Sololá Department
Sololá is one of the twenty-two departments that make up Guatemala, it is located in the South Western region of the country. It limits to the north with Totonicapán and Quiché, to the south with Suchitepéquez, to the east with Chimaltenango; and to the west Suchitepéquez and Quetzaltenango. The departmental capital also called Sololá is located at a distance of 140 kilometers from the capital of Guatemala.
History
Like today, the territory of the department of Sololá was occupied by three peoples, the K'iche', Tz'utujil and Cakchiquel. Until the middle of the xv (between 1425 and 1475), the Quiché and Cakchiquel formed a single political and social organization. During the reign of Quikab the Great, the Cakchiquels were forced to vacate their capital, Chiavar (today Santo Tomas Chichicastenango) and moved to Iximché, after which they fought bloody wars with the Quichés. The Tzutujil people, for their part, were forced to continually fight against these two dominant peoples in the region, with whom they alternated in alliances and wars of constant defense to try to maintain their sovereignty.
The Cakchiquels, like the Quiches, were integrated into lineages. Of the four Cakchiquel lineages, the second most important was that of the Xahil, which exercised dominion over most of the department and had its capital in the town of Tzoloj-já (which means elder water). Initially this headquarters was located in Cakhay, six kilometers from Iximché.
One of the most important indigenous documents is the Memorial of Sololá, also known as Memorial of Tecpán Atitlán, Anales de los Cakchiqueles or Annals of the Xahil. This document was written by two members of the Xahil family, Francisco Hernández Arana and Francisco Díaz, between 1573 and 1610, as a title or evidence for a judicial process.
Colonial era
In April 1524, after the destruction of Q'umarkaj (Utatlán), capital of the K'iche', Pedro de Alvarado was received as a friend by the rulers of Iximché, who asked him for help in the war that they fought against the Tz'utujiles. Alvarado attacked the Tz'utujil capital Tziquinahá or Ajtziquinahay, at the top of the hill fortress of Chutnamit (near what is now Santiago Atitlán) which was taken on April 20, 1524.
At the beginning of Spanish rule, the encomienda regime was introduced to exploit indigenous labor. Alvarado reserved the richest towns for his personal benefit, including Tecpanatitláno Tecpan Atitlán (Sololá) and [Atitlán] (Santiago). In 1540, in compliance with a royal decree of that year, the process of forming Indian towns or reductions began, which was carried out by Franciscan and Dominican missionaries. The town of Sololá was founded on October 30, 1547, the same year that the town of Santiago Atitlán was founded.
In colonial times it was part of a larger territory called the province of Sololá or Atitlán, its head was Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Sololá or Tecpán Atitlán.
It is known that upon the arrival of the Spanish, the Tz'utujiles had established their dominion on the banks of Lake Atitlán. Finding itself at its peak with the coming of these, who finally defeated them and began to establish their dominions throughout this region.
One of the serious problems of the Spanish was what to do to make the indigenous people obey them and be faithful, and they achieved this through evangelization. However, there were not enough friars and the indigenous people were numerous, giving rise to the system of brotherhoods, which still exist today.
In colonial times the township of Tzololá had as reference points from Chichicastenango to Tecojate and from Chimaltenango to Nahualá, which means that the current department occupies only a third of its previous extension.
Independent era: department of Sololá-Suchitepéquez
The State of Guatemala was defined in the following way by the Constituent Assembly of said state that issued its constitution on October 11, 1825: «the state will retain the name of State of Guatemala and it is made up of the peoples of Guatemala, gathered in a single body. The state of Guatemala is sovereign, independent and free in its government and internal administration."
Sololá/Suchitepéquez was one of the original departments of the State of Guatemala in 1825; Its head was the municipality of Sololá and included Joyabaj, Quiché, Atitlán, Suchitepéquez and Cuyotenango.
