Malacatán

Quality 0.50 · 2 views · Updated 2 months ago

title: "Malacatán" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["municipalities-of-the-san-marcos-department"] topic_path: "general/municipalities-of-the-san-marcos-department" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malacatán" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

FieldValue
official_nameMalacatán
native_name
settlement_typeMunicipality
image_skylineFile:Estadio Municipal Santa Lucía.jpg
image_flagBandera_de_Malacatan.png
dot_x
pushpin_mapGuatemala
pushpin_label_positionright
pushpin_map_captionLocation in Guatemala
subdivision_typeCountry
subdivision_name[[Image:Flag of Guatemala.svg
subdivision_type1Department
subdivision_name1[[Image:Flag of San Marcos Department.svg
leader_titleMayor
leader_nameHipólito Hernández
leader_partyPartido Patriota
leader_title1
established_title
established_title2
established_title3
unit_prefImperial
area_total_km2231
population_as_of2018
population_footnotes
population_total92816
population_density_km2auto
population_urban8689
population_blank1_titleEthnicities
population_blank2_titleReligions
coordinates
elevation_footnotestags--
postal_code_type
blank_nameClimate
blank_infoAm
::

|official_name = Malacatán |other_name = |native_name =
|nickname = |settlement_type = Municipality |motto = |image_skyline = File:Estadio Municipal Santa Lucía.jpg |imagesize = |image_caption = |image_flag = Bandera_de_Malacatan.png |flag_size = |image_seal = |seal_size = |image_shield = |shield_size = |image_blank_emblem = |blank_emblem_type = |blank_emblem_size = |image_map = |mapsize = |map_caption = |image_map1 = |mapsize1 = |map_caption1 = |image_dot_map = |dot_mapsize = |dot_map_caption = |dot_x = |dot_y = |pushpin_map = Guatemala |pushpin_label_position =right |pushpin_map_caption =Location in Guatemala |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = [[Image:Flag of Guatemala.svg|25px]] Guatemala |subdivision_type1 = Department |subdivision_name1 = [[Image:Flag of San Marcos Department.svg|25px]] San Marcos |subdivision_type2 = |subdivision_name2 = |subdivision_type3 = |subdivision_name3 = |subdivision_type4 = |subdivision_name4 = |government_footnotes = |government_type = |leader_title =Mayor |leader_name =Hipólito Hernández |leader_party = Partido Patriota |leader_title1 =
|leader_name1 = |leader_title2 = |leader_name2 = |leader_title3 = |leader_name3 = |leader_title4 = |leader_name4 = |established_title =
|established_date = |established_title2 =
|established_date2 = |established_title3 =
|established_date3 = |area_magnitude = |unit_pref =Imperial |area_footnotes = |area_total_km2 = 231 |area_land_km2 = |area_water_km2 = |area_total_sq_mi = |area_land_sq_mi = |area_water_sq_mi = |area_water_percent = |area_urban_km2 = |area_urban_sq_mi = |area_metro_km2 = |area_metro_sq_mi = |area_blank1_title = |area_blank1_km2 = |area_blank1_sq_mi = |population_as_of = 2018 |population_footnotes = |population_note = |population_total = 92816 |population_density_km2 = auto |population_density_sq_mi = |population_metro = |population_density_metro_km2 = |population_density_metro_sq_mi = |population_urban = 8689 |population_density_urban_km2 = |population_density_urban_sq_mi = |population_blank1_title =Ethnicities |population_blank1 = |population_blank2_title =Religions |population_blank2 = |population_density_blank1_km2 = |population_density_blank1_sq_mi = |timezone = |utc_offset = |timezone_DST = |utc_offset_DST = |coordinates = |elevation_footnotes = tags-- |elevation_m = |elevation_ft = |postal_code_type =
|postal_code = |area_code = |blank_name = Climate |blank_info = Am |blank1_name = |blank1_info = |website = |footnotes =

Malacatán is a town and municipality in the San Marcos department of Guatemala, located to the west of San Marcos town. It is fairly close to the border with Mexico - the border-crossing point is in the nearby village of El Carmen.

History

Spanish colony: Mercedarian doctrine

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Coat_of_Arms_of_the_Mercedarians.svg" caption="Mercedarian]] coat of arms."] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Ostuncalco.Guatemala.RCChurch.jpg" caption="The colonial Catholic Church built by the Mercedarians in the central plaza."] ::

After the Spanish conquest of Guatemala in the 1520s, the "Presentación de Guatemala" Mercedarian province was formed in 1565; originally, the order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy had gotten from bishop Francisco Marroquín several doctrines in the Sacatepéquez and Chimaltenango valleys, close to the capital Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala, but they traded those with the Order of Preachers friars in exchange for the doctrines those had in the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes area. During the first part of the 17th century they also had doctrine in four town close to the city of Santiago, which eventually became city neighborhoods: Espíritu Santo, Santiago, San Jerónimo and San Anton —which was the capital of the Mercedarians, where they had their convent and where their comendador lived.

