Chiquimula

Chiquimula
Municipality
Seal
Motto:  La Perla de Oriente
Chiquimula Location in Guatemala
Coordinates: 14°47′N 89°32′W
Country	Guatemala
Department	Chiquimula
Foundation	1530
Established as city	June 29, 1821
Government
• Mayor	Rolando Arturo Aquino Guerra (Partido Patriota)
Area
• Municipality	368 km2 (142 sq mi)
Elevation	423.86 m (1,390.62 ft)
Population  (census 2018)
• Municipality	111,505
• Density	300/km2 (780/sq mi)
• Urban	111,505
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central Standard Time)
Climate	BSh
Website	www.chiquimulaonline.com

Chiquimula is a city in Guatemala. It is the capital of the department of Chiquimula and the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name. It is located some 174 km from Guatemala City and within Guatemala known as "La perla del oriente" (the pearl of the east).

History

In 1851 during the Battle of La Arada Guatemalan military won over El Salvador and Honduras military forces, which is why Chiquimula was named "Ciudad Procer" Hero City.

Population

Chiquimula is the most populous city of eastern Guatemala. The official population of the city was 37,602, according to the 2002 census. As of 2018 the population had increased to 111,505.

In the news

In January 2021, a caravan of between 7,000- 9,000 migrants from Honduras, who had departed from San Pedro Sula was heading towards the United States and broke through police lines at Vado Hondo, a village near Chiquimula.

Sports

Sacachispas football club play in the Primera División de Ascenso, the second-highest football division in Guatemala. Their home stadium is the Estadio Las Victorias.

The club has also played in the Liga Mayor, having reached their best position in the 1995-96 season, when they were runners-up. They have been playing in the second division since 2000.

Notable people

• Ismael Cerna (1856–1901), poet
• Yony Flores (born 1983), footballer