Escuintla

Escuintla
Municipality
Escuintla c.1902
Escuintla
Location in Guatemala
Coordinates: 14°17′52″N 90°47′13″W / 14.29778°N 90.78694°W / 14.29778; -90.78694Coordinates: 14°17′52″N 90°47′13″W / 14.29778°N 90.78694°W / 14.29778; -90.78694
Country Guatemala
Department Escuintla
Municipality Escuintla
Government
 • Type Municipal
 • Mayor Abraham Rivera
Area
 • Municipality 332 km2 (128 sq mi)
Elevation 355 m (1,165 ft)
Population (census 2002)[1]
 • Municipality 119,897
 • Urban 86,678
 • Religions Roman Catholicism, Evangelicalism
Climate Am

Escuintla (Spanish pronunciation: [esˈkwintla]) is a city in south central Guatemala. It is the capital of the Escuintla Department and the administrative seat of Escuintla Municipality.

In 2003 the city had a population of about 68,000 people. It is on the border of the central highlands and the Pacific coastal plain.

Etymology

Many of the names of the municipalities of Guatemala consist of one of two things: the name of a catholic saint to worship the day the city was founded or a description with Náhuatl[2] roots. These influences are due to the troops in command of Pedro de Alvarado[3] who invaded the region in 1520. These troops were composed of Spanish soldiers and indigenous Tlaxcaltecs.

The name Escuintla, comes from the indigenous language nahuatl «Itzcuintlán», which is a word composed of two words:

· «Itzcuintli»: means “dog”

· «tlan»: means “abundance”

Therefore, Escuintla means “abundance or place of dogs”.

Economy

The city is among the more industrialized areas of the country. One of the most important agricultural products of the region is sugar cane. Other products are tobacco, seafood, and cattle. Escuintla is bathed by the waters of the Pacific, and produces about 43 percent of gross domestic product of Guatemala, is statistically the department, province or region in Mesoamerica with lower unemployment and extreme poverty, this contrasts with the economic and social reality of Guatemala.

Physical Geography

The city of Escuintla consists of 2 villages and 12 surrounding communities. The area includes 7 mountains, 55 rivers, 9 streams, and 21 brooks.

Geographic location

To the north of the municipality of Escuintla is Yepocapa (municipality of Chimaltenango) and Alotenango (municipality of Sacatepequez). To the East is Palin, San Vicente Pacaya, and Guanagazapa (municipality of Escuintla). To the south is Masagua (municipality of Escuintla). To the west is La Democracia, Siquinalá, and Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa (municipality of Escuintla).

Transportation

Escuintla used to be an important stop for trains going to Puerto San José until 2007. Today, the CA-2 and CA-9 highways cross here.

Municipal Government

The government of the cities of Guatemala are made of a municipal council. This is in accordance with article 254 in the Political Constitution of the Republic of Guatemala.[4] The municipal code, which is similar to the ordinary law and contains disposition that applies to all cities of Guatemala, establishes in article 9 that the municipal council covers the deliberations and decisions of municipal issues.

The municipal council integrates with accordance of what the Constitution declares in article 254 which says that the council consists of a mayor, trustees, and councilors that have been elected and may be reelected by the public for a period of four years. With respect to the municipal code, article 9 of the constitution explains that this system is done in all municipalities in accordance to the stated law.

The mayors of Escuintla:

  • 2016-2020: Abrahám Rivera Estévez

Sports

Juventud Escuintleca football club play their home games at the Estadio Ricardo Muñoz Gálvez. Most recently they have again been playing in the second tier of Guatemalan football.

Climate

Escuintla has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen: Am).

Climate data for Escuintla
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 31.9
(89.4)		 32.1
(89.8)		 33.4
(92.1)		 33.3
(91.9)		 32.5
(90.5)		 31.2
(88.2)		 31.5
(88.7)		 31.2
(88.2)		 30.2
(86.4)		 30.1
(86.2)		 30.4
(86.7)		 31.0
(87.8)		 31.6
(88.8)
Daily mean °C (°F) 25.5
(77.9)		 25.7
(78.3)		 27.2
(81)		 27.3
(81.1)		 27.3
(81.1)		 26.5
(79.7)		 26.9
(80.4)		 26.7
(80.1)		 25.7
(78.3)		 25.2
(77.4)		 25.1
(77.2)		 25.1
(77.2)		 26.2
(79.1)
Average low °C (°F) 19.2
(66.6)		 19.4
(66.9)		 21.0
(69.8)		 21.3
(70.3)		 22.2
(72)		 21.8
(71.2)		 22.3
(72.1)		 22.2
(72)		 21.3
(70.3)		 20.4
(68.7)		 19.8
(67.6)		 19.3
(66.7)		 20.9
(69.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 7
(0.28)		 13
(0.51)		 30
(1.18)		 93
(3.66)		 333
(13.11)		 555
(21.85)		 337
(13.27)		 360
(14.17)		 581
(22.87)		 417
(16.42)		 85
(3.35)		 15
(0.59)		 2,826
(111.26)
Source: Climate-Data.org[5]

Geographic location

See also

References

  1. ↑ "XI Censo Nacional de Poblacion y VI de Habitación (Censo 2002)". Insituto Nacional de Estadística (INE). 2002.
  2. ↑ Bedell, George (2011). "The Nahuatl Language". Language in India. 11 (11): 798–826 – via Communication & Mass Media Complete.
  3. ↑ Kelly, John Eoghan (1932). Pedro de Alvarado, conquistador. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
  4. ↑ Guatemala; Pan American Union; General Legal Division (1966). Constitution of the Republic of Guatemala, 1965. Washington: Pan American Union, General Secretariat, Organization of American States.
  5. ↑ "Climate: Escuintla". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  6. 1 2 SEGEPLAN. "Municipios de Escuintla, Guatemala". Secretaría General de Planificación y Programación de la Presidencia de la República. Guatemala. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
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