Official Name: | Zunil |
Settlement Type: | Municipality |
Pushpin Map: | Guatemala |
Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Guatemala |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | Guatemala |
Subdivision Type1: | Department |
Subdivision Name1: | Quetzaltenango |
Leader Title: | Mayor |
Leader Name: | Jose Maria Chaj (2012-2016) |
Area Total Km2: | 80 |
Elevation M: | 2076 |
Population As Of: | 2018 census |
Population Footnotes: | [1] |
Population Total: | 14118 |
Population Density Km2: | auto |
Population Urban: | 10792 |
Blank1 Name: | Climate |
Blank1 Info: | Cwb |
Coordinates: | 14.7833°N -120°W |
Zunil (pronounced as /es/) is a town and municipality in the Quetzaltenango department of Guatemala with a surface area of 80km2.[2] The town of Zunil is located 9km (06miles) from the city of Quetzaltenango, on the bank of the Salamá River.[3] Zunil has an altitude of approximately 2075m (6,808feet) above mean sea level.[3] The population of the municipality, which is 100% indigenous, was 14,118 at the 2018 census. The inhabitants speak Kʼicheʼ and Spanish.[2] There are thermal baths with volcanic water around the town, for example Fuentes Georginas and Almolonga.
Zunil possesses active worship of San Simón (also known as Maximón), a life-sized mannequin representing a Maya god, sitting in a wooden throne, which is moved to a different house every year, and many people visit and leave gifts at his shrine.
A crater on Mars, which may be the source of Mars meteorites, is named after the village.[4]