Almolonga, Quetzaltenango

Almolonga
Municipality and town
Almolonga Location in Guatemala
Coordinates: 14°48′44″N 91°29′40″W
Country	Guatemala
Admin. division	Quetzaltenango
Foundation	before 1524
Government
• Alcalde	Catarino Eligio Cacatzun Machic
Area
• Total	11.9 km^2 (4.6 sq mi)
Elevation	2,251 m (7,385 ft)
Population  (2018 census)[1]
• Total	15,724
• Density	1,300/km^2 (3,400/sq mi)
Climate	Cwb

Almolonga is a town, with a population of 17,613 (2023 census),[2] and a municipality in the Quetzaltenango Department of Guatemala, located on the road between Ciudad de Quetzaltenango (Quetzaltenango City) and Zunil. Its population is primarily indigenous, speaking the K'iche' (Quiché) language

The town is known as the "Vegetable Basket of the Americas" (La Hortaliza de las Américas) due to the intense cultivation of vegetables in its vicinity. However, the cultivation relies heavily on pesticides to increase growth and crop size.[3][4]

Tourist attractions include the nearby thermal baths and Paradise Valley.

Religion

An Evangelical church formed in Almolonga in the 1970s (as of 2016 about 25 Evangelical congregations existed in the town)[5] that gave the population of the town valuable infrastructure that allow the town to harvest crops more successfully. There is still some argument as to what percentage of the town follows Evangelicalism, even though the town is often cited as a place of revival.[6]

14°48′44″N 91°29′40″W

References

1. Citypopulation.de Population of departments and municipalities in Guatemala
2. "Almolonga (Municipality, Guatemala) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
3. Sonia I. Arbona (1998) Commercial Agriculture and Agrochemicals in Almolonga, Guatemala*, Geographical Review, 88:1, 47-63, DOI: 10.1111/j.1931-0846.1998.tb00095.x
4. culturetrip (2018-03-01). "Welcome To Almolonga Home To Guatemala's..." Culture Trip. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
5. The World Magazine
6. Luis Noel Alfaro, Protestant Ethic and Prosperity: Vegetable Production in Almolonga, Guatemala