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REGION 7 - Northwest
Conformed by the Departments of Huehuetenango and Quiché

  •  Name of the department: Huehuetenango
  • Department's Capital: Huehuetenango
  • Extension. 7,403 km2
  • Municipiums: Huehuetenango, Aguacatán, Barillas, Colotenango, Concepción, Cuilco, Chiantla, Jacaltenango, La Democracia, La Libertad, Malacatancito, Nentón, San Antonio Huista, San Gaspar Ixchil, San Ildefonso, Ixtahuacán, San Juan Atitlán, San Juan Ixcoy, San Mateo Ixtatán, San Miguel Acatan, San Pedro Necta, San Rafael La Independencia, San Rafael Petzal, San Sebastián Coatán, San Sebastián Huehuetenango, Santa Ana Huista, Santa Bárbara, Santa Eulalia, Santiago Chimaltenango, Soloma, Tectitán, Todos Santos Cuchumatán, Unión Cantinil.
  • Climate: Cold
  • Altitude. 1,901 mts above sea level
  • Population: 846,544
  • Demography. 114 inhabitants per Km2
  • Urban population. 22.7
  • Rural population: 77.3
  • Population per gender: Men: 411,320. Women: 435,224
  • Population per ethnic group: Indigenous: 551,295. non-indigenous: 295,249
  • Literacy: 383,757 (population of 7 years of age and more)
  • Economically-Active Population: 221,884
  • Creation of the Department: By decree on May 8, 1866.
  • Tourism:

1) Chiantla: Within the economic activities that the people from Chiantla are dedicated to are the bronze handcrafts shops. They venerate the Virgen of Candelaria, which is represented with an image with a silver gown that is the object of devotion of the pilgrims that come from several parts. This image is located inside the church that was built early on century XVIII.

2) Todos Santos Cuchumatanes: The festivities of this place starts on October 23 and ends in November 3, is very colorful and starts in the cemetery where the old people implore the souls of the dead people and are offered with food and flowers. The origin of this community is Mayan-Mam and they still follow the Mayan calendar of 260 days. At one side of the church is located a museum where the local traditions are shown, as well as the ruins of Tecumanche from the post-classic period.

3) Zaculeu: In a hill surrounded by precipices is located the archeological site of Zaculeu from the pre-classic period. This site was the capital city of the Mames until the arrival of the Spaniards back in 1525. Here you can appreciate a series of plazas, stepped pyramids, temples and ball game. Also you can visit a small museum which shows pottery pieces and human skeletons.

4) Blue Unicorn. Perfect for those who love horse rides. You can make close rides or make journeys of several days to know the mountains of the region.

5) Maxbal Lagoon: Is perfect for those who love the adventure and bird watching, Maxbal is a beautiful lagoon inside the few humid tropical forests of the region where is possible to appreciate the quetzal, which is the national bird.

6) Yolnabaj Lagoon and the Cimarrón: To visit these adventure places, you have to reach Nenton and then take a terraceria (off-road) road of about 80 kms. The Cimarron is a huge rocky precipice of 150 mts of depth by 170 mts of diameter, which has at the bottom a silent forest that has considerable high trees. The Yolnabaj Lagoon or also known as the Brava Lagoon, has an area of 5 km2 surrounded by vegetation making a contrast with the color of the water.

7) San Mateo Ixtatán: Tipical village famous for the beautiful huipiles (shirts) used by the women. One of the economic activities of this place are the salt mines that are allowed to be visited.

8) San Francisco: This small archeological site has a small and well conserved pyramid and close to it you can watch crosses that reminds you the tough situation lived by the people of this place during the repression years.

  • Name of the department: Quiché
  • Department's Capital: Santa Cruz del Quiché
  • Extension. 8,378 km2
  • Municipiums: Santa Cruz del Quiché, Canilla, Chajul, Chicamán, Chiché, Chichicastenango, Chinique, Cunén, Joyabaj, Nebaj, Pachalum, Patzité, Playa Grande, Ixcan, Sacapulas, San Andrés Sajcabalá, San Antonio Ilotenango, San Bartolomé Jocotenango, San Juan Cotzal, San Pedro Jocopilas, Uspantán, Zacualpa.
  • Climate: Cold
  • Altitude. 2,021 mts above sea level
  • Population: 655,510
  • Demography. 78 inhabitants per Km2
  • Urban population. 24.7
  • Rural population: 75.3
  • Population per gender: Men: 317,096. Women: 338,414
  • Population per ethnic group: Indigenous: 581,996. non-indigenous: 73,514
  • Literacy: 247,404 (population of 7 years of age and more)
  • Economically-Active Population: 161,731
  • Creation of the Department: October, 12 - 1,825
  • Tourism:

1) Chichicastenango: Is located only 38 kms from Lake Atitlan at the department of Quiché at a height of 2020 mts. Every Thursday and Sunday there is market located at the main plaza, where is possible to buy a variety of articles such as shirts, ponchos, table cloths, objects made out of clay, wooden masks, etc. The famous church of Saint Thomas was built In Chichicastenango (place of nettle) over the rests of an archeological site in the middle of XVI century where father Francisco Ximenez discovered the sacred book of the Quichés, the Popol Vuh. The altar-pieces of the church are from the XVII century and in the main altar is found the image of the apostle Saint Thomas, patron saint of the place. This church is famous because of the religious syincretism, where the catholic religious and the Mayan religious are combined.

2) Pascual Abaj Hill: The oratory of Pascual Abaj is located on top of a small hill not far away from chichicastenango. Here they make Mayan ceremonies where they make offerings to the figure of the engraved stone, which represents Pascual Abaj, considered by some of the villagers as a god.

3) Gumarchaj: Also called Utatlán, was the former capital city of the Mayan-Quiché kingdom, located at four kms from the department's capital.


 
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