Chiquimula (Guatemala)
| Chiquimula | ||
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Coordinates: 14 ° 47 ' N , 89 ° 32' W Chiquimula on the map of Guatemala
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| Basic data | ||
| Country | Guatemala | |
| Department | Chiquimula | |
| City foundation | 1530 | |
| Residents | 89,320 | |
| City insignia | ||
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| Detailed data | ||
| surface | 372 km 2 | |
| Population density | 240 people / km 2 | |
| Waters | Río Tacó | |
| Time zone | UTC −6 | |
| City Presidency | Rolando Aquino Guerra | |
| City patron | Virgen de la Asuncion | |
| Website | ||
Chiquimula is a city in Guatemala and the administrative seat of the Chiquimula department and the large municipality of the same name , which extends over 372 km² and has over 80,000 inhabitants.
Location and climate
The city is located about 174 km east of Guatemala City at an altitude of 424 m. Chiquimula can be reached via the Atlantic trunk road CA 9 and CA 10, which branches off to the south at Río Hondo.
Chiquimula is located in the southern catchment area of the Río Motagua at a relatively low altitude. The climate is therefore tropical hot. The rainy season lasts from May to October.
Economy and tourism
Thanks to its convenient location on the CA 10 highway to El Salvador and (from Esquipulas) Honduras , Chiquimula benefits from through traffic and has numerous hotels. The city is an important trading center in the so-called Oriente . Chiquimula has a large market that is held daily. In Esquipulas, 50 km further south, there is a place of pilgrimage ( Basílica de Esquipulas with the Cristo negro ) of national importance.
history
Before the colonial era, the Chiquimula area belonged to the Chiquimulhá Empire , the capital of which was in Copán (now in Honduras ). The town, founded in 1530, was destroyed by an earthquake in 1765. During the colonial period it was the center of an important administrative district ( Corregimiento de Chiquimula ). After independence from Spain, Chiquimula received city rights in 1821 and in 1825 became the administrative seat of the department of the same name. In the years that followed, the city and its surroundings suffered from the turmoil of several brief civil wars.