Santa Rosa

In its principality, Cuilapa, we find the geographic center of the American Continent and the enjoyment of religious celebrations and holidays. Santa Rosa is not only visited for its festivities but also for the ecological richness of its beaches and the mangroves along the Canal de Chiquimulilla that make it a destination for eco-tourists.

The economy of Santa Rosa has developed around coffee. Coffee plantations and cultivation abound in this Department as do large numbers of livestock ranches, and the consequent fame of its cheese, cream and butter.

Among xincas and pipiles

By: Mirna Annabella Barrios Figueroa

This Department is divided into two well defined topographic zones, the north that is located over the Sierra Madre mountains, and the south that corresponds to the coast and coastal fringes, with extensive plains and valleys which culminate on the beaches of the Pacific Ocean. Thus there are a variety of climates ranging from the cold of San Rafael Las Flores to the warmth of the coastal communities. Among the primary historical aspects that can be mentioned, the nahuatl language is noteworthy during the first millennium of the Christian era. A new invasion of the descendants of the first nahua speakers began shortly after the 10th century. By the arrival of the Spanish the xincas and the pipiles were completely established.

The xinca domain extended from the coast to the mountains of Jalapa. Its inhabitants, always well trained, were among the groups that put up the fiercest resistance to the Spanish under the orders of Alvarado, as they made their way toward Cuscatlán. Colonial life began around the community named Nuestra Señora de los Dolores or Candelaria de los Esclavos, that was established in 1570. In 1592 they began the construction of the Bridge of the Slaves, one of the most characteristic historic points. A great part of the present-day territory of Santa Rosa corresponded to the townships of Escuintla and Guazacapán. The fertility of the lands gave economic prosperity to the region and it was a point of commercial transit that obligated passage of the merchants arriving from Honduras and El Salvador. In the era of Independence, the Asamblea Nacional Constituyente divided the State of Guatemala into seven Departments, the third of which was Guatemala-Escuintla and Guazacapán that was further subdivided into seven districts. Cuajiniquilapa (Cuilapa) came to be the departmental principality. In order to improve the administration, in 1848, the government divided the Department of Mita into the three districts of Jutiapa, Santa Rosa and Jalapa. It was later decided to create the Department of Santa Rosa that we find in the present-day. Its date of creation was May 8, 1852. In 1892 it was recognized as part of the southern region of Guatemala, with recently formed populations, and its principality in Cuajiniquilapa. In its present-day organization, Santa Rosa contains old populations that date to the colonial era and others which formed in the 19th century.

The geographical center of the continent

By: Luis Villar Anleu

The geographic history of the Department of Santa Rosa is rich. This territory has been forged in a geographic example of the volcanic process and the pre-eminence that it takes. Its mountains and lake basins are volcanic. Even the portion of the Department that corresponds to the coastal plain evidences the monumental volume of volcanic sediment deposited by eruptions.

An extremely singular detail is the Río Los Esclavos Valley. It constitutes a long gash that divides the territory in half. This valley or fissure widens between the Tecuamburro and Cruz Quemada volcanoes. It is a notable ecological system that functions as a passageway.

The natural attractions of note in this region are the four Volcanes named Tecuamburro (1,945 meters) in the jurisdiction of Pueblo Nuevo Viñas, Taxisco and Chiquimulilla, Jumaytepeque (1,815 meters) in the lands of Nueva Santa Rosa, Cruz Quemada (1,690 meters) in Santa María Ixhuatán, and Cerro Redondo (1,220 meters) in Barberena.

There is also Laguna del Pino, Laguna de Ayarza, Laguna de Ixpaco, Los Esclavos River, beach marinas like El Garitón, Madre Vieja, La Candelaria, El Pumpo, Monterrico, Hawaii, Los Limones, San José Buena Vista and Las Lisas. Additionally we will mention the Chiquimulilla Canal and Monterrico Natural Reserve.

Artisanry

By: Francisco Rodríguez Rouanet and Aracely Esquivel

Cotton fabrics

Cotton fabrics are created in the municipalities of Barberena, Nueva Santa Rosa, Casillas, Cuilapa and Chiquimulilla.

Baskets

Using the best palm materials, tulle, wicker and bamboo they produce baskets, pouches and mats in the municipalities of Pueblo Nuevo Viñas, Barberena, Cuilapa and Casillas.

Rope

Utilizing the fibers of the maguey they create purses, knapsacks, clothes hangers and hammocks in the municipalities of San Rafael Las Flores and San Juan Tecuaco.

Furniture

They construct tables, chairs, wardrobes and carving boards in the municipalities of Santa Cruz Naranjo, Santa Rosa de Lima, Nueva Santa Rosa, Barberena, Cuilapa, Pueblo Nuevo Viñas, Guazacapán, Chiquimulilla and San Juan Tecuaco.

Musical instruments

Guitars and contrabasses are produced in the municipalities of Santa Cruz Naranjo and Chiquimulilla.

Leather goods

In this Department one finds works of riding gear, saddles, scabbards for machetes and guns, backrests for automobiles, purses and saddlebags.

Also worth mentioning are the palm products, gold and silver works, candles, ceramics, tulle, construction materials, bricks, tiles and fireworks.

Traditions

By: Carlos René García Escobar

Cofradías and Hermandades

Santa Rosa is a Department that in colonial times maintained social ties between the Spanish families and the descendents of the ancient pipile and xinca people of this territory. However, the colonial dynamic and the transfer of products and merchandise, made in the south of Central America (El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama), was reducing these groups to a minimum expression. The reason for this is that little by little their cofradías died out, the most important of which were Guazacapán, Conguaco and Los Esclavos. In their place appeared the Mayordomías, that had existed in Chiquimulilla, the hermandades and the "comités" that were organized annually for their religious festivals.

Dance and popular games

They enjoy games of chance such as rodeos, ribbon races, greased poles and cockfights on their holidays.

The dances have faded away although they still appear in the xinca populations of Chiquimulilla. A "convite", or street dance, related to the mythical Mexican Sombrero widely known as "El Sombrerón", is associated with the Festival of the Niño Dios on December 24.