Retalhuleu (, ''Retalhuléu'') is a department located in the south-west of

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

, extending from the mountains to the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

coast. It has an area of 1856 km². In 2018, the population of the Department of Retalhuleu was 326,828. Its capital, Retalhuleu City, mixes ancient and modern architecture, and it is also known for being a commercial city. The largest Native American group in the state is the K'iche' (Quiché) Maya people. The department contains a number of

Pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era, also known as the pre-contact era, or as the pre-Cabraline era specifically in Brazil, spans from the initial peopling of the Americas in the Upper Paleolithic to the onset of European col ...

ruins, including

Takalik Abaj Tak'alik Ab'aj (; ; ) is a pre-Columbian archaeological site in Guatemala. It was formerly known as Abaj Takalik; its ancient name may have been Kooja. It is one of several Mesoamerican sites with both Olmec and Maya features. The site flourishe ...

, and it also contains numerous amusement parks, the most important and known are

Xetulul Xetulul is a theme park in Guatemala. It is located in the Retalhuleu Department in the southwest of the country. Opening in 2002, Xetulul is the third-largest amusement park in Latin America, after Beto Carrero World in Penha, Santa Catarina, B ...

and Xocomil.

Municipalities

The department is divided into nine municipalities: #

Champerico Champerico is a town and municipality in the Retalhuleu department in southwestern Guatemala. It is a popular vacation spot for Guatemalans in the region. The picturesque beach town was founded on the Pacific Ocean in 1872, and the paved road to ...

# El Asintal # Nuevo San Carlos #

Retalhuleu The city of Retalhuleu () is situated in south-western Guatemala. It is the departmental seat of Retalhuleu Department as well as the municipal seat of Retalhuleu Municipality. Retalhuleu stands at about 240 metres above sea level. The city has ...

San Andrés Villa Seca San Andrés Villa Seca is a town and municipality in the Retalhuleu Department of Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast b ...

# San Felipe # San Martín Zapotitlán #

San Sebastián San Sebastián, officially known by the bilingual name Donostia / San Sebastián (, ), is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, from the France–Spain border ...

# Santa Cruz Muluá

Geography

Tropical savanna climates have monthly mean temperature above 18 °C (64 °F) in every month of the year and typically a pronounced dry season, with the driest month having precipitation less than 60mm (2.36 in) of precipitation. The

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 ...

subtype for this climate is " Aw". (Tropical Savanna Climate).Climate Summary
/ref>

Climate

Languages

The official language of Retalhuleu is

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

, but the indigenous languages of K’iche’ and Mam are still spoken in the municipalities of San Felipe Retalhuleu, San Martín Zapotitlán, San Sebastián and Champerico.

References

Departments of Guatemala {{Guatemala-geo-stub