Siguatepeque

Siguatepeque is a municipality and city in the department of Comayagua in the Republic of Honduras.

Toponymy

Siguatepeque comes from the word of Nahuatl origin cihualtepetl, "cihuatl" (woman) + "tepetl" (hill) which means: "the hill of beautiful women".

Limits

Siguatepeque is located north of the Montecillos Biological Reserve, on the central plateau of Honduras, in the central region, between the two main cities, such as: Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. Distant 114 kilometers from the first and 139 kilometers from the second.

It is located on a high plateau, surrounded by green pine forests that still oxygenate the city, forming part of the department of Comayagua, rising between 1000 and 1200 m above sea level. n. m. Its location is 14° 36' 0" north latitude and 87° 49' 60" west longitude, with its municipality having a territorial area of 392.2 km².

Currently it has a toll from the COVI company, at the entrance to the city which allows access to the highway towards Intibucá and towards Lake Yojoa.

• Altitude: 1,066 m s. n. m.
• Area: 392.2 km2.
• Latitude: 14° 36′ 0′ N
• Length: 87° 49′ 60′′ O

Siguatepeque has a privileged location since it is located between the two main cities of Honduras. (Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula).

History

The current location of Siguatepeque was inhabited by indigenous people of the Lenca ethnic group, who lived in straw houses and on the banks of rivers and streams. Some utensils have been found from this human group, such as grinding stones, vessels, vases, pots, room decoration objects, and images of deities of different shapes and sizes.

On December 7, 1537, the advance Alonso de Cáceres toured the town with his Spanish troops, finding indigenous people living on the slopes and savannahs surrounding the Calanterique hill and also on the banks of the streams: Guique and Guaratoro. According to Father Vallejo; Siguatepeque is believed to have been initially founded by Indians of Lenca origin, around the year 1689. By the year 1788, Siguatepeque was part of a parish of six brotherhoods and had the following villages: Jaitique, Meámbar and Taulabé. There are two registers of the parish of Siguatepeque in the Ecclesiastical Archive of Comayagua, dated 1796.

The oldest record book of the time that has been found dates back to 1850, forming part of the municipality's archive. On April 14, 1861, Siguatepeque was given the status of municipality of the department of Comayagua. Initially it was given the name of San José de Siguatepeque. By the year 1889, the village of Meambar was lost as a municipality, which in turn became a municipality. That same year (1889), Siguatepeque became the religious capital of the country when the Bishop of Honduras, Fray Manuel Francisco Vélez, settled there, who had acquired the property that was the old building of the Genaro Muñoz Hernández Institute, which was At that time, it was a retirement home for the priests of his parish.

In 1847, the population already had its first Municipal Government, chaired by Don Juan Francisco Martínez, this was at the time when Doctor Juan Lindo held the presidency of the republic, when the city of Comayagua was the capital of Honduras.

On April 9, 1926, the National Congress conferred the title of City, with Doctor Miguel Paz Barahona being President of Honduras and Mr. Darío Velásquez Castellanos, serving as mayor of the city, with Mr. Domingo Meza Discua being its Trustee.

Demography

Siguatepeque has a current population of 110,292 inhabitants. Of the total population, 46.6% are men and 53.4% are women. Almost 79.2% of the population lives in urban areas.

Most of the villages that make up this municipality are of Lenca origin (belonging to the towns of Mayan tradition).

Political division

• Villages: 29 (2013)
• Caseros: 103 (2013)

Climate

Siguatepeque has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen, Cwa), due to its altitude, its variations between the humid and dry and cool seasons are well marked, as there is a monsoon in the former—which It gives rise to hot and humid summers, and dry and cool winters. It has an average temperature of 19 °C. Due to its latitude, the temperature does not usually vary much throughout the year. In the coldest month, January, the average is 17.2°C, and the warmest month, May, is 22.0°C. Phenomena such as frost are almost unknown in the area, but they can happen. Hailstorms are more recurrent, but they also occur in isolated cases.

