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Quiché Department Departmento de El Quiché | |
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Department | |
 Sunrise in Finca Acul, El Quiché, Guatemala. | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Location inGuatemala Quiché and its neighbors:
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| Coordinates:15°1′48″N91°9′0″W / 15.03000°N 91.15000°W /15.03000; -91.15000 | |
| Country |  Guatemala |
| Capital | Santa Cruz del Quiché |
| Largest city | Chichicastenango |
| Municipalities | 21 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Departmental |
| • Governor | Otto Ervin Macz Hó |
| Area | |
• Department | 8,378 km2 (3,235 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 3,200 m (10,500 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 150 m (490 ft) |
| Population (2018)[1] | |
• Department | 949,261 |
| • Urban | 306,569 |
| • Ethnicities | Kʼicheʼ Ixil Uspantek Sakapultek Poqomchiʼ Ladino |
| • Religions | Roman Catholicism Evangelicalism Maya |
| Time zone | UTC-6 |
| ISO 3166 code | GT-QC |
Quiché (Spanish pronunciation:[kiˈtʃe]) is adepartment ofGuatemala. It is in the heartland of theKʼicheʼ (Quiché) people, one of theMaya peoples, to the north-west ofGuatemala City. The capital isSanta Cruz del Quiché. The word Kʼicheʼ comes from the language of the same name, which means "many trees".
Quiché has historically been one of the most populous departments of Guatemala. At the 2018 census it had a population of 949,261.[1]Mayans account for 88.6% of the department's population.[2]Kʼicheʼ people are the largest Mayan ethnic group in the department, and account for 65.1% of the total population.[2] The department is named after them.
While most of its indigenous population speaks theKʼicheʼ (Quiché) language, otherMayan languages spoken in the department areIxil (Nebaj -Chajul -Cotzal area),Uspantek (Uspantán area),Sakapultek (Sacapulas area), as well asPoqomchiʼ andQ'eqchi' in the northeast, bordering theAlta Verapaz department.[3]
The topographical composition of Quiché is dominated by thecentral highlands and the mountain ranges of theSierra de los Cuchumatanes,Sierra de Chuacús, and the foothills of the volcanic mountain range on the department's South-Western border withChimaltenango, 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.[4]
The principaldrainage basins in El Quiché are the Salinas, Motagua, Xaclbal andIxcán river basins. The Salinas river basin (3668 km2), includes theChixoy River which is atributary of theRío Salinas and RíoUsumacinta. The Motagua basin (1042 km2) includes the Río Grande which is an importanttributary of theRío Motagua. The smallerXaclbal (779 km2) andIxcán basins (187 km2) are situated in the North-East of El Quiché.[5] El Quiché has a small number of shallow lakes ("lagunas"):laguna de Lemoa and thelaguna de La Estancia, both inSanta Cruz del Quiché, and thelaguna de San Antonio inSan Antonio Ilotenango.
Places of interest in the department include the town ofChichicastenango and the ruins ofQ'umarkaj. The department has several pre-colonial archeological sites, includingQ'umarkaj (nearSanta Cruz del Quiché),Pascual Abaj (inChichicastenango), Cerro de San Andrés (inSan Andrés Sajcabajá),Chutixtiox (nearSacapulas), Los Cerritos and La Laguna (inCanillá). Most of these sites are used as ceremonial centers in theMaya religion.
Aregional museum can be found in Chichicastenango andNebaj.
Though not as well known as the Santo Tomás church in Chichicastenango most other towns in the department have catholic churches dating from the colonial era.
TheVisis 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 theIxil communities. The creation of protected natural reserves is being considered forEl Amay[6] inChicamán andLa Vega del Zope inChinique.[7]
Crime in the Quiché department is low, the homicide rate of 3 per 100,000 people is more akin to Western Europe than to the Guatemalan region in general.[8]
The department is divided into 21municipalities:
Media related toQuiché Department at Wikimedia Commons
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| Departments in the region |  | |
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| Major rivers and lakes | ||
| International corporation in the area | ||
| Civil War events | ||
| Presidents of Guatemala related to the region | ||
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