San Juan Tecuaco () is a

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 Santa Rosa 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 by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

History

The municipality was founded around 1800 by the Xincas, an almost extinct tribe indigenous to the area. San Juan Tecuaco is located in the southeast of Guatemala, in the department of Santa Rosa. Within 82 square km it is surrounded to the west and south by

Chiquimulilla Chiquimulilla is a town and municipality in the Santa Rosa department of Guatemala. It is located about from the Pacific coast. The town is an important regional trade location and junction. The most important products are leather goods. Th ...

, to the east by

Oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...

and Pasaco and to the north by Santa Maria Ixhuatan. The Democratic local government is represented by the Major, (

Alcalde ''Alcalde'' (; ) is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and Administration (government), administrative functions. An ''alcalde'' was, in the absence of a corregidor (position), corregidor, the presiding officer o ...

) followed by the vice, and three councilors. The fair (

feria In the liturgy of the Catholic Church, a feria is a day of the week other than Sunday. In more recent official liturgical texts in English, the term ''weekday'' is used instead of ''feria''. If the feast day of a saint falls on such a day, the ...

) Bailes, Misa, and Jaripeos, starts on January 23 and ends on January 27 in honor of San Juan Evangelist.

Etymology

Tecuaco means Tec= tex (Snake), and uaco=cuacl (stone) or place of the snake of stone, a type of

rattlesnake Rattlesnakes are venomous snakes that form the genus, genera ''Crotalus'' and ''Sistrurus'' of the subfamily Crotalinae (the pit vipers). All rattlesnakes are vipers. Rattlesnakes are predators that live in a wide array of habitats, hunting sm ...

References

Municipalities of the Santa Rosa Department, Guatemala {{Guatemala-geo-stub