San Martín Sacatepéquez
Encyclopedia
San Martín Sacatepéquez is one of 24 municipalities in the department
of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
. San Martín Sacatepéquez has a surface area of 100 km2. The center of the town is situated at 2,450 meters above sea level
. According to the most recent government survey, the population of the municipality is 28,926 people.
chain that divides the Western Highlands of Guatemala
from the coastal plain
. Just below the volcanic chain, to the southwest, the rich Boca Costa (piedmont) soils extend toward the Pacific Ocean
. The Boca Costa occupies the warmer more tropical lands from 300 to 1800 meters above sea level. To the northeast lies the altiplano, the elevated pumice
-laden volcanic highlands. The altiplano encompasses the colder territory found at higher elevations, ranging from 1800 meters above sea level
to the peak of the Siete Orejas Volcano
, San Martín’s highest point at 3370 meters above sea level.
As is true throughout much of the highlands of Guatemala, in San Martín weather is divided into two seasons: the rainy season -- which lasts from early May to early November -- and the dry season -- which lasts from early November to early May.
of Maya
, Mam
descent. Linguistically, San Martín is part of the Southern Mam speaking
region of Guatemala. The town is also known as San Martín Chile Verde, due to the large quantity of green chili peppers its farmers historically grew and brought to Quetzaltenango to sell. The Laguna Chicabal
, a crater lake
and holy site for the Mam
, is located within the municipal boundary of San Martín. San Martín is also notable due to the colorful traditional garb (known in Guatemala as traje) still worn by the residents. Although most Maya men throughout Guatemala have adopted Western clothing, a large population of men in San Martín still wear traje.
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 Quetzaltenango, 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...
. San Martín Sacatepéquez has a surface area of 100 km2. The center of the town is situated at 2,450 meters above sea level
Meters above sea level
Meters above sea Level is a standard metric measurement of the elevation of a location in reference to historic mean sea level; the determination of what actually constitutes mean sea level over time however, may be determined by other parameters, such as the effects of climate history and climate...
. According to the most recent government survey, the population of the municipality is 28,926 people.
Geography
San Martín Sacatepéquez is located on the edge of the volcanicVolcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
chain that divides the Western Highlands of Guatemala
Guatemalan Highlands
The Guatemalan Highlands is an upland region in southern Guatemala, lying between the Sierra Madre de Chiapas to the south and the Petén lowlands to the north....
from the coastal plain
Coastal plain
A coastal plain is an area of flat, low-lying land adjacent to a seacoast and separated from the interior by other features. One of the world's longest coastal plains is located in eastern South America. The southwestern coastal plain of North America is notable for its species diversity...
. Just below the volcanic chain, to the southwest, the rich Boca Costa (piedmont) soils extend toward the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. The Boca Costa occupies the warmer more tropical lands from 300 to 1800 meters above sea level. To the northeast lies the altiplano, the elevated pumice
Pumice
Pumice is a textural term for a volcanic rock that is a solidified frothy lava typically created when super-heated, highly pressurized rock is violently ejected from a volcano. It can be formed when lava and water are mixed. This unusual formation is due to the simultaneous actions of rapid...
-laden volcanic highlands. The altiplano encompasses the colder territory found at higher elevations, ranging from 1800 meters above sea level
Meters above sea level
Meters above sea Level is a standard metric measurement of the elevation of a location in reference to historic mean sea level; the determination of what actually constitutes mean sea level over time however, may be determined by other parameters, such as the effects of climate history and climate...
to the peak of the Siete Orejas Volcano
Volcán Siete Orejas
Volcán Siete Orejas is a stratovolcano in Guatemala located in the department of Quetzaltenango The volcano has 7 peaks, set around a large crater of which the southern side appears to have collapsed...
, San Martín’s highest point at 3370 meters above sea level.
As is true throughout much of the highlands of Guatemala, in San Martín weather is divided into two seasons: the rainy season -- which lasts from early May to early November -- and the dry season -- which lasts from early November to early May.
Culture
San Martín Sacatepéquez is predominantly inhabited by Indigenous peoplesIndigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
of Maya
Maya peoples
The Maya people constitute a diverse range of the Native American people of southern Mexico and northern Central America. The overarching term "Maya" is a collective designation to include the peoples of the region who share some degree of cultural and linguistic heritage; however, the term...
, Mam
Mam people
The Mam are a Native American people in the western highlands of Guatemala and in south-western Mexico.Most Mam live in Guatemala, in the departments of Huehuetenango, San Marcos, and Quetzaltenango...
descent. Linguistically, San Martín is part of the Southern Mam speaking
Mam language
Mam is a Mayan language with almost 480,000 speakers as of 2002, spoken in the Mexican state of Chiapas and the Guatemalan departments of Quetzaltenango, Huehuetenango and San Marcos....
region of Guatemala. The town is also known as San Martín Chile Verde, due to the large quantity of green chili peppers its farmers historically grew and brought to Quetzaltenango to sell. The Laguna Chicabal
Laguna Chicabal
Laguna Chicabal is a Guatemalan lake sacred to the Mam Mayan people. The lake is located in the municipal boundary of the town of San Martín Sacatepéquez in the department of Quetzaltenango. A crater lake, Laguna Chicabal was formed in the crater of Volcán Chicabal at an elevation of 2,712 meters...
, a crater lake
Crater lake
A crater lake is a lake that forms in a volcanic crater or caldera, such as a maar; less commonly and with lower association to the term a lake may form in an impact crater caused by a meteorite. Sometimes lakes which form inside calderas are called caldera lakes, but often this distinction is not...
and holy site for the Mam
Mam people
The Mam are a Native American people in the western highlands of Guatemala and in south-western Mexico.Most Mam live in Guatemala, in the departments of Huehuetenango, San Marcos, and Quetzaltenango...
, is located within the municipal boundary of San Martín. San Martín is also notable due to the colorful traditional garb (known in Guatemala as traje) still worn by the residents. Although most Maya men throughout Guatemala have adopted Western clothing, a large population of men in San Martín still wear traje.