Cuilco

Cuilco
—  Municipality  —
Cuilco Location in Guatemala
Coordinates: 15°24′25″N 91°56′45″W / 15.40694°N 91.94583°W / 15.40694; -91.94583
Country	Guatemala
Department	Huehuetenango
Municipality	Cuilco
Government
– Type	Municipal
– Mayor
Area
– Municipality	592 km2 (228.6 sq mi)
Elevation	1,150 m (3,773 ft)
Highest elevation	3,300 m (10,827 ft)
Lowest elevation	1,000 m (3,281 ft)
Population (Census 2002)[1]
– Municipality	46,407
– Urban	1,611
– Ethnicities	Mam, Ladino, Tektitek
– Religions	Roman Catholicism, Evangelicalism, Maya
Website	http://www.inforpressca.com/cuilco/

Cuilco is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango. It is located in the Cuchumatanes mountains in the Southwestern portion of Huehuetenango. In 2007 it served approximately 50,000 people, most of them of Maya Mam descent, living in over 100 aldeas and caserios, which are smaller communities served by the municipality.

The municipality covers a total area of 592 km². The dirt road connecting it to the Pan-American Highway has recently been improved and asphalted, which reduces travel times considerably. However, the highway ends at Cuilco, so travellers wishing to continue on to other parts of Guatemala or to Mexico still must navigate rough dirt roads. Given the poor condition of municipal roads, travel times may exceed 8 hours from one side to the other. Export crops include corn, coffee and panela. Panela is a molasses-like substance made from processing sugar cane.

Cuilco, as the municipality's head town, contains the municipal government housed in the municipal building near the center plaza of town. As of 2007, the municipal building ("muni") employed approximately 15 people, providing many services to the surrounding villages and to Cuilco itself.

Tourism to Cuilco is fairly limited given its location more than 2 hours from Huehuetenango. The majority of Cuilco speak Spanish, the mayan language isn't spoken as much as it used to be before.

References

1. ^ "XI Censo Nacional de Poblacion y VI de Habitación (Censo 2002)". INE. 2002. http://www.ine.gob.gt/index.php?view=article&catid=42%3Ademografiaypoblacion&id=75%3Acenso2002&option=com_content&Itemid=69. 

Coordinates: 15°24′N 91°58′W / 15.4°N 91.967°W / 15.4; -91.967