| Official Name: | Pajapita |
| Settlement Type: | Municipality |
| Pushpin Map: | Guatemala |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Guatemala |
| Pushpin Map1: | San Marcos |
| Pushpin Map Caption1: | Location in San Marcos Department |
| Coordinate Region: | GT |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Guatemala |
| Subdivision Type1: | Department |
| Subdivision Name1: | San Marcos |
| Leader Title: | Mayor (2016-2020) |
| Leader Name: | Walter López[1] |
| Leader Party: | UCN |
| Population Area Km2: | 115 |
| Population As Of: | 2018 census |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 21725 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Urban: | 6817 |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Coordinates: | 14.7167°N -92.0333°W |
| Blank Name: | Climate |
| Blank Info: | Am |
Pajapita is a town and municipality in the San Marcos department of Guatemala.It was created on 31 May 1920, after the station of Vado Ancho on the Panamerican Railroad of Guatemala was built. Due to its privileged location on the way from Guatemala to Mexico, Pajapita enjoyed considerable development while the Guatemalan railways were owned by International Railways of Central America (IRCA}, an American company that belonged to the United Fruit Company. However, with the decline of the rail that followed the constructions of major highways in the country the importance of the town of Vado Ancho diminished, to the point that in the early 21st century it was completely abandoned.
Pajapita is called also "Land of the Almond trees".
See main article: Antonio Macías del Real.
See also: Northern Railroad of Guatemala and Iztapa.
Pajapita started developing with the construction of the Vado Ancho railroad terminal in the 1900s. On April 18, 1902, thanks to his excellent personal rapport with then president Manuel Estrada Cabrera, pharmacist and writer Antonio Macías del Real won the concession to build the Panamerican Railroad of Guatemala sections between Las Cruces, Retalhuleu and Vado Ancho in Pajapita; however, he could not finish the line to Coatepeque in Quetzaltenango Department and had to give away his rights to the Central Railway Company, who finished the section. The original contract with Macías del Real had been extremely generous and had been signed by the lieutenant secretary of Economy, José Flamenco and approved by Estrada Cabrera; the contract authorized the exclusivity on the construction and usage of the railroad for twenty four years, counting from the moment the section was open to the public. Besides, Macías del Real and his descendants would have enjoyed the revenue from the railway for 99 years, after which the line was supposed to go back to the State of Guatemala.
Pajapita has tropical climate (Köppen: Am).
Pajapita is surrounded by San Marcos Department municipalities, except by the southeast, where it borders Coatepeque, a Quetzaltenango Department municipality.