Olopa
Encyclopedia
Olopa is a municipality
in the Chiquimula department
of Guatemala
. The 16,000 residents of Olopa reside in 1 town (Olopa) and 29 villages.
It is bordered on the north by the municipality of Jocotán
, on the south and east by Esquipulas
, and on the west by Quezaltepeque
and San Juan Hermitage. It has a subtropical climate.
but was invaded by tribes of the Anáhuac
mexicanas. In April or May of 1860, the Capuchin Fathers, who had evangelized in the eastern of the country, donated to the inhabitants of the valley of Olopa an "Image of the Divine Shepherd" and constructed a church, made of straw. In March 1870, according to the Corregidor de Chiquimula Don Juan Peralta Baptist, Olopa was an indigenous town, with a pajiza church, and a resident Catholic Priest. On 1870-11-25 Don Juan Peralta Baptist authorized the establishment of Olopa as a municipality.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in the 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...
. The 16,000 residents of Olopa reside in 1 town (Olopa) and 29 villages.
It is bordered on the north by the municipality of Jocotán
Jocotán
Jocotán is a municipality in the Chiquimula department of Guatemala.This town is the location of Radio Chortis, a Roman Catholic radio station funded by Belgian and German Catholics. It broadcasts primarily in Spanish, but there are a few hours a week in the Chortis language, which is still spoken...
, on the south and east by 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...
, and on the west by Quezaltepeque
Quezaltepeque, Chiquimula
Quezaltepeque is a municipality in the Chiquimula department of Guatemala. There are approximately 5,000 inhabitants. The local economy is based on agriculture. Agricultural products include coffee, maize and beans. As of 1993, there was a working telegraph terminal there in the post...
and San Juan Hermitage. It has a subtropical climate.
History
Olopa was originally inhabited by the Ch'orti'Ch'orti' people
The Ch'orti' people are one of the indigenous Maya peoples, who primarily reside in communities and towns of southeastern Guatemala, northwestern Honduras, and northern El Salvador. Their indigenous language, also known as Ch'orti', is a survival of Classic Choltian, the language of the...
but was invaded by tribes of the Anáhuac
Anahuac
Anahuac is an ancient name for a Mesoamerican, particularly Aztec, area or areas, usually identified as located within or even coterminous with the Valley of Mexico...
mexicanas. In April or May of 1860, the Capuchin Fathers, who had evangelized in the eastern of the country, donated to the inhabitants of the valley of Olopa an "Image of the Divine Shepherd" and constructed a church, made of straw. In March 1870, according to the Corregidor de Chiquimula Don Juan Peralta Baptist, Olopa was an indigenous town, with a pajiza church, and a resident Catholic Priest. On 1870-11-25 Don Juan Peralta Baptist authorized the establishment of Olopa as a municipality.
Climate
Olapa is located between the 1,300 and 1,600 meters above sea level, with an average of 130 days of rain per year. Temperature varies between 18 and 25 degrees Celsius.External links
- Chiquimula Online article on Olopa