The districts for the administration of justice that corresponded to the department of Sololá-Suchitepéquez were:
| N.o | District | Circuit | People |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Quetzaltenango | Mazatenango |
|
| 11 | Suchitepéquez | Atitlan |
|
The ephemeral State of Los Altos
As of April 3, 1838, the department of Sololá/Suchitepéquez was part of the region that formed the ephemeral State of Los Altos, which was authorized by the Congress of the Federal Republic of Central America on December 25 of that year, forcing the State of Guatemala to be reorganized into seven departments and two independent districts on September 12, 1839:
- Departments: Chimaltenango, Chiquimula, Escuintla, Guatemala, Mita, Sacatepéquez, and Verapaz
- Districts: Izabal and Petén
The western region of present-day Guatemala had shown intentions to obtain greater autonomy with respect to the authorities of Guatemala City since colonial times, since the local Creoles considered that the capital Creoles who had a commercial monopoly with Spain They were not given fair treatment. Thus, their representative in the Cortes of Cádiz requested the creation of an administration in Los Altos, governed by its own authorities. The Independence of Central America canceled this possibility, but the separatism of the Altenses endured. After the dissolution of the First Mexican Empire and the consequent separation of the United Provinces of Central America, Los Altos continued to seek its separation from Guatemala. There were two conditions that were favorable to the claims of the Altense Creole elite: the creation of a legal framework in the Central American constitution for the formation of new states within the territory of the republic and the arrival to the government of the liberal federalists, led by Francisco Morazan. The Los Altos area was populated mainly by indigenous people, who had maintained their ancestral traditions and their lands in the cold highlands of western Guatemala. Throughout the colonial era, there had been revolts against the Spanish government. After independence, the local mestizos and criollos favored the liberal party, while the indigenous majority was in favor of the Catholic Church and, therefore, conservative.
The indigenous revolts in the State of Los Altos were constant and reached their critical point on October 1, 1839, in Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán, Sololá, when Altense troops repressed an uprising and killed forty residents. Angered, the indigenous people turned to the conservative leader Rafael Carrera, seeking protection. On the other hand, in October 1839 the commercial tension between Guatemala and Los Altos gave way to military movements; There were rumors that General Agustín Guzmán - a Mexican soldier who was in command of the Armed Forces of Los Altos - was organizing an army in Sololá with the intention of invading Guatemala, which put it on maximum alert.
After some skirmishes, the armies faced each other in Sololá on January 25, 1840; Carrera defeated the forces of General Agustín Guzmán and even captured him while General Doroteo Monterrosa defeated the Altense forces of Colonel Antonio Corzo on January 28. The Quetzaltecan government collapsed then, because apart from the military defeats, the indigenous towns embraced the conservative cause immediately; Upon entering Quetzaltenango at the head of two thousand men, Carrera was received by a large crowd that hailed him as their "liberator."
Carrera imposed a harsh and hostile regime for the Altense liberals, but kind for the indigenous people of the region - repealing the personal tax - and for the ecclesiastics, restoring the privileges of the Catholic religion; Calling all the members of the Creole council, he told them flatly that he was kind to them because it was the first time they had challenged him, but that he would have no mercy if there was a second time. General Guzmán, and the head of the State of Los Altos, Marcelo Molina, were sent to the capital of Guatemala, where they were exhibited as war trophies during a triumphal parade on February 17, 1840; in the case of Guzmán, shackled, with wounds still bleeding, and mounted on a mule. On February 26, 1840, the government of Guatemala placed Los Altos under its authority and on August 13, it appointed the region's corregidor, the who also served as general commander of the army and superintendent.
Creation of the department of Quiché
The area that includes the modern department of Quiché was distributed until 1872 between the departments of Sololá/Suchitepéquez and Totonicapán/Huehuetenango. After the Liberal Reform of 1871, the provisional de facto president Miguel García Granados decided to create the department of Quiché to improve the territorial administration of the Republic; The text of the decree is the following:
 Decree No. 72 Considering that the great extent that the Departments of Sololá and Totonicapán have today makes the action of the authorities ineffective, and that it is convenient to remedy this evil and to serve the best public service of those peoples, the creation of a new Department, I have to decree and
Given in Guatemala, on August 12, eight hundred and seventy-two, -Miguel García Granados Secretary of the Interior, Governance and Ecclesiastical Business: Marco Aurelio Soto. |
Geography
Sololá has an area of 1,061 km²
Hydrography
The Department of Sololá is surrounded by 11 rivers, among which the Nahualate River and the Panajachel River, among others, are mentioned for their importance.
