San Mateo Ixtatán

San Mateo Ixtatán is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango. It is situated at 2540m above sea level in the Cuchumatanes Mountains covering 560km2 of terrain. It has a colder climate and is located in a cloud forest. The temperature fluctuates between 0.5º C and 20º C. The coldest months are from November to January and the warmest months are April and May. The town has a population of about 10,000, and is the municipal center for an additional 20,000 people living in the surrounding mountain villages. It has a weekly market on Thursday and Sunday. The annual town festival is takes place from September 19 to September 21 honoring their patron Saint Matthew. The residents of San Mateo speak the Mayan language Chuj, not to be confused with Chuj baths, or wood fired steam rooms that are common throughout the central and western highlands.

"Ixtatán" has a few meanings. In Chuj, "Ixta"' = toy or doll; "Ta'anh" = lime , giving the translation of toy or doll of lime. [Stzolalil Stz'ib'chaj Heb' Chuj, ALMG, 2007, p. 32] These lime dolls can be seen on the Catholic church facade dating back to colonial times. According to historian Francisco Antonio de Fuentes y Guzmán (1690), the name means “ Land of the Salt” from the words of "Ystat" = salt and "teail" = land. On the other hand, historian Jorge Luis Areola considers 'Ixtatán' to be from the Nahualt language, from the words "Ixtat" = salt and "tlan" = close or nearby.

Some History

San Mateo Ixtatán was forced to give up some of their territory to create the municipality of Nentón in 1876 and it struggled to keep its communal lands. At the beginning of the 1900s, a law was enacted throughout Guatemala that the mayor and councilmen should be ladinos.

During the liberal government of Justo Rufino Barrios, extreme poverty and forced migrations to the southern coast created a lasting state of tension in the northern communities of Huehuetenango and specifically, San Mateo Ixtatán. The ladino coastal plantation owners sent contractors to San Mateo Ixtatán on market days. These contractors gave money to local people promising double or triple the amount if they came to work in their coffee and cotton plantations. The locals signed documents insuring their manual labor, but were essentially enslaved because the contracts were unjust and treatment inhumane. [Workshop from the PROPAZ organization, Sept. 10, 2008] On July 17th, 1898, a plantation contractor was executed. To cover up the crime, 30 more ladinos were killed. One survived and informed the army who responded by killing 310 Chuj people from San Mateo Ixtatán. [la Comisión para el Esclarecimiento Histórico, CEH]

Salt

Highly saturated salt water comes from the ground in several sacred wells. Historically, it is said that many traveled through San Mateo Ixtatán seeking the salt produced there. Many gather to pray in front of the wells to the goddess of salt, Atz’am. Women haul the salt-water up the long mountainside in plastic jugs where they use it as is or boil it to make a tasty, white salt. The salt is most famous as K'ik' Atz'am, Sal Negra or black salt. This is made by a few women in the town by adding a secret ingredient to the salt water as it boils. The black salt is very tasty and highly prized. It is said to have curative powers for the treatment of stomach ailments and headache.

The well is managed by the mayor’s office and is open from Monday through Saturday from 1 to 5 pm.

Archaeological Sites

Within the town of San Mateo Ixtatán, there are protected, but not excavated archaeological sites. The largest one is known as "Yol K'u" meaning "within the sun" or "Wajxaklajunh" meaning "eighteen". It is spectacularly situated on a promontory, surrounded by four large mounds. It is said to have been an astronomical temple. Another, "K'atepan" [Yumal Skuychaj Ti' Chuj, ALMG, 2006, p.243] , can be seen from "Yol K'u" on the other side of the valley and means "old temple" in the Chuj language.

Clothing

Traditional clothing of San Mateo Ixtatán for men and women is still seen within the community. The men use a woolen "capixay". It is made of two woven pieces of brown or black sheeps' wool, sewn together on the sides leaving the sleeves open for the arms. [Stzolalil Stz'ib'chaj Heb' Chuj, ALMG, 2007, p.33] The women traditionally wear a bright, red "corte" or long, Mayan wrap-around skirt. Cotton scarves are tied in their hair. The woman's "huipil" or top is a brightly multi-colored, hand-woven cotton poncho with a lacy collar. [Stzolalil Stz'ib'chaj Heb' Chuj, ALMG, 2007, p.33] It is said that a full-size "huipil" from San Mateo Ixtatán takes about 9 months to a year to make.

External links

* [http://www.inforpressca.com/sanmateoi/ Municipality in Spanish]
* [http://www.ixtatan.org/ Ixtatan Foundation] Charlottesville, Virginia based non-profit that works in San Mateo Ixtatán
* [http://www.almg.org.gt/portal/index.php?id=40&idioma=1 Academia de las Lenguas Mayas]
* [http://www.visitguatemala.com/nuevo/destinos_municipio.asp?id=106 INGUAT]
* [http://www.maplandia.com/guatemala/huehuetenango/s-mateo-ixtatan/san-mateo-ixtatan/ Satellite Map of San Mateo Ixtatán]
* [http://www.prensalibre.com/pl/domingo/archivo/revistad/2005/junio05/120605/dfondo.shtml Prensa Libre Revista D "De la sal a los dólares"] A news article in Spanish about how San Mateo Ixtatán is changing.

Notes and References