Average climate parameters of El Socorro Siguatepeque Honduras (1,210 m)
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Temp. max. abs. (°C)	28.4	29.0	32.0	33.8	29.0	28.0	27.5	27.6	27.5	27.2	27.2	25.3	32.7
Average temperature (°C)	23.6	26.7	28.9	29.0	29.3	27.9	27.6	27.8	27.6	25.8	24.0	23.8	26.8
Average temperature (°C)	17.3	19.0	19.2	21.5	23.1	22.5	21.5	20.2	20.0	19.9	18.2	17.2	20
Temp. medium (°C)	13.1	14.4	15.0	15.5	17.1	17.7	17.7	17.7	17.7	15.1	13.9	13.8	14.1
Temp. min. abs. (°C)	0.3	0.2	8.0	11.8	16.0	15.6	13.4	13.0	12.4	10.2	5.2	7.6	7.5
Total precipitation (mm)	21.6	20.0	20.9	59.7	120.1	127.8	137.0	116.7	100.1	79.5	58.9	21.8	884.1
Rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm)	11	7	7	9	15	18	18	20	20	20	15	9	169
Relative humidity (%)	71.5	71.0	72.0	75.5	76.0	76.0	74.0	73.5	73.5	76.0	76.5	73.5	74.1
Source: Climate-Data.org

Economy

It is marked for being an important regional agricultural center, in which the commercialization and transformation of typical agricultural products of the area is carried out such as corn, beans, coffee, sugar cane, fruits (horticulture), Livestock farming also has notable development, especially in the cattle sector.

Specialized industries are few, among them maquila, tanning, forestry industries and the production of concentrates, the others being semi-industrialized or artisanal, such as: fruit packaging, food products, confectionery, pottery and others.

Commerce has a very noticeable growth rate and currently old buildings are being transformed into modern shopping centers.

Politics

Municipal mayors

Municipal Government of Siguatepeque 2022-2026

Tourism

Due to its climate, because it is between the two most important cities in the country and because of all the facilities it offers, it has become an attractive area for tourism and investments.

Some places are actually in Siguatepeque

• San Juan Experimental Park: Pícnic and hikes
• Calanterique Forest: Nice Forest to spend in family, hiking and seeing the city from above.
• Central Park: Place of recreation close to the Municipality and the Catholic Church.
• Casa de la Cultura: Modern building that shelters the artistic-cultural manifestations of the city, in whose vicinity there are wide recreation areas such as football and basketball fields.
• Sculpture Park: A collection of stone sculptures by various local and international artists.
• Murals in 360 degrees by the artist Gustavo Rivas: Located in the vicinity of the House of Culture.
• Camping El Ovejo
• Leke ́s recreational center a place to enjoy and relax in Siguatepeque

Many national and foreign tourists do medical tourism in Siguatepeque due to its beautiful climate and being in the central highlands, ideal for spending a day.

Sports

Club Atlético Independiente is the club that represents the city in the Honduras Promotion League. It plays its games at the Roberto Martínez Avila Stadium.

Water supply

The city is supplied with water from several wells and small dams in several streams. Surface water is treated in two treatment plants, called Guaratoro and Rosental Oliva. The deterioration of the vegetation cover, livestock and human settlements in the micro-basins above the surface water intakes affect its quality and its availability in summer. As in many parts of Honduras, water service reaches users only a few hours each day and there are no meters in home connections.

Until October 2008, Siguatepeque's water system has been managed by the National Aqueduct and Sewage Company (SANAA). After the transfer of the system to Aguas de Siguatepeque, a decentralized administrative unit of the municipality, they have been reduced significantly reduce operating costs, particularly the electricity bill. The NGO Geologists of the World of Spain (web) has assisted in the analysis of the factors of high electrical energy consumption by well pumps. With financing from the World Bank, a pump has been replaced, which has contributed to the reduction of electricity consumption.

A Municipal Water and Sanitation Commission (COMAS) made up of representatives of civil society and the Municipal Corporation has accompanied the process of transferring the water system, supervises and advises the work of Aguas de Siguatepeque and is socializing water protection measures. microbasins and water economy in the community.