Ixchiguán

Ixchiguan on the map of Guatemala

Ixchiguan is a place and a municipality in the department of San Marcos in Guatemala. The town is located approximately 300 km north- west of Guatemala City and just 40 km northwest of the capital Departaments - San Marcos in the highlands of the Sierra Madre at 3,200 meters above sea level. Ixchiguan is the mountain village of Guatemala and Central America with the highest altitude. The town was founded around 1750 by shepherds from the neighboring Tajumulco and 1933 raised to the municipality.

Ixchiguan can be reached from San Marcos on a country road that leads east of the volcano on La Tajumulco Grandeza and Serchil and the 3,400 meter high pass Cumbre de Cotzil in the remote north of the department. In the vicinity of the pass rises among others, the Río Suchiate, which forms the border between Guatemala and Mexico from the border crossing at Unión Juárez to the Pacific coast.

In the 184 km ² large municipality Ixchiguan around 30,000 people, of which the bulk of Mam Maya are live. In addition to the main town of the municipality consists of the rural communities ( Aldeas ) Calapte, Choapequez, San Antonio and Tuichan with a total of 45 hamlets. Because of its remote location in the highlands, the economy is underdeveloped; many residents have migrated over time into other departments, to Mexico and the United States, particularly to Worthington in Minnesota.

Adjacent Municipalities are Tacaná and San José Ojetenam in the north, Tejutla in the east, San Marcos and Tajumulco in the south, as well as Sibinal in the West.