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This department is located on a highland of Sierra Madre, and is characterized by steep mountains, deep ravines, beautiful valleys, and wide plains. It is crossed by the Pan- American Highway. It has a temperate climate. It saw born artists and poets, some outstanding are; Rafael Álvarez Ovalle, National Anthem of Guatemala author and Andrés Curruchiche initiator of the popular painting.
Walking toward East, the first place to stop is El Tejar, where the visitor is able to perceive the existence of ovens that seems houses and also can also see the elaboration of bricks and mud stales as in the Colonial Epoch.
The next town is the Departmental Head Chimaltenango; located 56 kilometers from Guatemala City. In its central plaza is conserved one of the few fountains of Colonial Epoch.
Something to underline are the religious celebrations of San Andrés Itzapa and Patzicía, which a week before the patron saint celebration, takes place the “armada de la pluma”. This celebration involves the mayordomos texeles (sisterhood). The place where the Patron Saint is located for the procession that will go through the town streets is adorned with feathers, mirrors,pieces of colorful cloth, and tiny images in wood. The ritual begins from the traditional dance (el baile de los baúles) that contains the ornaments, until the visit from the guild house to the Parish Church.
The Bath “Los Aposentos” is birth water located in a water source in a ravine that separate the municipalities of Parramos and Chimaltenango; it has been accommodated to be a recreational park. The Tecpán Municipality, 36km from the Departmental Head, is located the archaeological site Iximché. It is City of the antique domination of Maya-Kakchiquel, where was founded the first city of the Goathemala Kingdom.
Saint Apolonia is a town of Kakchiquel origin and one of the main centers of popular ceramic production of Pre-Hispanic type. It is located in 39kms from Departmental Head, Chimaltenango.
Located 6kms from the Departmental Head is nestled San Andrés Itzapa. The population of this community, it has temperate climate, are devoted to San Simón, also known as “Maximón”, a miracle character with indigenous and Spanish characteristics, as sample of crossbreeding. It has its own religious celebrations and chapel. Its deity that “of doing the good or the evil” pilgrims make offer of alcohol to drink, as well as colorful candles and incense smoke, besides make tobacco, money, animals, fruits and jewelry offering as presents.
To 27kms from Departmental is located San Juan Comalapa where the production of popular painting (Naif painting) make of Comalapa an important center of popular indigenous art. The pictorial works depict costumes and the daily life activities of the indigenous and are exhibit for their sale in family-owned galleries.
In Patzún, during June is realized the rituals and religious celebrations of the Corpus Christi.
In San Andrés Itzapa Maximón is for the visitants a reason of peregrination and devotion making to the image consultations of all type.
Related to the traditional procession mentioned is found Parramos; which population realized traditional dances of Stags and Bulls (Venados and Toritos), in memory of the Innocent’s Day.
In Comalapa; other municipality of Chimaltenango, the traditional painting in the last years has showed an intense development of thematic, images, and resources manage by groups of native women.
The itinerary toward Comalapa allows a first step in Zaragoza, where the observation of the field and its agricultural production constitutes one of the typical landscapes of the region. At the middle of the trip is recommended a stop in Aldea Rincón Grande in order to appreciate the work of this community that developed an agricultural technology for the strawberries exportation.
Toward the South is founded the municipalities of the bocacosta: Pochuta, Acatenango, and Yepocapa. The Acatenango Volcano makes of this place a site where climbing can be practiced and the rivers that cross it makes it ideal for walking following the trail and antique paths that communicate the central highland with the Antigua City and the South Coast. In all its extension are a series of coffee grower farms translating us into the dynamic economic of XIX century.
Among the main handcrafts of Chimaltenango are: waves, ceramic, musical instrument, furniture, wax products, basket work, fishing tackle, metallic products, leather and pyrotechnic.
Temperature
Máxima 24.8 C.
Mínima 12.6 C.
Altitude
1,800.17 Mts. SNM.
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Tecpán 
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