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San Marcos Department Departmento de San Marcos | |
|---|---|
 Sunrise in San Marcos | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 San Marcos and its neighbors[a].svg) Guatemala on theWestern Hemisphere | |
| Country |  Guatemala |
| Capital | San Marcos |
| Largest settlement | Malacatán |
| Municipalities | 30 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Departmental |
| Population (2018)[1] | |
| 1,032,277 | |
| • Rank | 4th in Guatemala |
| • Urban | 262,033 |
| • Religions | Roman CatholicismEvangelicalismMaya |
| Time zone | UTC-6 |
San Marcos is adepartment in southwesternGuatemala, on thePacific Ocean and along the westernGuatemala-Mexico border.
The department's capital is thecity of San Marcos.
TheSpanish conquest of Guatemalan Highlands occurred in the 1520s, followed by the establishment of the Province of Tecusitlán and Lacandón within theViceroyalty of New Spain. Candacuchex, a settlement of the MayanMam people, became the site of thecity of San Marcos, established in 1533.
In 1546, once the Guatemalan archdiocese was established, bishop Francisco Marroquín split the ecclesiastical duties in the region among theOrder of Preachers,Franciscans andMercedarians, being the latter appointed to take care of "El Barrio" (in present-day San Marcos andHuehuetenango Departments), which was then a part of the Province of Quetzaltenango].[2] In 1609 theCaptaincy General of Guatemala was established.
In 1690, theTejutla "curato" had a large area and included the modern municipalities ofComitancillo,Ixchiguán,Concepción Tutuapa,Sipacapa,Sibinal,Tajumulco,Tacaná and part of what is nowSan Miguel Ixtahuacán. According to the historical writings fromRecordación Florida ofFrancisco Antonio de Fuentes y Guzmán, Tejutla belonged toQuetzaltenango Department and it was a "prosperous land with rich weathers and comfortable forest with enough water".[3]
Tejutla was an important commercial and religious center; in August 1767, Joseph Domingo Hidalgo described Santiago Tejutla as "El Curato" -i.e., the focal center of commerce of all the towns that were around it− in theGaceta de Guatemala, the official newspaper of the times. Then, in the last quarter of the 18th century, bishop Dr.Pedro Cortés y Larraz, who arrived fromCuilco in 1770 as part of the inspection he was doing of the Guatemalan dioceses, called Tejutla "Santiago en la Cima del Monte" (English: Santiago at the top of the hill" and reported that there were "sixty four families who lived very well" in the area.[4]
In 1754 the Mercedarians gave away their convent to thesecular clergy per the Borbonic reforms that were instituted by the King of Spain, and Tejutla became a secular "curato".[5]
TheAct of Independence of Central America was issued in 1821. The Provincial Council of the Province of Guatemala within theCaptaincy General of Guatemala proclaimed the independence of Central America from the Spanish Empire. After being annexed by theFirst Mexican Empire in 1821, theFederal Republic of Central America was founded in 1823, which included the present day San Marcos region of Guatemala.
