88 
o.0 
fronted upon it. It is now secondary; besides being 
used for drying blankets, it is occupied by vendors 
during fiestas, and by dancers and celebrants. Other- 
wise, it is merely a vacant, bare space. 
In the Lake Atitlan villages the church often faces 
out over the water, as in San Jorge (a later church), 
toward the south-southwest; San Antonio, west; 
Santiago Atitlan (the oldest church on the lake), 
west-northwest, toward the bay. As often, however. 
the long church buildings are alined with their sides 
parallel to the shore, as in San Pedro, facing north- 
west ; Santa Cruz, southwest ; Panajachel west-north- 
west; Santa Catarina, northwest. 
TOWN NAMES 
Acculturation extends beyond town pattern, both 
geographic and ethnic; it even affects the name of the 
town. As Spanish-descended Ladinos occupy the 
foremost part of the town, so also the first part of the 
town name is frequently of European origin—the 
Spanish name of a Roman Catholic saint. This is 
very general, as in Santiago Atitlan, San José 
Chacaya, etc., the full names being employed in con- 
versation only when two towns having the same saint 
may be confused. More often than not, the first ap- 
pellation above is used, even by the Indians, though 
frequently the reverse is true, as in the case of Atitlan 
(one seldom hears “Santiago” except academically). 
This village also illustrates the Mexican influence so 
commonly seen in place names of Guatemala, such 
as Atitlan, Quezaltenango, Escuintla, and hundreds 
of others. Through the mercenary Indian troops ac- 
companying Alvarado, these Mexican names came in 
with the Spanish. 
INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY—PUBLICATION NO. 4 
THE MUNICIPIO 
GENERAL FEATURES 
No one who devotes much time to ethnographic 
research in Guatemala could fail to see the fallacy 
of assuming that any cultural unity other than that 
of similar language exists within the bounds of lin- 
guistic areas. Tax has justly criticized Shultze-Jena, 
who “assumed that Quiché culture is enough of a 
unit to allow him to use data from both Chichicaste- 
nango and Momostenango without distinguishing 
their sources” (Tax, 1937, pp. 423-424). Local 
diversities are too numerous and significant for any 
such broad application of language terms unaccom- 
panied by specific locality. Ethnography in High- 
land Guatemala, in fact, must be treated “microscop- 
ically.” It is likely that such local variations existed 
also among the so-called “nations” of pre-Columbian 
Guatemala, which were very loosely organized, pos 
sibly owing in part to these differences. 
The municipio ?*9 is the smallest administrative 
unit in the political structure of modern Guatemala. 
Ina sense it is a sort of township. Though in certain 
sections of Guatemala the municipio is larger than 
the American “standard township” (36 sq. miles, or 
about 90 sq. km.), in the Highlands of Southwest 
Guatemala some are much smaller. The latter are 
particularly characteristic of the rugged, dissected 
young volcanic region (V, map 5). “Plateau” 
(mainly V’, map 5) and Lowland municipics are 
larger, as shown in table 4. 
12 Adoption of this term appears to be relatively recent; I have not 
seen it used earlier than the 19th century. 
TaBLE 4.—Average size of municipios in selected Guatemala Departamentos (in square kilometers, approximate) 
Mainly above 1,500 m. elevation | Mainly below 1,500 m. elevation " . 
Physieal provinces, 
indicated in order 
Population Population of importance 
Political division Area per sq. km. Area per sq. km. (see map 5) 
Departamento of Sacatepequez ..........0-seeeeeee 20 DO |, 1 | fara erahaig /evarare. 0 a/dte.? | teleteletierersteie mieten NAWLE 
Departamento of Chimaltenango ..........0.0eeeeee 123 BO) lsevceve.cia.gse @eieecanll seein erate eee W425i 
Departamento of Totonicapan ........0.eseeeeeees 125 DG! Nine ay ecais aa ore sreran ih raseperenareleleeteareeane Ve 
Departamento of Quezaltenango .............+0005- 45 208 Vets iscs aosvesa'5.08'6 | aaa rere Mie 
217 49.5 V.ALV 
Departamento 1s 0l0la usenet, csb:stayp sietat tierararenetasssoterasseete 41.8 SSE iavanaiciars-atalerielgis a lic. se eee ° MiWiG 
Departamento of Suchitepepuez (annexed from Solold) | .......e+eeee0 [eee ee ee eeeeeee 272 S155 V.AL,V. 
MiTIMICINIO MOL A HICACAG a royt.arays-shacars)acareus avareahe avevchony ae 193.5 64.5 V.AL,V. 
Departamento of Suchitepequez (orig 115 S255: V.AL, 
Departamentoof “Retalhtilett: (5 -csic.:.aherecseie a aeian ies 215 21.5 V.AL,(V.) 
Municipio of Santo Tomas Chichicastenango ........ 355 id \ ||| ara: ahasayt sae oseve oiesaili| ele aievereren al eyeeetatele VE 
Wepartamentor Oh Leber fecccw ois «11s aps cvaveyencave cvsreran ore oc [injavehsue [ole eselele/ oletell|eze%e:tra.c'ohecla/aie.eid 2,900 25 Ls. 
Average population 
Average area (above and density per sq. km. 
below 1,500 m.) (above and below 1,500 m.) 
Departamerita: of “Quiche icici c. 6.6.0 c gests aiereye-e ons 450 15 Ms,€r:3V% 
1 This refers to that part of Suchitepequez which antedates the annexation of Lowland Solola. 
