San José Acatempa
Encyclopedia
San José Acatempa is 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 Jutiapa 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...

. One of the first towns founded by the Spanish conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...

s in 1525 under the command of General Don Pedro de Alvarado
Pedro de Alvarado
Pedro de Alvarado y Contreras was a Spanish conquistador and governor of Guatemala. He participated in the conquest of Cuba, in Juan de Grijalva's exploration of the coasts of Yucatan and the Gulf of Mexico, and in the conquest of Mexico led by Hernan Cortes...

 y Contreras, which was on route to conquer the region of the old kingdom of Cuzcatlan, now parts of southeastern 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...

 and the republic of 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...

. The town was previously known by the name of Azacualpa, and during the colonial period, the region was known as Valle de Zacualpa. San José Acatempa received its current name in 1944 by order of General Jorge Ubico
Jorge Ubico
Jorge Ubico y Castañeda was a Guatemalan dictator who held the title of President of Guatemala from 14 February 1931 to 4 July 1944.-Early years:...

.

History

According to historical records, the region was originally occupied by indigenous people that were either annihilated or expelled by groups of families of conquistadors. These pioneers were self denominated as gypsies from Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

 and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

 speakers, some hungarians were Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...

 but the majority belonged to the romani ethnicity that were mixed with Spaniards that originated mainly from Navarra, País Vasco, and Andalucia. This explains the small proportion of individuals with light dark skin, a characteristic of people with Mediterranean origin. Another discussed hypothesis asserts that those romani may have arrived to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 from Jewish descendants passing through Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

 and Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...

. Among the original families of which took over the lands of San José Acatempa include the family surnames of: Cano, Castillo, García, Jiménez, Pernillo, Pineda, Boteo, among others. The surname of Segura was added later, which according to records began by the arrival of the colonel of the colonial Spanish army Carlos Segura in the early 19th century. Coronel Segura later took the commanding officer position of the army in Azacualpa.

Culture

Currently, San José Acatempa is a municipality with an estimated population of approximately 11,000; since the foundation of the municipality, in 1525, migration has occurred to departments in the oriental region and the capital of the country, Guatemala city
Guatemala City
Guatemala City , is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala and Central America...

. It is believed that at least 4,000 people have migrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 from the 1960s alone, such migration has been driven by economic reasons and search for educational opportunities. Jokingly, people states that there are more Acatempans in USA than the town itself.

In general, people from Acatempa have great appreciation for horsemanship. The population is primarily dedicated to the cultivation of coffee. Historically, high proportion among male adults find jobs in the army, police forces, and private security companies. In contrast, women tend to work in domestic duties. Culturally, males accustom to dress cowboy style and women dress very conservative. Both males and females show preference for ranchera music, and this, makes the guitar and accordion the most popular played instruments in the municipality. Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

is the spoken language, and it is characterized by common usage of old Spanish/Castilian forms. The people of Acatempa are known for their genuine hospitality, they receive visitors with open arms.

Major Problems

Major problems of the municipality include but not limited to: violent crimes, land tenure, scarcity of water, contaminated river, lack of agricultural extension services, health care services, and extreme poverty.

Palacio Municipal

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