The department was created by a governmental decree on 8 May 1866, together withHuehuetenango,Izabal andPetén departments.[2] In 1902 the eruption of theSanta María volcano in the neighbouring department ofQuetzaltenango was responsible for the destruction of the twin towns ofSan Marcos andSan Pedro Sacatepéquez.[6] The towns were rebuilt and in 1935 were joined to form the new municipality of San Marcos La Unión.[6] This new municipality did not last long and the unified municipalities were again split in 1945 with San Marcos remaining the departmental capital.[6]
Towards the end of the 20th century, San Marcos became a hot spot for drug trafficking in Central America, and one of the top lords was Juan Chamalé Ortiz, who was heavily involved in cocaine trafficking, and was accused by US authorities of helping to move over 40 tons ofcocaine throughCentral America en route to theUnited States. Ortiz worked with local fishermen to smuggle cocaine in small fishing boats and may have also commissioned semi-submersibles to transport the drug. Ortiz also controlled a major opium poppy producing area, the San Marcos Department, where he was a popular local figure. He owned at least ten estates in his area of operations, including a large farm inMalacatán and provided numerous jobs, in addition to cultivating local support by throwing parties and sponsoring beauty contests.[7]
San Marcos is one of the most important regions in Guatemala given its proximity to the highlands,Mexico, and to thePacific Ocean coast, where most of the drugs coming fromSouth America land. Ortiz exerted influence over local politicians and police in the region, and relied on a powerful local support network to conduct his business. He is thought to have worked out a deal that made him theSinaloa Cartel's top transporter, helping the Mexican group move drugs that arrived via Pacific routes. Ortiz Chamalé was captured in 2011 inQuetzaltenango and extradited to theUnited States in 2014 where he was sentenced to 262 months in jail; when Ortiz was arrested in 2011, locals protested to demand his release.[7]
San Marcos is bordered on the northeast by the department ofHuehuetenango, on the east by the department ofQuetzaltenango, to the south by the department ofRetalhuleu and by thePacific Ocean, and on the west by theMexicanstate ofChiapas.[8]
The department has a total territory of 2,397 square kilometres (925 sq mi).[9]
The northern portion of the department is mountainous, being crossed by theSierra Madre de Chiapas mountain range. The two highest volcanoes inCentral America being located within its borders,[8]Tajumulco (4,220 metres (13,850 ft) high) andTacaná (4,092 metres (13,425 ft) high).[8][10] The Tajumulco volcano is the highest peak in Central America.[11] Other notable peaks include San Antonio Ichiguán at 4,022 metres (13,196 ft)above mean sea level.[8][disputed –discuss] The southern portion of the department drops away towards the Pacific coast.[12]
The Tacaná volcano, which occupies the border with Mexico and has slopes in both countries, has been historically active, with activity recorded in 1855, 1878, from 1900 through to 1903, from 1949 to 1950 and from 1986 to 1987.[10]
Principal rivers in the department include theSuchiate River, which marks the border between San Marcos and Chiapas, Mexico, and flows into the Pacific Ocean.[12] TheCabuz River has its source on the slopes of the Tajumulco volcano.[12] Other rivers include the El Pajapa, El Rodeo, Ixlamá, Ixtal, Meléndrez, Nahuatán, Tilapa, andOcosito Rivers.[12]
The climate varies widely within the department, due to the dramatic differences in altitude, with the north possessing a coldGuatemalan Highlands climate and the south having a temperate or hot climate, depending on the specific altitude.[12]
The 2018 census recorded the total population of San Marcos department as 1,032,277.[1] Languages spoken in the department includeSpanish,Mam andSipakapense.[13]
