San José Ojetenam

San José Ojetenam is a municipality in the San Marcos department of Guatemala.

San José is one the highest municipalities in Central America. It is located near the Sierra Madre Mountain Range. The town center's altitude above sea level is 10,200 feet. Some of its more remote communities such as Choanla are located more than 11,000 feet above sea level.

In 2000, San Jose had a population of over 20,000 people. More than 2,000 live in the town center.

San Jose is located near the municipality of Tacana, San Marcos, which borders Mexico.

Volcan Tacana and Volcan Tajamulco are both within view of the town.

A variety of non-governmental organizations operate in San Jose to assist its people in agricultural projects, forestry projects, small business development, childhood education, and municipal development. Examples of these organizations include: The United States Peace Corps, Intervida, and CARE. During 2003, the Cuban government deployed two nurses to assist the Guatemalan doctor and two Guatemalan nurses already staffing the municipal clinic.

In July 2005, the medical resources of that clinic were overwhelmed when an overloaded bus on the way to market veered off the road and tumbled 200 meters down the hillside. The bus was carrying more than 90 people. More than 30 people died in the accident. 50 more were injured. San Jose's ambulance was not working at the time because it had broken down after being repeatedly used to transport the town's soccer team to and from regional games.

* [http://www.inforpressca.com/sanjoseojetenam/ Official website]
* [http://www.visitguatemala.com/nuevo/destinos_municipio.asp?id=230 Some information in Spanish]