Jocotenango

Jocotenango was initially an agricultural field, set up after the Spanish conquest by Adelantado, Pedro de Alvarado, as it was specified in his will, which read: "Called the lords and principals of the town that he had assigned to him, and ask that each one of them give him a certain number of families, and with them he created that settlement; he freed them and donated to them their land; and as the first natives who gathered there were from Utatlán, the town was called Utateca". So was founded the Santiago Utateca settlement.{{sfn|Juarros|1818|p=343}} After the destruction of the old kingdom capital on 11 September 1541, the city was moved to Panchoy valley, and the

K'achik'eles decided to follow the Spaniards and settled next to Santiago Utateca, founding Jocotenango; eventually both town combined.{{sfn|Juarros|1818|p=343-344}} In the 1540, bishop Francisco Marroquín split the religious administration of the Guatemalan central valley between the Order of Preachers and the Franciscans, assigned the formet the Jocotenango curato, among others.{{sfn|Juarros|1818|p=336}}

After the destruction of Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala by the Santa Marta earthquake in 1773, the city moved, this time to La Ermita valley. the old neighborhoods followed suit, among them: Jocotenango, Almolonga, San Pedro, San Gaspas and Nuestra Señora de Guatemala.{{sfn|Juarros|1818|p=345}} Thus, there was a second Jocotenango settlement next to the new Guatemala City, which was eventually swallowed by the metropolis and is part of the modern Zone 2.

The old Jocotenango, previously considered a suburb, received municipality status in the middle of the 19th century.

It is {{convert|9|km2|km2|abbr=on}} in size and is situated {{convert|1540|m|ft|abbr=on}} above sea level. Cerro El Narizón ("Big Nose Mountain"), one of the peaks of the El Rejon range is nearby, reaching an elevation of {{convert|2247|m|ft|abbr=on}}. Hydrographic features include the Rio Guacalate, streams, and a creek. Jocotenango is located in a mountainous rain forest in a sub-tropical region. According to the 2003 Ministerio de Agricultura (English:Secretary of Agriculture) report, approximately 93 hectares are used for agriculture, while 75 hectares are in forest. Deposits of Placedrín Andesite have been found here.{{sfn|Gobierno de Guatemala|2006|pp=9–10}}

Vulnerability to natural disaster is evidenced by severe erosion to the Rio Guacalate basin, forest fires, accelerated deforestation, and floods. Slope sediment, along with poor soil management, is most visible in the villages of La Rinconada and Vista Hermosa. An annual threat to the populated areas is flooding during periods of rainfall. It requires the municipality to clear hundreds of cubic meters of sediment that accumulates in the streets. This type of erosion causes loss of productive soil capacity, exposure of basement rock, and generation of landslides and mudslides.{{sfn|Gobierno de Guatemala|2006|pp=11–12}}

The average rainfall is 1344 mm/year while the temperature varies between 16 and 23 °C.

The forest coverage rate is important for town's socioeconomics. Most of the wooded area, is located on the hill Panza de Burro and near the municipal yard. Flora includes species of oak, cypress, and palo de jiote (Bursera simaruba).{{harvnb|Gobierno de Guatemala|2006|p=10}}

The fauna is associated with crops that predominate the area such as agouti, coyote, mouse opossum, rabbit, squirrels, white-tailed deer, and gophers. Birds include, hummingbird, quail, hawk, and dove.

The red brick Templo de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción lies in the town.

La Azotea ("roof") Cultural Center features, built on an ancient coffee estate,{{cite web|url=http://www.viajeaguatemala.com/english/especiales-english/antiguae/destinosturisticoscercanos.htm|title=Centro Cultural la Azotea|work=viajeaguatemala.com|access-date=19 October 2010}} has three museums. Casa K’ojom ("House of K'ojom"), a music museum, features traditional Maya musical instruments such as diatomic harp, drums, flutes, marimbas, ocarinas, and whistles. Masks, paintings, traditional costumes and crafts are also exhibited. The Museo del Café ("Museum of Coffee") is dedicated to the history and evolution of coffee cultivation. Coffee beans are displayed in varying stages of production, antique equipment can be viewed, and as it is situated at an actual plantation, on-site tours are available.{{cite web|url=http://www.moon.com/destinations/guatemala/antigua/near-antigua-guatemala/jocotenango|title=Jocotenango|publisher=Moon Travel Guides|access-date=17 October 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100604000051/http://www.moon.com/destinations/guatemala/antigua/near-antigua-guatemala/jocotenango|archive-date=4 June 2010|url-status=dead}} There is also a small costume museum.{{cite web|url=http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Caribbean_and_Central_America/Guatemala/Departamento_de_Sacatepequez/Antigua_Guatemala-1671942/Off_the_Beaten_Path-Antigua_Guatemala-Jocotenango-BR-1.html|title=Jocotenango, Antigua Guatemala|work=virtualtourist.com|access-date=17 October 2010}}

Its main festival is celebrated each year during the week of August 8.

