Tecpán, Guatemala

Tecpán
Municipality and town
Tecpán plaza in 1893.
Tecpán
Coordinates: 14°46′N 91°0′W
Country	Guatemala
Department	Chimaltenango
Area
• Total	102 sq mi (264 km^2)
Population  (2018 census)[1]
• Total	91,927
• Density	900/sq mi (350/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central Time)
Climate	Cwb
Website	www.munitecpanguatemala.gob.gt

Tecpán is a town, with a population of 34,519 (2018 census),[2] and a municipality in the department of Chimaltenango, in Guatemala, on the Inter-American Highway CA-1.

The climate is generally cold. It is characterized as a tourist destination, with some fame derived from its landscapes, varied vegetation and from being on an access route to Iximché archaeological site.

History

Ruins of Iximché, the former Kaqchikel Maya capital city, in the 1920s.

Tecpán is known as the 'first capital of Guatemala,' based on it being the first permanent Spanish colonial military center of the nation, established in 1525. The first government capital settlement in colonial Guatemala, and its 'second capital', was Ciudad Vieja, established in 1527.

The fort was built here due to the difficulty that the Spanish had in defeating the Kaqchikel Maya during the Spanish conquest of Guatemala.

The remains of the Kaqchikel capital city, Iximché, are on a high hill a few kilometers from the city .

Demographics

Tecpán currently is one of the larger municipalities in the nation, due to its far geographical reach to the northeast corner of its department, Chimaltenango. Its population is over 90% indigenous, mostly descendants of the Kaqchikel Maya.

Climate

Tecpán has a subtropical highland climate (Köppen: Cwb).

Climate data for Tecpán
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	19.1 (66.4)	20.1 (68.2)	21.5 (70.7)	22.4 (72.3)	21.9 (71.4)	20.3 (68.5)	20.4 (68.7)	21.0 (69.8)	20.0 (68.0)	19.6 (67.3)	19.3 (66.7)	19.2 (66.6)	20.4 (68.7)
Daily mean °C (°F)	13.0 (55.4)	13.6 (56.5)	14.9 (58.8)	16.2 (61.2)	16.9 (62.4)	16.1 (61.0)	16.0 (60.8)	16.0 (60.8)	15.5 (59.9)	15.1 (59.2)	13.8 (56.8)	13.4 (56.1)	15.0 (59.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	7.0 (44.6)	7.2 (45.0)	8.4 (47.1)	10.1 (50.2)	11.9 (53.4)	12.0 (53.6)	11.6 (52.9)	11.0 (51.8)	11.1 (52.0)	10.7 (51.3)	8.4 (47.1)	7.6 (45.7)	9.8 (49.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	2 (0.1)	4 (0.2)	6 (0.2)	47 (1.9)	112 (4.4)	273 (10.7)	184 (7.2)	211 (8.3)	282 (11.1)	137 (5.4)	32 (1.3)	5 (0.2)	1,295 (51)
Source: Climate-Data.org[3]

References

1. Citypopulation.de Population of departments and municipalities in Guatemala
2. Citypopulation.de Population of cities & towns in Guatemala
3. "Climate: Tecpán". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 20 August 2015.

External links

• Official Municipality of Tecpán website—(in Spanish)

14°46′N 91°00′W

1. "Municipios del departamento de Chimaltenango". SEGEPLAN (in Spanish). Guatemala. Archived from the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2015.