tecpán, founded by the Franciscans , you can visit the former Cakchiquel capital of Iximché . Chimaltenango stands in the tourist shadow of Antigua Guatemala .
history
Chimaltenango was founded in 1526 by Pedro de Portocarrero, a son-in-law of Pedro de Alvarado , on the site of the former Cakchiquel fortress Bocob. According to early Spanish plans, a capital was to be built here, but this was then given up in favor of Antigua. Mexican mercenaries Alvarados gave the city the Nahuatl name Chimaltenango, which means “place of arms”.
Chimaltenango was completely destroyed by a severe earthquake in 1976.
