Santa María Chiquimula

About Santa María Chiquimula:

The municipality borders Santa Lucía La Reforma to the north, Totonicapán to the south, Momostenango to the west and San Antonio Ilotenango, in Quiché, to the east. Guatemala City is 225 kilometres away. From the capital, follow the Inter-American Highway to Cuatro Caminos at kilometre 186, go up through San Francisco El Alto toward Momostenango, and at La Cumbre, around kilometre 196, turn right onto the paved road into town. Two back roads also lead in: a dirt road of about 30 kilometres from the city of Totonicapán through Xecachelaj and Casa Blanca, and a 38-kilometre route from Santa Cruz del Quiché through San Antonio Ilotenango, Chuacorral II and Chuisactol. Buses run every day, and microbuses and pick-ups cover the routes out to the aldeas.

Families here juggle several incomes. The plot around the house grows maize, beans, fava beans, squash and avocado, mostly for the family’s own table, while the cash comes from workshops and trade. Tailors in Xesaná and the town sew men’s underwear, T-shirts, aprons and fustanes; weavers make güipiles and cortes; Chuasiguan is known for pottery; and bakers in the town and Xesaná turn out xecas, the dark sweet bread of Totonicapán. These goods are sold in San Francisco El Alto, Momostenango, Totonicapán, Quetzaltenango and Quiché, and plenty of local people work as traders, street vendors or shop assistants in Guatemala City. Others have gone to the United States and send money home. The central market opens every day, with Thursday as the big day and a smaller one on Sunday, and the aldea of Chuicacá holds its own market on Wednesdays.

The ground is steep. The Sierra Madre runs through the municipality, the land climbs from 1,700 to just over 3,000 metres, and most of it is classed as forest land rather than farmland, with thin, erosion-prone soils. Pine and mixed forest still covers a large share of the territory, and many aldeas run their own tree nurseries to replant it. The rainy season from May to October is mild; from November to April the days stay dry and the nights turn cold. Heavy rain and hail in May and June can bring landslides and wash out dirt roads, and there are hot springs out at Chuisactol.

About 55,000 people live in the municipality, roughly 16,000 of them in the town, and the rest spread across aldeas such as Chuacorral I, II and III, Xesaná, Xecajá, El Rancho, Chuicacá, Xecachelaj, Xebé, Racaná, Patzam, Chuachituj, Chuiaj, Casa Blanca, Chuasiguan, Xecococh and Chuisactol. The number of settlements more than doubled between 1994 and 2014. Households are large, with more than six people on average. Buyers are almost always local families, very often a young couple buying a small piece of a relative’s land to build their first house. The town has its own history too: the 1820 K’iche’ revolt against colonial tribute, led by Atanasio Tzul and Lucas Aguilar, began here, and the town celebrates its patron saints from 12 to 15 January and from 6 to 9 September.

Houses in Santa María Chiquimula:

Most homes are owner-built and owner-occupied, so you buy them directly from families rather than from developers. Adobe walls under clay tile are still the most common house, while block walls and concrete slab roofs mark the newer construction. In the town centre, streets are laid with paving blocks, piped water reaches most homes, and a ground floor facing the market streets can work as a shop. Out in the aldeas a house usually comes with a plot for maize and fruit trees, but water may come from a spring, a well or a community system, and drainage is rare outside town. Ask how the water arrives and whether the house has its own electricity meter before you talk price.

Land and Lots in Santa María Chiquimula:

Small parcels are the usual offer: a few hundred square metres for a house, or a piece of farmland cut from a family holding. Larger holdings are rare, and much of the high ground is forest. Because land here has passed through so many inheritances, the paperwork deserves as much attention as the ground itself. Check that the seller holds a registered deed and not only possession rights, that every heir who could claim a share has signed, and that the boundaries match what the neighbours recognise. Then look at the slope, the soil and the road: outside El Rancho, almost every road to the aldeas is dirt, and some become impassable in the rains. If you are buying lots in Santa María Chiquimula to build on, confirm where water and power will come from first.

FAQ:

• How do I get to Santa María Chiquimula?

  Take the Inter-American Highway to Cuatro Caminos, continue through San Francisco El Alto on the road to Momostenango, and turn right at La Cumbre onto the paved road into town. The whole trip from Guatemala City is about 225 kilometres. From Santa Cruz del Quiché there is a 38-kilometre route through San Antonio Ilotenango.

• What is the climate like?

  Mild by highland standards. The town sits at 2,130 metres, lower than most of the department. The May to October rainy season is temperate, and the dry months from November to April bring cool days and cold nights. Higher aldeas are colder still.

• What kind of property can I find in Santa María Chiquimula?

  Mostly family houses in the town and the aldeas, small lots for building, and pieces of farmland or forested hillside. Almost all land is privately owned, and most holdings are small.

• When is market day?

  The town market is open every day from early morning, but Thursday is the main market day and Sunday the second. Chuicacá has its own market on Wednesdays.

• What should I check before buying land here?

  A registered deed, the signatures of every heir, boundaries agreed with the neighbours, how steep the parcel is, whether the access road holds up in the rainy season, and how water and electricity will reach it.