Lake Atitlán
The most important hydrographic feature is Lake Atitlán, which is one of the main economic sources of the department, because in addition to being a very attractive tourist center, it provides a lot of commercial support.
On the margins of the lake rise the volcanoes of Atitlán, Tolimán and San Pedro. The lake is located at an altitude of 5000 feet and is 18km long. Its depth varies and in many places it is unknown, however more than 350 m have been probed. Regarding the origin of the Lake, there are two schools of opinion. One of them believes that the lake is an old dead crater and the other that the emergence of the volcanoes interrupted the course of the three rivers that come from the north, which by gathering their waters in the place, gave rise to the lake. The lake has no visible drainage. Several towns that have biblical names surround the lake: Santa Catarina, San Antonio Palopó, San Lucas Tolimán, Santiago Atitlán, San Pedro, San Juan, San Pablo, San Marcos, Santa Cruz La Laguna and others.
One of the characteristics of Lake Atitlán is a strong wind known as Xocomil, which generally occurs at midday, when the warm winds coming from the south collide with the warmer air masses. cold that come from the plateau, forming whirlpools that agitate the waters of the lake, turning them into very strong waves that can capsize boats.
The etymology of Xocomil comes from the Cakchiquel voices Xocom, from jocom = to collect; il = sins, that is, the wind that collects the sins of the inhabitants of the towns located on the shore of the lake.
In addition to the lake, this municipality is irrigated by the Nahualate, Coyolate, Madre Vieja, Mocá rivers and many of their tributaries.
Nahualate River
It is born in the department of Totonicapán, it crosses the departments of Sololá, Suchitepéquez and Escuintla. It is navigable by small boats for about 25 km. Its length is approximately 150 km, its width between 15 to 30 m, and its depth up to 2 m and more. Its main tributaries are the Mocá and Bravo.
Coyolate River
Main article: Coyolate River
It is born in the mountains of Santa Cruz Balanya (Chimaltenango), crosses the municipalities of Patzún, Patzicía and Acatenango, serving as the limit between the departments of Suchitepéquez and Escuintla in the towns of Patulul and Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa. It enters Escuintla and crosses the municipalities of La Gomera and Nueva Concepción and empties into the Pacific near the town of Tecojate. It irrigates large areas of land but is not navigable. With 130 km of extension, it is approximately 25 m wide and 2 m deep.
Old Mother River
It is born near the border between El Quiché, Sololá and Chimaltenango; It serves as the limit between the last two departments, then passing between the municipalities of San Juan Bautista and Patulul.
Orography
The department has a relatively cold climate, although it has a variety of climates due to its topography. The soil is naturally fertile, suitable for a diversity of crops. The rainfall is 2,895.9 mm.
This department is located on the Sierra Madre, so it presents an abrupt landscape, with enormous mountains and deep ravines. The Atitlán, Tolimán and San Pedro Volcanoes make it a place full of attractions.
Plant Life Zones
Despite being a completely mountainous department, in Sololá four topographic zones can be seen according to the classification proposed by Holdridge, which are:
- Forest Very Subtropical Wardrobe Bmh-S(c)
- Forest Humedo Mountain Under Subtropical bh-MB
- Forest Very Húmedo Montano Bajo Subtropical bmh-MB
- Forest Very Húmedo Montano Subtropical bmh-M
Protected Areas
Within the Zones declared as Protected Areas in Sololá are:
- La Cuenca del Lago de Atitlán, which has 62,500 ha, managed by the National Council of Protected Areas CONAP.
- Volcano of Atitlán without even having the size of the surface of the terrain, and is administered by the National Council of Protected Areas CONAP.