According to bishop Juan de las Cabezas memoir in 1613 and the bishop Pedro Cortés y Larraz parish visit minutes from 1770, the Mercedarians came to have nine doctrines, and numerous annexes, which were: Santa Ana de Malacatán, Concepción de Huehuetenango, San Pedro de Solomá, Nuestra Señora de la Purificación de Jacaltenango, Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Chiantla, San Andrés de Cuilco, Santiago de Tejutla, San Pedro de Sacatepéquez, and San Juan de Ostuncalco.

However, in 1754, due to the borbon reforms implemented by the Spanish kings, the Mercedarins -and the rest of the regular clergy for that matter-, had to transfer their doctrines to the secular clergy, thus losing their San Juan Ostuncalco doctrine.

21st century

Towards the end of the 20th century San Marcos became a hot spot for drug trafficking in Central America, and one of the top lords was Juan Chamalé Ortiz, who was heavily involved in cocaine trafficking, and was accused by US authorities of helping to move over 40 tons of cocaine through Central America en route to the United States. Ortiz worked with local fishermen to smuggle cocaine in small fishing boats and may have also commissioned semi-submersibles to transport the drug. Ortiz also controlled a major opium poppy producing area, the San Marcos Department, where he was a popular local figure. He owned at least ten estates in his area of operations, including a large farm in Malacatán and provided numerous jobs, in addition to cultivating local support by throwing parties and sponsoring beauty contests.

San Marcos is one of the most important regions in Guatemala given its proximity to the highlands, Mexico and to the Pacific Ocean coast, where most of the drugs coming from South America land. Ortiz exerted influence over local politicians and police in the region, and relied on a powerful local support network to conduct his business. He is thought to have worked out a deal that made him the Sinaloa Cartel's top transporter, helping the Mexican group move drugs that arrived via Pacific routes. Ortiz Chamalé was captured in 2011 in Quetzaltenango and extradited to the United States in 2014 where he was sentenced to 262 months in jail; when Ortiz was arrested in 2011, locals protested to demand his release.

Sports

Deportivo Malacateco football club played the 2010/2011 season at the highest level of Guatemalan football, the Liga Mayor. They play their home games in the Estadio Santa Lucia.

Climate

Malacatán has tropical climate (Köppen:Am), with a long rainy season from April to November, and a short dry season during the "winter". Although there is little variation in temperatures, April is normally the warmest month and October is normally the coolest month. The daytime afternoon temperatures are the warmers in February and March and coolest in September and October.

|width=auto |location = Malacatán |metric first = yes |single line = yes |Jan mean C = 25.7 |Feb mean C = 26.1 |Mar mean C = 27.0 |Apr mean C = 27.2 |May mean C = 26.9 |Jun mean C = 26.0 |Jul mean C = 26.2 |Aug mean C = 26.3 |Sep mean C = 26.1 |Oct mean C = 25.0 |Nov mean C = 25.9 |Dec mean C = 25.7 |year mean C = |Jan high C = 32.4 |Feb high C = 32.8 |Mar high C = 33.6 |Apr high C = 33.0 |May high C = 32.4 |Jun high C = 31.0 |Jul high C = 31.6 |Aug high C = 31.5 |Sep high C = 31.1 |Oct high C = 31.1 |Nov high C = 31.5 |Dec high C = 31.8 |year high C = |Jan low C = 19.1 |Feb low C = 19.4 |Mar low C = 20.4 |Apr low C = 21.4 |May low C = 21.5 |Jun low C = 21.0 |Jul low C = 20.9 |Aug low C = 21.1 |Sep low C = 21.2 |Oct low C = 21.0 |Nov low C = 20.3 |Dec low C = 19.6 |year low C = |Jan precipitation mm = 29 |Feb precipitation mm = 36 |Mar precipitation mm = 77 |Apr precipitation mm = 222 |May precipitation mm = 460 |Jun precipitation mm = 644 |Jul precipitation mm = 484 |Aug precipitation mm = 591 |Sep precipitation mm = 698 |Oct precipitation mm = 563 |Nov precipitation mm = 201 |Dec precipitation mm = 57 |year precipitation mm = |source 1 = Climate-Data.org |title= Climate: Malacatán |access-date= 11 September 2015 |website= Climate-Data.org}}

Geographic location

It is surrounded by San Marcos Department municipalities, except on the West, where it borders Chiapas, a state of Mexico.

|width=auto |Center=Malacatán |North=Tajumulco Chiapas, state of Mexico |West=Chiapas, state of Mexico |South=Ayutla |East=San Pablo and Catarina |Northeast=San Pablo

References

  1. (8 September 2015). "San Marcos elige autoridades municipales". Prensa Libre.
  2. [https://www.citypopulation.de/en/guatemala/admin/ Citypopulation.de] Population of departments and municipalities in Guatemala
  3. "Juan Chamalé profile".
  4. SEGEPLAN. "Municipios del departamento de San Marcos".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

municipalities-of-the-san-marcos-department