Coatepeque, El Salvador

Coatepeque
District
Front-view of the parish of San Pedro Apóstol in Coatepeque.
Coatepeque
Location in El Salvador
Coordinates: 13°55′N 89°30′W / 13.917°N 89.500°W / 13.917; -89.500
Country El Salvador
DepartmentSanta Ana
MunicipalitySanta Ana Este
Government
 • Mayor Carolina Escobar
Area
 • District48.98 sq mi (126.85 km2)
Elevation
2,490 ft (760 m)
Population
 • District
36,371

Coatepeque (Nawat: kuātepēk) is a district in the municipality of Santa Ana Este in the Santa Ana department of El Salvador.[1] It is above El Congo, south of the department's capital and is bordered by the department of La Libertad in the East.

Etymology

Coatepeque is the Hispanicized form of Kuatepek from the Nawat language: with kuat meaning snake and tepet meaning mountain. Thus translating to Snake Mountain, sometimes Mixcoatl Mountain (to honor of Mixcoatl, an Aztec god associated with hunting and war) or cerro de la serpiente in Spanish. [2]

History

Initially inhabited by the Poqomam Maya, it was conquered by the Nahuas of Cuzcatlan around the 1200s, forming the altepetl of the same name. It fell to Spanish rule after the Spanish conquest of El Salvador in the early 16th century. During the colonial period, it was under the Alcaldia Mayor de San Salvador. Post independence it was apart of the Sonsonate department until it's split, joining the newly created Santa Ana in 1855.[3] It was first granted the title of villa on October 12th, 1858, and getting promoted to city on March 25th, 1917.[4] Both the town and lake were one in the same before the municipality was split in March 20th, 1933, to form El Congo. Due to the 2023 municipality restructuring, Coatepeque was re-categorized as a district and joined El Congo under the municipality of Santa Ana Este.

It was the epicenter of the Battle of Coatepeque, where Salvadoran forces successfully defended the city from invading Guatemalan forces.

Administration

The current mayor is Carolina Escobar from Nuevas Ideas, representing Santa Ana Este since 2024. Coatepeque is made up of 16 districts known as cantones and 83 hamlets:

  • Caña Brava
  • Conacastes
  • Concepción
  • El Cerro
  • El Tinteral
  • Jocotón
  • Junquillo
  • La Joya
  • Las Piletas
  • Palo Negro
  • Resbaladero
  • Solimán
  • Siete Príncipes
  • San Felipe
  • San Jacinto
  • Zacatal

Culture

It's patron saint is Saint Peter the Apostle, who is celebrated from June 20th to the 29th.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Coatepeque". ISDEM (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  2. ^ Campbell, Lyle. The Pipil language of El Salvador. Berlin: Mouton Publishers. p. 307. ISBN 0-89925-040-8. OCLC 13433705.
  3. ^ Gaceta del Gobierno del Salvador (PDF), vol. 4, 15 March 1855, archived from the original (PDF) on 7 Feb 2025
  4. ^ "Coatepeque | Municipios de El Salvador".
  5. ^ Aleyda Reyes. "Coatepeque, el Cerro de la Serpiente". Retrieved 21 April 2023.

13°55′31″N 89°30′15″W / 13.9254°N 89.5043°W / 13.9254; -89.5043


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