{{See also|La Aurora International Airport}}

Buses bound from Antigua's bus terminal to Chimaltenango stop at Jocotenango.

Jocotenango has a subtropical highland climate (Köppen climate classification: Cwb).

{{Weather box

|width=auto

|location = Jocotenango

|metric first = yes

|single line = yes

|Jan mean C = 16.7

|Feb mean C = 17.2

|Mar mean C = 18.2

|Apr mean C = 19.2

|May mean C = 19.4

|Jun mean C = 19.5

|Jul mean C = 19.0

|Aug mean C = 19.1

|Sep mean C = 18.6

|Oct mean C = 18.2

|Nov mean C = 17.8

|Dec mean C = 16.8

|year mean C =

|Jan high C = 22.6

|Feb high C = 23.5

|Mar high C = 24.7

|Apr high C = 25.1

|May high C = 24.7

|Jun high C = 23.7

|Jul high C = 23.5

|Aug high C = 23.9

|Sep high C = 23.1

|Oct high C = 22.7

|Nov high C = 22.9

|Dec high C = 22.4

|year high C =

|Jan low C = 10.8

|Feb low C = 11.0

|Mar low C = 11.8

|Apr low C = 13.3

|May low C = 14.2

|Jun low C = 15.3

|Jul low C = 14.6

|Aug low C = 14.3

|Sep low C = 14.2

|Oct low C = 13.8

|Nov low C = 12.7

|Dec low C = 11.2

|year low C =

|Jan precipitation mm = 1

|Feb precipitation mm = 3

|Mar precipitation mm = 4

|Apr precipitation mm = 26

|May precipitation mm = 117

|Jun precipitation mm = 233

|Jul precipitation mm = 169

|Aug precipitation mm = 142

|Sep precipitation mm = 222

|Oct precipitation mm = 130

|Nov precipitation mm = 17

|Dec precipitation mm = 5

|year precipitation mm =

|source 1 = Climate-Data.org

{{cite web|url=http://en.climate-data.org/location/55417/

|title = Climate: Jocotenango

|access-date= 19 September 2015

|website= Climate-Data.org}}

}}

Jocotenango is surrounded by Sacatepéquez Department municipalities.

{{Geographic location

| Center= Jocotenango

|North= Santo Domingo Xenacoj

| Northeast = Antigua Guatemala

| East= Antigua Guatemala{{cite web|author=SEGEPLAN |access-date=29 June 2015 |location=Guatemala |website=Secretaría de Planificación y Programación de la Presidencia |url=http://www.segeplan.gob.gt/2.0/index.php?option=com_k2&view=itemlist&task=category&id=242:antigua-guatemala&Itemid=333 |title=Municipios de Sacatepéquez, Guatemala |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150629205959/http://www.segeplan.gob.gt/2.0/index.php?option=com_k2&view=itemlist&task=category&id=242%3Aantigua-guatemala&Itemid=333 |archive-date=29 June 2015 |language=es |url-status=dead }}

| South = Antigua Guatemala

| West= Pastores

}}

• {{Portal-inline|Guatemala}}
• {{Portal-inline|Geography}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Refbegin}}

• {{cite web|url=http://www.segeplan.gob.gt/stan/Reconst/ReconstSacatepequez.pdf |title=Plan de Reconstruccion Departamental de Sacatepequez |date=2006 |author=Gobierno de Guatemala |page=9 |language=es |website=SEGEPLAN |access-date=17 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100911032148/http://www.segeplan.gob.gt/stan/Reconst/ReconstSacatepequez.pdf |archive-date=September 11, 2010 }}
• {{cite book|last=Juarros|first=Domingo|title=Compendio de la historia de la Ciudad de Guatemala|year=1818|publisher=Ignacio Beteta|location=Guatemala|url=https://archive.org/stream/compendiodelahis21juar#page/n3/mode/2up|language=es}}

{{Refend}}

{{Commons category-inline}}

• [http://www.kojom.org/ Casa K'Ojom, Museo de Musica Maya] (in Spanish)

{{Sacatepéquez Department}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Municipalities of the Sacatepéquez Department