Concepción Las Minas
Encyclopedia
Concepción Las Minas is a municipality
in southern Chiquimula department
of Guatemala
in Central America
.
. The municipal fiesta
is held at the end of February and is in honor of the Virgin.
, to the south by El Salvador
and to the west by the Jutiapa Department of Guatemala. It is only to the north that it is connected with the rest of Chiquimula Department, namely the municipalities of Quetzaltepeque to the north and Esquipulas
to the northeast.
The municipality lies on the Monte Cristo Massif with its highest point being the Monte Cristo volcano, known as Trifino de Monte Cristo (2194 metres (7,198 ft)) which Guatemala shares with El Salvador and Honduras. It has five mountain ranges and nineteen peaks. Most of the streams in the area, like the Rio Seco, are ephemeral; however, even though their flow is considerably diminished in the dry season the Rio Frio, the Rio Anguiatú and the Rio Grande de Zacapa do not go completely dry. Most of the former forested areas in the municipality have been converted to grasslands for cattle raising, but some forests remain, particularly at the higher elevations. The forests are mostly pine, with some mixed hardwoods. The only protected area is the Trifinio biosphere reserve
, which is also known as the Biosfera de la Fraternidad.
in the United States
.
Municipalities of Guatemala
The departments of Guatemala are divided into 332 municipalities or municipios. The municipalities are listed below, by department:-Alta Verapaz Department:*Cahabón*Chahal*Chisec*Cobán*Fray Bartolomé de las Casas*Lanquín*Panzós*Raxruha...
in southern Chiquimula department
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...
in Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
.
History
Concepción Las Minas was recognized as a municipality on 8 June 1893 by decree of President José María Reyna Barrios; however the current municipality and its boundaries was created on 17 April 1972. The municipality owes its double-barreled name to the local mines, where in colonial times lead, copper, iron and silver were extracted, and to the local church which is dedicated to the Virgin of the ConceptionImmaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception of Mary is a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church, according to which the Virgin Mary was conceived without any stain of original sin. It is one of the four dogmata in Roman Catholic Mariology...
. The municipal fiesta
Fiesta
Fiesta, a Spanish word that means "party", "feast" or "festival", may refer to:-Film:*Fiesta , a 1941 American film directed by LeRoy Prinz*Fiesta , a 1947 MGM film starring Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalbán-Music:...
is held at the end of February and is in honor of the Virgin.
Geography
Politically, the Concepción Las Minas municipality is bounded to the east by HondurasHonduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, to the south by El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
and to the west by the Jutiapa Department of Guatemala. It is only to the north that it is connected with the rest of Chiquimula Department, namely the municipalities of Quetzaltepeque to the north and Esquipulas
Esquipulas
Esquipulas is a town in the Guatemalan departmentof Chiquimula on the border with Honduras. It serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name...
to the northeast.
The municipality lies on the Monte Cristo Massif with its highest point being the Monte Cristo volcano, known as Trifino de Monte Cristo (2194 metres (7,198 ft)) which Guatemala shares with El Salvador and Honduras. It has five mountain ranges and nineteen peaks. Most of the streams in the area, like the Rio Seco, are ephemeral; however, even though their flow is considerably diminished in the dry season the Rio Frio, the Rio Anguiatú and the Rio Grande de Zacapa do not go completely dry. Most of the former forested areas in the municipality have been converted to grasslands for cattle raising, but some forests remain, particularly at the higher elevations. The forests are mostly pine, with some mixed hardwoods. The only protected area is the Trifinio biosphere reserve
Trifinio biosphere reserve
The Trifinio biosphere reserve is located where El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras meet their border, thus the prefix tri in its name. It covers an area of 221 km² and was created in 1987 to protect the Montecristo's cloud forest and its rare flora and fauna...
, which is also known as the Biosfera de la Fraternidad.
Economy
The municipality exports cattle and other livestock, but relies heavily on remittances from emigresÉmigré
Émigré is a French term that literally refers to a person who has "migrated out", but often carries a connotation of politico-social self-exile....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
External links
- "Concepción las Minas, Chiquimula" Official website
- "Concep. Las Mina Google Satellite Map" Maplandia World Gazetteer