Escuintla () is an industrial city in Guatemala, its land area is 4,384 km2, and it is nationally known for its sugar agribusiness. Its capital is a municipality with the same name. Citizens celebrate from December 6 to 9 with a small fair in honor of the Catholic religious holiday of The Immaculate Conception.
In 2002 the city had a population of 86,678. It is located 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 Church saint associated with the day the city was founded by Spanish Catholics or a description with
Nahuatl roots. These influences are due to the ethnicities of the troops under command of Pedro de Alvarado
who invaded the region in 1520. The troops were composed of Spanish soldiers and indigenous
Tlaxcaltec men.
The name Escuintla, comes from Nahuatl «Itzcuintlān», which composed of two words:
· «Itzcuintli»: means "dog"
· «-tlān»: is a suffix meaning "near" or "place of"
Therefore, Escuintla means "place of dogs" or "near the dogs".
History
Escuintla used to be an important stop for trains going to Puerto San José until 2007.
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.
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) and the surfing village of El Paredón. To the west is La Democracia, Siquinalá, and Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa (municipality of Escuintla).
Transportation
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.
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).
Notable people
Geographic location
See also
External links