- San Pedro Volcano without even counting on the size of the surface of the terrain, and is administered by the National Council of Protected Areas CONAP.
- Volcano Tolimán is not yet the size of the surface of the terrain, and is administered by the National Council of Protected Areas CONAP.
Communication routes
Its main means of communication is the highway that crosses its territory and this is the Inter-American CA-1 that leads to the west to Quetzaltenango until reaching the border with Mexico. It also has National Routes 11 and 15, as well as adequate departmental routes that link the different municipalities with each other and with neighboring departments. It has 152 km of Asphalt, 133 km of Terrace and 99 km of rural roads.
Current Land Use
In the department of Sololá, due to its varied climates, types of soil and the topography of the land, we have that apart from the use that is given to the land for urbanization and construction, its inhabitants plant a great diversity of annual, permanent crops. or semi-permanent, including cereals, vegetables, fruit trees, coffee, (legumes and tuber seeds), etc. In addition, due to the qualities that the department has, some of its inhabitants raise various types of livestock, notably cattle, sheep, horses, goats, etc., dedicating part of these lands to the cultivation of various pastures that serve as food to them. The existence of forests, whether natural, integrated management, mixed, etc., composed of various tree, shrub or creeping species give the department a special touch in its ecosystem and environment, turning it with that natural grace into one of the places typical to be inhabited by not only national, but also foreign visitors. In this way you get an idea of how in this department the use of land is sometimes used intensively and other times passively.
Political division
The department of Sololá is divided into 19 municipalities that are:
|
Solola population according to municipality
| N. | Municipality | Population Census 2018 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | I just... | 88,612 |
| 2 | Nahualá | 75.430 |
| 3 | Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán | 56,981 |
| 4 | Santiago Atilán | 41,877 |
| 5 | San Lucas Tolimán | 29,772 |
| 6 | Saint Lucia Utatlán | 21,284 |
| 7 | Panajachel | 15,077 |
| 8 | San Antonio Palopó | 14,437 |
| 9 | San Andrés Semetabaj | 13,142 |
| 10 | San Juan La Laguna | 12,162 |
| 11 | San Pedro La Laguna | 10,705 |
| 12 | Santa Clara La Laguna | 9,405 |
| 13 | San Pablo La Laguna | 7.299 |
| 14 | Concepción | 6,601 |
| 15 | Santa Cruz La Laguna | 5.820 |
| 16 | San José Chacayá | 4,068 |
| 17 | Santa Catarina Palopó | 3.924 |
| 18 | San Marcos La Laguna | 2,617 |
| 19 | Santa Maria Visitation | 2,370 |
| - |  I just...
| 421,583 |
Development
The human development report published in 2022, The speed of change, a territorial view of human development 2002 – 2019, where the change and progress that has occurred in the country between 2002 was observed and 2019. The Department of Sololá is located in tenth place among the 22 departments in Human Development, being the department that advanced the most between 2002 to 2018, having an HDI of 0.517 to 0.648 b>. Sololá has 3 municipalities with High HDI, 15 municipalities with Medium HDI and 1 municipality with Low HDI. Santa María Visitación was the highest with 0.748 and the lowest was obtained by Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán with 0.547.
| N. | Municipality | IDH 2018 | IDH 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Maria Visitation | 0.748 | 0.646 |
| 2 | Panajachel | 0.737 | 0.654 |
| 3 | San Pedro La Laguna | 0.729 | 0.6612 |
| 4 | San Juan La Laguna | 0.690 | 0.571 |
| 5 | Santa Clara La Laguna | 0.685 | 0.558 |
| 6 | San Andrés Semetabaj | 0.668 | 0.561 |
| 7 | San José Chacayá | 0.667 | 0,543 |
| 8 | San Marcos La Laguna | 0.663 | 0,494 |
| 9 | San Lucas Tolimán | 0.657 | 0,542 |
| 10 | Saint Lucia Utatlán | 0.654 | 0,532 |
| 11 | I just... | 0.649 | 0.524 |
| 12 | San Pablo La Laguna | 0.644 | 0.449 |
| 13 | Santiago Atilán | 0.623 | 0.467 |
| 14 | Santa Catarina Palopó | 0.615 | 0,477 |
| 15 | San Antonio Palopó | 0.608 | 0.480 |
| 16 | Nahualá | 0,607 | 0.470 |
| 17 | Santa Cruz La Laguna | 0.572 | 0.380 |
| 18 | Concepción | 0.560 | 0.414 |
| 19 | Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán | 0.547 | 0.450 |
| - | I just...
