| Settlement Type: | municipality |
| Official Name: | Santa Catarina Pinula |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Guatemala |
| Subdivision Type1: | Department |
| Subdivision Name1: | Guatemala |
| Subdivision Type2: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name2: | Santa Catarina Pinula |
| Leader Title: | Mayor (2020-2024) |
| Leader Name: | Sebastian Siero[1] |
| Leader Party: | PP |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Established Date: | 1839 |
| Area Total Km2: | 49.3 |
| Population As Of: | 2022 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 87362 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Blank1 Name: | Climate |
| Blank1 Info: | Cwb |
| Timezone: | GMT -6 |
| Elevation M: | 1640 |
| Website: | Municipalidad de Santa Catarina Pinula |
| Pushpin Map: | Guatemala |
| Population Demonym: | catarinense |
Santa Catarina Pinula is a town, with a population of 70,982 (2018 census)[3] and a municipality in the Guatemala Department of Guatemala.
Its name, according to Guatemalan colonial historian Francisco Antonio de Fuentes y Guzmán in his book Recordación Florida comes from:
The town was originally a native settlement called Pankaj, or Pinola, whose inhabitants presented a strong defense to the conquistadors from Pedro de Alvarado, until they had to finally surrender to the Spanish invaders at the fortified position of Jalpatagua, where they were withdrawn along with the Petapa natives.
See also: Order of Preachers.
After the Spanish conquest, a town was founded in place of the old native settlement. It soon became one of the most notable settlements in the area, eventually serving as a curato headquarters for the Order of Preachers, which in turn was under the jurisdiction of the Amatitlán convent.
| Convento | Doctrinas | Convento | Doctrinas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guatemala |
| Amatitlán | ||
| Verapaz | ||||
| Sonsonate |
| |||
| San Salvador |
| Sacapulas |
In 1690, when Fuentes y Guzmán wrote Recordación Florida the town was prosperous and its agriculture was booming, but it was not as well to do if its silver mines had been exploited. Fuentes y Guzmán told the story that, when the church was being built, the workers found a thick silver lining, but they rushed to hide it from the Spaniards, so the latter could not use it.
In 1754, due to a Royal Decree, all the doctrines and curatos still belonging to regular orders were transferred to the secular clergy authorities.
See main article: 2015 El Cambray Dos landslide. On the night of 1 October 2015 and following several days of heavy rains, a hill collapsed causing a mudslide that destroyed El Cambray II settlement, leaving behind hundreds of missing people, according to the first official reports. Besides, there were nine confirmed deaths, 34 injured and up to 65 displaced on more than 100 destroyed homes.[4] After the landslide, the area was in Code Red.[4]
The region has a municipal capital (Santa Catarina Pinula), fifteen villages and seven settlements.
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Santa Catarina Pinula has a subtropical highland climate (Köppen: Cwb).
Guatemalan Olympic swimmer Kevin Avila Soto was born here.
Santa Catarina Pinula is completely surrounded by Guatemala Department municipalities: