Chichigalpa () o Chichicapan (nahuat) is a town and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the

Chinandega Department Chinandega () is a department in Nicaragua, located on the border with Honduras. It covers an area of and has a population of 441,897 (2021 estimate). The indigenous inhabitants of Chinandega are the Chorotegas and the Nahuas, and was the loc ...

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

History

Pre-Columbian

It is presumed that Chichigalpa's first inhabitants arrived from the north. While their civilizations were not as advanced as those of the Aztecs and the Incans, they arrived at Chichigalpa due to a

forced migration Forced displacement (also forced migration or forced relocation) is an involuntary or coerced movement of a person or people away from their home or home region. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR defines 'forced displaceme ...

instituted by the Aztecs on weaker tribes. Of

Toltec The Toltec culture () was a Pre-Columbian era, pre-Columbian Mesoamerican culture that ruled a state centered in Tula (Mesoamerican site), Tula, Hidalgo (state), Hidalgo, Mexico, during the Epiclassic and the early Post-Classic period of Mesoam ...

origin, the native people of Chichigalpa were presumed to be part of the Kingdom (Monexicado) of

Chinandega Chinandega () is a city and the departmental seat of Chinandega department in Nicaragua. It is also the administrative centre of the surrounding municipality of the same name. It is Nicaragua's 2nd most important city (economy) and 6th largest ...

and Tezoatega hence its name in nahuat

nawat Nawat (academically Pipil, also known as Nahuat) is a Nahuan languages, Nahuan language native to Central America. It is the southernmost extant member of the Uto-Aztecan languages, Uto-Aztecan family. Before Spanish colonization of the Americas ...

. Initially, it was presumed that the town's name was linked to the nahuat term "chichiwal," which means breast, due to the volcano's shape resembling a breast. However, upon analyzing the town's linguistics, it became apparent that Chichigalpa was derived from the beautiful Chichigalpa river that flows through the city. In pre-colonial times, the river was utilized for washing clothes, bathing, and other purposes, which often made the water appear murky or "chichic" (meaning fermented or sour) due to the soap's cloudiness. "The fermented river" or "Chichicapan" gave the city its name.

Colonial Period

Geography

Area

The municipality covers an area of 223 km², but only about 3.5 km² make up the center of the municipality and its nearby surroundings. Chichigalpa is connected to the city of

by a paved road (15 km). The municipality connects to the Nicaraguan capital, Managua, through the

Pan-American Highway The Pan-American Highway is a vast network of roads that stretches about 30,000 kilometers (about 19,000 miles) from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, in the northernmost part of North America to Ushuaia, Argentina, at the southern tip of South America. I ...

. Chichigalpa forms part of the Western department of

. It is bordered to the north by the

Cordillera Los Maribios

Cordillera de Maribios (or Cordillera ...

(a mountain range), to the south by León, to the east by Posoltega, and to the west by the municipalities of

El Realejo El Realejo is a municipality in the Chinandega department of Nicaragua. History The town of El Realejo was constructed in 1532, during the first years of Spanish colonization. During this period it served as Nicaragua's principal port, and rema ...

and Chinandega.

Climate

Chichigalpa is situated in tropical wet and dry climate (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

: Aw). The dry season last from November to April while the wet season extends from May to October. The average annual precipitation is of 1742 mm (68.58 in). Temperatures are usually the highest in the month of April. The average temperature is 30 °C (89 °F). Relative humidity is 68% and strong winds blow in a northeast to south direction predominantly.

Today

Sugarcane

Sugar accounts from about 5% of Nicaragua’s GDP and the municipality of Chichigalpa has vast areas of sugarcane plantations. A large number of the sugar cane workers have been affected with a chronic kidney disease (CKD). There is a growing scientific view that CKD is linked to harsh work conditions, particularly long hours exposed to sun without sufficient shade, rest and water. Dr Catharina Wesseling, an epidemiologist based at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden said that while other factors - such as pesticides, heavy metals and genetics – could also play a part, there was “absolutely no doubt” that CKD was an occupational disease.

Neighborhoods (Barrios y Comarcas)

The municipality is further divided into many neighborhoods (Barrios y Comarcas): * Candelaria * Camino de Jesús * Carlos Fonseca I, II * Concepción * El Pueblito * Erick Ramirez * Juan Jose Briceño * La Parroquia * La Cruz * Las Palmeras * Los Lirios * Mercedes * Marvin Salazar I, II, III * Modesto Ramón Palma * Nueva Candelaria * Nuevo Amanecer * Quetzalia * Ronald Altamirano II * Reparto. 13 de Julio * Santiago * San Antonio * Valle Viejo I, II * Wells

References

External links

Mi Chichigalpa.com

Bibliography

*''Historia del Municipio de Chichigalpa'', 2000 *''Sinopsis Histórica de Chichigalpa'' {{Authority control Municipalities of the Chinandega Department