| 0.648 | 0.517 |
| N. | Municipality | IDH According to Indicators | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health | Education | Level of Life | ||
| 1 | Santa Maria Visitation | 0.915 | 0.681 | 0.671 |
| 2 | Panajachel | 0.917 | 0.623 | 0,703 |
| 3 | San Pedro La Laguna | 0.928 | 0.620 | 0.673 |
| 4 | San Juan La Laguna | 0,902 | 0.56 | 0.646 |
| 5 | Santa Clara La Laguna | 0.906 | 0.561 | 0.632 |
| 6 | San Andrés Semetabaj | 0.915 | 0.521 | 0.626 |
| 7 | San José Chacayá | 0.888 | 0.541 | 0.617 |
| 8 | San Marcos La Laguna | 0.905 | 0,485 | 0.665 |
| 9 | San Lucas Tolimán | 0.891 | 0,512 | 0.623 |
| 10 | Saint Lucia Utatlán | 0,902 | 0.510 | 0.608 |
| 11 | I just... | 0.886 | 0.484 | 0.639 |
| 12 | San Pablo La Laguna | 0.849 | 0.519 | 0,607 |
| 13 | Santiago Atilán | 0.910 | 0.418 | 0.635 |
| 14 | Santa Catarina Palopó | 0.889 | 0.437 | 0.599 |
| 15 | San Antonio Palopó | 0,872 | 0.438 | 0.588 |
| 16 | Nahualá | 0.840 | 0.461 | 0.5577 |
| 17 | Santa Cruz La Laguna | 0.866 | 0.376 | 0.573 |
| 18 | Concepción | 0.819 | 0.370 | 0.579 |
| 19 | Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán | 0.830 | 0.357 | 0.552 |
| - | I just...
| 0.885 | 0.498 | 0.621 |
Population living in the department according to HDI
| N. | Municipality | IDH 2018 | Population | According to Development |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Maria Visitation | 0.748 | 2,370 | 28,152 |
| 2 | Panajachel | 0.737 | 15,077 | |
| 3 | San Pedro La Laguna | 0.729 | 10,705 | |
| 4 | San Juan La Laguna | 0.690 | 12,162 | 336.450 |
| 5 | Santa Clara La Laguna | 0.685 | 9,405 | |
| 6 | San Andrés Semetabaj | 0.668 | 13,142 | |
| 7 | San José Chacayá | 0.667 | 4,068 | |
| 8 | San Marcos La Laguna | 0.663 | 2,617 | |
| 9 | San Lucas Tolimán | 0.657 | 29,772 | |
| 10 | Saint Lucia Utatlán | 0.654 | 21,284 | |
| 11 | I just... | 0.649 | 88,612 | |
| 12 | San Pablo La Laguna | 0.644 | 7.299 | |
| 13 | Santiago Atilán | 0.623 | 41,877 | |
| 14 | Santa Catarina Palopó | 0.615 | 3.924 | |
| 15 | San Antonio Palopó | 0.608 | 14,437 | |
| 16 | Nahualá | 0,607 | 75.430 | |
| 17 | Santa Cruz La Laguna | 0.572 | 5.820 | |
| 18 | Concepción | 0.560 | 6,601 | |
| 19 | Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán | 0.547 | 56,981 | 56,981 |
| - | I just...
| 0.648 | ||
Customs and Traditions
The titular fair is held in the capital of Sololá on August 15, and the festival called Nim Akij Sololá is celebrated, which means The Great Day of Sololá.
