San Bartolo, Totonicapán Explained

Official Name:San Bartolo
Settlement Type:Municipality
Mapsize:150px
Image Map1:TotonicapanGUAT.PNG
Mapsize1:150px
Map Caption1:Totonicapán within Guatemala
Pushpin Map Caption:>
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Guatemala
Subdivision Type1:Department
Subdivision Name1: Totonicapán
Government Type:Municipal
Leader Title:Mayor
Population As Of:2012
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population Total:18590
Population Density Km2:auto
Population Blank1 Title:Ethnicities
Population Blank1:K'iche', Ladino
Population Blank2 Title:Religions
Population Blank2:Catholicism, Evangelicalism, Maya

San Bartolo is a municipality in the Totonicapán Department of Guatemala. It is north of San Francisco El Alto and west of Santa María Chiquimula.

This hilly region is situated in rugged highlands. Long-leafed pine forests and red soil give the surroundings the flavor of the southern USA Appalachian region. The area sits atop porous limestone deposits. The principal town of San Bartolo Aguas Calientes -- St. Bartholomew's Hot Springs—is one KM from a small resort at a geothermal spring.

In early 2005, houses in a district downhill from the town began to crack. Residents could hear running water. Hurricane Stan made landfall in Guatemala in October, 2005. It became a tropical storm that hovered over the highlands for days. It dumped over 100inches of rain. The land under 22 damaged houses dropped and slid, totally destroying them.

The Guatemalan government did not provide relief. The displaced families moved into tent-like huts, each constructed from USA-supplied tarpaulins covering a wood frame. In mid-2006, the United Methodist Church began to send US-based work teams into the area to build permanent houses for displaced families that could obtain land.

15.0844°N -91.4558°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Caracterización departamental: Totonicapán 2013 . 1 August 2015 . 2014 . Caracterización departamental: Totonicapán 2013 . Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE).