Jalapa

About Jalapa:

The city sits at 1,362 metres in the highlands of south-eastern Guatemala, some 100 kilometres by road from the capital. Coming from Guatemala City, you take the CA-9 Atlantic highway as far as Sanarate and then national route 19 south through Sansare; the stretch between Sanarate and Sansare drops steeply, so drive it once before you sign up for a regular commute. RN-19 carries on past Jalapa to El Progreso in Jutiapa and the Pan-American Highway, which puts the city on the link between the Atlantic road and the route to El Salvador. Other roads head south-east to Monjas and south-west towards Mataquescuintla, the latter passing the Tatasirire waterfall park 18 kilometres out, between the aldeas of La Toma and Miramundo. The municipality borders Guastatoya, Sansare and Sanarate in El Progreso, San Pedro Pinula and San Manuel Chaparrón to the east, and San Carlos Alzatate, Monjas, Mataquescuintla and Jutiapa to the south.

Jalapa earns its living from commerce and services. The municipal market trades fruit, vegetables, grain, textiles and household goods, the main state and private banks have branches here, and the Gobernación in Barrio La Democracia, the national hospital and the USAC campus in Barrio Chipilapa bring in a daily stream of staff and visitors. Two teacher-training schools, INCAV for boys and INCAS for girls, have long been called the alma mater of eastern Guatemala’s culture. Flower and ornamental-plant growing, timber and construction add work beyond the shop counter. Every September the Jalapafer fair takes over the city.

The urban area is divided into barrios with their own zone numbers: La Democracia in zona 1, La Esperanza and San Francisco in zona 2, El Porvenir in zonas 3 and 4, Chipilapa in zonas 5 and 6 and Llano Grande in zona 7, with El Terrero, El Lazareto and La Aurora alongside. The río Tambor wraps around the town. To the north, the Jumay volcano rises to 2,176 metres, the highest in the east of the country, mostly under forest with maize fields on its flanks. Much of the rest of the municipality is just as steep: nearly three-quarters of it is classed as forest land unsuited to crops, and only about 7 percent is fit for irrigation. Flat, watered ground is the scarce thing here.

The 2018 census counted almost 160,000 people in the municipality, close to half the department and enough to rank it among the ten most populous municipalities in Guatemala. Ladinos and Xinka each make up about half, and Spanish is almost everyone’s first language. Only around 33,000 live in the city itself; the rest are spread over 41 aldeas and more than a hundred caseríos, and places such as Los Izotes, El Chaguite, Fuente de la Montaña, San José Carrizal and El Durazno each hold several thousand people. Aldea Sanyuyo, 47 kilometres from the city, works as a second centre with its own health services, secondary schools, banking, market and transport. In town, much of the demand for homes comes from the people its schools, offices and hospital draw in.

Houses in Jalapa:

Jalapa’s housing stock is mostly family homes in the established barrios, from La Democracia and El Porvenir to Chipilapa, and in colonias such as Linda Vista and Los Laureles, and that is where most houses for sale in Jalapa turn up. Plots in town are compact, and a house on 10 by 20 metres is a normal offer. Newer houses with more room appear on the road out towards Monjas. Before you agree a price, find out whether the house is connected to the municipal drainage or has its own septic system: at the 2018 census almost two-thirds of the municipality’s households had no drainage connection at all.

Rentals in Jalapa:

The steadiest rental market is around Barrio Chipilapa, where the CUNSURORI campus stands at the end of 3a Calle in zona 5. Small apartments with a kitchen area and services included are let a short walk from classes, mostly to students. Nearer the Parque Central, the Gobernación and the hospital, both in zona 1, keep up demand for rooms and apartments for rent in Jalapa from people who work there. Buying to let? Think about who walks past the door.

Land and Lots in Jalapa:

At the edge of town, lotificaciones sell small building plots, usually 8 by 16 metres, on a down payment. Lotificación Cataleya, next to Colonia Linda Vista and Colonia Caminos and a few minutes from the Parque Central and the market, is one of them, and plots in open lotificaciones like it cost noticeably less than a lot inside a residencial. Out in the aldeas, land for sale in Jalapa is measured in manzanas and sold as farm or forest ground, in places such as Los Tablones. Walk the slope and find the water before you plan any crops, and remember that clearing trees needs a licence from INAB.

New Developments in Jalapa:

The city is growing outwards through housing complexes, new commercial premises and small shopping centres. Residenciales Alcalá, at the end of Avenida Chipilapa on the road to Los Achiotes, opposite the municipal predio, is one of the projects where lots for new homes in Jalapa change hands. Growth has run ahead of planning rules and of the water and sanitation networks. Ask the developer plainly where the water comes from, where the waste water goes and who collects the rubbish once the sales office has closed.

FAQ:

• Can I buy a parcel on the Santa María Xalapán mountain?

  Sometimes, but not the way you buy a lot in town. Nearly the whole mountain, more than 19,000 hectares, is communal land of the Comunidad Indígena de Santa María Xalapán, whose Junta Directiva, working with representatives from each aldea, rules on land matters, inheritance and rights passed down by descent. A seller up there may hold a right the community recognises rather than a finca registered in his own name. Ask which it is, check the property registry, and talk to the Junta before any money moves.

• Will a house in a new colonia have drainage, water and rubbish collection?

  Do not assume it. In 2018 almost two-thirds of households in the municipality had no drainage connection, the municipal rubbish service reached about one home in twenty, and many families paid private collectors instead. The río Tambor around the city still takes untreated discharges. Get the water source and the drainage arrangement in writing, and visit at the end of the dry season to see how the supply holds.

• How do I get from Jalapa to Guatemala City?

  The usual route is RN-19 north through Sansare to Sanarate and then the CA-9 into the capital, some 100 kilometres in all. The descent between Sanarate and Sansare is steep and worth taking slowly. Heading south, RN-19 links Jalapa with El Progreso in Jutiapa and the Pan-American Highway, which is handy if your work takes you towards El Salvador.

• Where is rental demand strongest in Jalapa?

  Around Barrio Chipilapa, close to the Centro Universitario de Sur Oriente, where students look for small apartments within walking distance. The centre in zona 1, with the Gobernación and the Hospital Nacional Nicolasa Cruz, is the other pole. A house in an outlying aldea will mostly interest buyers, not tenants.

• Is the land around Jalapa good for farming?

  Some of it, but less than the green hills suggest. Nearly three-quarters of the municipality is classed as forest land and only about 7 percent is suited to irrigation, so a level parcel with a reliable spring or river access is the exception rather than the rule. Check the slope, the water and any tree cover before you settle on a figure.