The wide variety of climates within the department resulting from differences in altitude gives rise to a variety of agricultural products.[12] Agricultural products includeapples,bananas,barley,beans,cacao,coffee,maize,oats,peaches,plantains,potatoes,rice,sugarcane andwheat.[14] Livestock includecattle,horses andsheep.[12] San Marcos department produces morewool than any other department of Guatemala.[12] It is generally exported to the departments of Quetzaltenango andTotonicapán, where it is processed into finished products.[12] The department produces wooden furniture, with production being concentrated in the Pacific lowlands due to the greater variety of wood available, includingcedar,ceiba andtepemixte.[12]
The department is notable for the importation ofblack market Mexican products, which are sold openly in local markets throughout its territory and from there are exported throughout Guatemala.[15]
The department of San Marcos is divided into 30 municipalities:[13]
| Municipality[16] | Ethnicity | Population[16][nb 1] | Festival[17] | Altitude[15] | Extent[15] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ayutla | 27,435 | 1st Friday of Lent | 24 metres (79 ft) | 204 square kilometres (79 sq mi) | |
| Catarina | 24,561 | 25 November | 233 metres (764 ft) | 76 square kilometres (29 sq mi) | |
| Comitancillo | 46,371 | 3 May | 2,280 metres (7,480 ft) | 113 square kilometres (44 sq mi) | |
| Concepción Tutuapa | 49,363 | 8 December | 2,910 metres (9,550 ft) | 176 square kilometres (68 sq mi) | |
| El Quetzal | 18,979 | 12 November & 6 January | 940 metres (3,080 ft) | 88 square kilometres (34 sq mi) | |
| El Rodeo | 14,125 | 19 March | 700 metres (2,300 ft) | 81 square kilometres (31 sq mi) | |
| El Tumbador | 35,501 | 6 January | 920 metres (3,020 ft) | 84 square kilometres (32 sq mi) | |
| Esquipulas Palo Gordo | 8,613 | 15 January | 2,474 metres (8,117 ft) | 21 square kilometres (8.1 sq mi) | |
| Ixchiguan | 20,324 | 5th Friday of Lent, 23 January & 29 July | 3,200 metres (10,500 ft) | 183 square kilometres (71 sq mi) | |
| La Reforma | 14,623 | 1 January | 1,139 metres (3,737 ft) | 100 square kilometres (39 sq mi) | |
| Malacatán | 70,834 | 13 December | 390 metres (1,280 ft) | 204 square kilometres (79 sq mi) | |
| Nuevo Progreso | 26,140 | 12 December | 660 metres (2,170 ft) | 140 square kilometres (54 sq mi) | |
| Ocós | 10,841 | 3 metres (9.8 ft) | 50.8 square kilometres (19.6 sq mi) | ||
| Pajapita | 16,600 | 8 December | 97 metres (318 ft) | 84 square kilometres (32 sq mi) | |
| Río Blanco | Mam[18] | 4,872 | 8 July[18] | 2,650 metres (8,690 ft) | 21 square kilometres (8.1 sq mi) |
| San Antonio Sacatepéquez | 14,658 | 17 January | 2,338 metres (7,671 ft) | 79 square kilometres (31 sq mi) | |
| San Cristóbal Cucho | 13,928 | 29 July | 2,350 metres (7,710 ft) | 36 square kilometres (14 sq mi) | |
| San José Ojetenam | 16,541 | 19 March | 3,050 metres (10,010 ft) | 37 square kilometres (14 sq mi) | |
| San Lorenzo | 9,714 | 10 August | 1,620 metres (5,310 ft) | 25 square kilometres (9.7 sq mi) | |
| San Marcos | 36,325 | 25 April | 2,397 metres (7,864 ft) | 121 square kilometres (47 sq mi) | |
| San Miguel Ixtahuacán | 29,658 | 29 September | 2,050 metres (6,730 ft) | 184 square kilometres (71 sq mi) | |
| San Pablo | 36,535 | 25 January | 610 metres (2,000 ft) | 124 square kilometres (48 sq mi) | |
| San Pedro Sacatepéquez | 58,005 | 29 June | 2,330 metres (7,640 ft) | 253 square kilometres (98 sq mi) | |
| San Rafael Pie de La Cuesta | 13,072 | 24 October | 1,038 metres (3,406 ft) | 60 square kilometres (23 sq mi) | |
| Sibinal | 13,268 | 29 September | 2,510 metres (8,230 ft) | 176 square kilometres (68 sq mi) | |
| Sipacapa | 14,043 | 24 August | 1,970 metres (6,460 ft) | 152 square kilometres (59 sq mi) | |
| Tacaná | 62,620 | 15 August | 2,410 metres (7,910 ft) | 302 square kilometres (117 sq mi) | |
| Tajumulco | 41,308 | 8 July | 2,050 metres (6,730 ft) | 300 square kilometres (120 sq mi) | |
| Tejutla | 27,672 | 25 July | 2,520 metres (8,270 ft) | 142 square kilometres (55 sq mi) | |
| La Blanca[19] | 29,112 | 96.1 square kilometres (37.1 sq mi) |
The main tourist attractions of the San Marcos department are its various Pacific beaches and theTacaná andTajumulco volcanoes.[9] Other attractions include thermal baths and the caves of Castalia.[9]
Places adjacent to San Marcos Department | ||||||||||||||||
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14°57′40″N91°47′44″W / 14.96111°N 91.79556°W /14.96111; -91.79556
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