Chiquimula is a city in
Guatemala. It is the capital of the
department of
Chiquimula and the municipal seat for the surrounding
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 ...
of the same name.
It is located some 174 km from
Guatemala City
Guatemala City ( es, Ciudad de Guatemala), known locally as Guatemala or Guate, is the capital and largest city of Guatemala, and the most populous urban area in Central America. The city is located in the south-central part of the country, ne ...
and within Guatemala known as "La perla del oriente" (the pearl of the east).
History
In 1851 during the Battle of La Arada Guatemalan military won over El Salvador and Honduras military forces, which is why Chiquimula was named "Ciudad Procer" Hero City.
Population
Chiquimula is the most populous city of eastern Guatemala. The official population of the city was 37,602, according to the 2002 census. the population had increased to 111,505.
In the news
In January 2021, a caravan of between 7,000- 9,000 migrants from Honduras, who had departed from
San Pedro Sula
San Pedro Sula () is the capital of Cortés Department, Honduras. It is located in the northwest corner of the country in the Sula Valley, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Puerto Cortés on the Caribbean Sea. With a population of 671 ...
was heading towards the United States and broke through police lines at Vado Hondo, a village near Chiquimula.
Sports
Sacachispas football club play in the
Liga Nacional de Guatemala
Liga or LIGA may refer to:
People
* Līga (name), a Latvian female given name
* Luciano Ligabue, more commonly known as Ligabue or ''Liga'', Italian rock singer-songwriter
Sports
* Liga ACB, men's professional basketball league in Spain
* Lig ...
, they top-highest football division in Guatemala. Their home stadium is the
Estadio Las Victorias.
The club has also played in the ''
Liga Mayor'', having reached their best position in the 1995-96 season, when they were runners-up.
Guatemala 1995/1996
- RSSSF They have been playing in the second division since 2000.
Notable people
* Ismael Cerna (1856–1901), poet
* Yony Flores (born 1983), footballer
References
{{Authority control
Municipalities of the Chiquimula Department
Populated places established in 1530
1530 establishments in the Spanish Empire