San Jorge

About San Jorge:

San Jorge covers 82 square kilometres, with Estanzuela to the north, Zacapa to the east, Chiquimula to the south and Huité to the west. The town stands at 220 metres, 8 kilometres from Zacapa city and 145 kilometres from Guatemala City. Its main road is departmental route ZAC-8, which leaves the CA-10 and runs paved through San Jorge and Barranco Colorado as far as the aldea of San Juan. Buses and microbuses connect the town with Zacapa and the CA-10, and microbuses and mototaxis run out to Tablones. Plan del Morro, Sinaneca and Cimarrón, higher up, are pickup country, on dirt roads that landslides can close in the rainy season.

Melon is the big business. It takes up more than a fifth of the municipality, on the open plains in the north, where two agro-export companies grow melon and watermelon on land they lease from valley families. Harvest brings seasonal workers in from outside, and many households in the upper aldeas live on that work too. Mango and lime orchards are farmed by their owners, and a melon packing plant stands beside colonia El Milagro. In town, family businesses bake bread, make coconut and grapefruit conservas, anicillos and nuégados, and run mechanic and metalwork shops. The baking goes back to a water mill for wheat that Nicolás de Peralta y Cisneros, the area’s first parish priest, built here in the 17th century, and the local rice quesadillas come from the same tradition.

This is dry Motagua valley country. The climate is hot and semi-arid, with a yearly mean of 27 °C and average April highs close to 36 °C. Around 680 mm of rain falls between May and October, and from November to April there is almost none. Low thorn scrub covers more than half the land. North of town the ground is flat and farmed, while the south climbs into hills, with forest land around San Juan and Plan del Morro. Wells supply the valley, and the water table there has been dropping, so water is the first thing to ask about on any property.

San Jorge and Barranco Colorado have grown together into one town that runs from Valle Abajo to Barranco Colorado. Inside it are the barrios El Centro, El Bordo, Los Morales, Santa Rosita, La Ceiba and Malpaís, and the colonias El Milagro and Bosques del Paraíso. It is the only real centre in the municipality, and people come in from the aldeas for shops, schools, health care and work. Families in San Felipe El Viejo and La Jarretada, the hamlets closest to Zacapa city, do much of their working and shopping there. Housing demand has pushed new lot subdivisions onto the edge of town, and the best ground for growth lies to the north, toward San Juan. Every April the fair for San Jorge fills the streets with horse parades and jaripeos.

Houses in San Jorge:

Homes here are family houses, mostly one storey, built in block or adobe with tile or sheet-metal roofs. Nearly every house in the urban area has piped water from local wells, two in San Jorge and three in Barranco Colorado run by the community council. Sewer lines reach only part of San Jorge and Barranco Colorado, so ask whether a house is connected or uses a septic pit. In barrio El Bordo, beside the Quebrada San Juan, find out whether the street has flooded before. When you compare houses for sale in San Jorge, check the registered title and walk the house in the afternoon heat.

New Developments in San Jorge:

New building here mostly means lotificaciones: subdivisions of 10 by 20 or 10 by 25 metre lots on the edge of town, in sectors such as El Milagro, La Ceiba and El Centro. Many developers sell on their own financing, with a small down payment and terms that can run up to ten years. Many subdivisions went up before the municipality had rules for them, and there is still no cadastre. Before you sign, confirm that your lot will be registered individually, that water and power already reach it and that the street is a public right of way.

Land and Lots in San Jorge:

Individual lots also sell inside the barrios, such as corner plots a few blocks from the central park on the way to Santa Rosita. Farmland is a different market. The flat valley parcels in the north are melon country, and many owners lease them to exporters for the season instead of farming them. Find out where a parcel gets its water and how deep the well is. Hill land to the south comes with dirt roads, steep slopes, erosion in the rains and scarce water, so see it in both seasons before you buy.

FAQ:

• How far is San Jorge from Zacapa city and Guatemala City?

  The town is 8 kilometres from Zacapa city and 145 kilometres from the capital. You reach it on route ZAC-8 from the CA-10, and buses and microbuses run to Zacapa through the day.

• Is San Jorge still part of the municipality of Zacapa?

  No. It became a separate municipality in 2014, and its own municipal hall in Barrio El Centro now handles local paperwork. Deeds drawn up before then may still place a property in Zacapa, so check how the title describes it.

• How hot is San Jorge?

  Hot all year. The mean is 27 °C, April averages highs near 36 °C, and the rain comes between May and October. Shade, ventilation and water storage matter in any house you look at.

• Which areas are worth looking at outside the centre?

  Barranco Colorado is now part of the same town. San Juan sits at the end of the paved road, and Tablones has microbus and mototaxi service. Plan del Morro, Sinaneca and Cimarrón are reached only by pickup and have weaker water supply.

• What should I check before buying a financed lot?

  Ask for the registry details of the mother property and confirm that your lot will get its own entry. Check that water and electricity are connected, read the financing terms, including what happens if you miss a payment, and ask the municipality about building licences.