In this department there is a deep-rooted religious syncretism, since they venerate both Jesus Christ and all the saints of the Catholic Church as well as the World God, the Owner of the Hill, the Spirits of the ancestors, etc. The Catholic Church is presided over by bishops and priests, and the ancestral religion is presided over by the Xamanes or as the Mayan priests are currently called.
In Sololá about the veneration that is done, especially in Santiago Atitlán, of an image known as Maximón, considered an important element in the religion of the indigenous people and that has also transcended among the Ladinos, which is venerated in several communities from Guatemala.
Something important within the Catholic religion is the existence of brotherhoods and the services provided in the church itself. Various brotherhoods operate in each community, providing help and services to their members, in addition to worshiping their deities or patron saints.
One of the most traditional customs among the indigenous people of the department of Sololá consists of the request for a hand and marriage, which initially has the characteristics of a social pact, as it is later legalized through civil and religious marriage.
In this department its indigenous people also perform their folk dances when the main fair of each of its municipalities takes place.
It is one of the few places in Guatemala (San Pedro La Laguna), where you can still find 'bone workers', people with the ability to move the position of a bone in the body with their hands, to relieve pain in a joint or bone; This skill has been passed down from generation to generation since pre-Columbian times.
Language
In this department, in addition to speaking Spanish, three Mayan languages are also spoken, K'iché, Tz'utujil and Kaqchikel.
Economy
One of the main sources of the economy of this department is Lake Atitlán, since apart from being a tourist center of great importance, it serves as a means of social and commercial communication between the towns on the shore, at the same time which supplies the inhabitants with fish, crabs, plant species such as coots and tulle for the production of artisanal items. This lake produces a species of very small fish known locally as "skate" which constitutes an exquisite dish in the diet of both Ladinos and indigenous people.
In the economy, the agricultural products that its inhabitants cultivate also play an important role, the main one being coffee, also producing corn, sugar cane, beans, wheat, barley, potatoes, legumes, etc.
This department also has the breeding of different types of livestock, such as cattle, horses and sheep, making this department one of the largest producers of wool nationwide.
It is important to highlight that in this department, apart from the customs and traditions of their ancestors, the craftsmanship that was the main legacy left to its aborigines is still preserved, producing typical fabrics, wood and leather products; One of the most representative crafts is the manufacture of grinding stones and wooden furniture made by the indigenous people of Nahualá, which are widely used throughout the central and western highlands. It is from this same municipality that the articles and ornaments that They are made from wheat straw.
In the department of Sololá (100% of its population) there is 80.9% in poverty or 39.9% in extreme poverty according to UNDP 2014 data [1]
Tourist and Archaeological Centers
The tourist center of greatest attraction for this department are: the beaches on the shore of Lake Atitlán, located in the following towns: Panajachel, Santiago Atitlán, San Lucas Tolimán, San Antonio Palopó, and other towns located on the shore of the lake as well as the recreational and ecological center of Chuira-Chamoló located in the municipality of Santa Clara la Laguna, route that leads to Quetzaltenango, which is constantly visited by national and foreign tourists, Cero Pecul Aldea Xejuyup, which is also visited by tourists Domestic and foreign.
This department has many historical and archaeological centers that are an attraction for its national and foreign visitors.
Gastronomy
There is a variety in gastronomy as several typical dishes are included such as: The traditional chicken or beef Pulik when there are special celebrations such as the different brotherhoods, among them the following stand out: The bullfight of the Child every January 6, celebration of the Three Kings Day, The celebration of Assumption Day; The torrejas when it is Semana Mayor or Holy Week, the chickpea candy and the jocotes in honey, elotes, güisquiles, cooked for the day of the dead. Another tradition in Sololá is the famous tabal and the banquet also celebrated on December 8th of each year.
Institutions
Among the most recognized institutions in the department of Sololá, is the Saprissa Social and Sports Club, an institution that works to promote sports, culture and the arts in the department. During the last fifty years it has been an important bastion of social development in the department of Sololá, providing opportunities to young people and developing important projects with great social impact.[citation required]