# Esquipulas Palo Gordo

Esquipulas Palo Gordo (Spanish pronunciation:) is a town and municipality in the San Marcos department of Guatemala. The town was founded on 24 December 1826 year. In the 1920s it was merged with San Marcos, but in 1948 it recovered its autonomy again.

## Political division

Esquipulas Palo Gordo political division :
| Location | Name | Brief description |
| Town | Esquipulas Palo Gordo |
| Villages | Tánil | Located by Ixtágel hill. |
| Villages | Fraternidad | Formerly "Hoyón Grande" and "Hoyón Chiquito". |
| Villages | Carrizal | Previously known as "San Francisco" (1917). |
| Villages | Villa Hermosa | Founded in 1902. |
| Villages | Ojo de Agua | Its name is due to the presence of several water creeks in the area. |
| Villages | Pojopón | Also known as Santa Cruz Pojopón. |
| Cantón | Bethania | Previously known as «Cumbre de Paltazá» settlement, since it was right by Paltazá creek. |
| Settlements | El Paraíso | Previously called «Ixquihuila». |
| Settlements | Jerusalén | One of Tánil village newest settlements. |
| Settlements | Villa Nueva | Created when all the community came together and decided to settle in a new location. |
| Settlements | San Isidro | |
| Settlements | Primavera | |
| Settlements | Buena Vista | |
| Settlements | Esmeralda | |
| Settlements | Caserío Puente de Tierra | |
| Settlements | Tierra Blanca | |

## Natural resources

Natural resources in the municipality are mainly cattle, forestry and agriculture. The main agricultural products are: sugar cane, corn, wheat, potato, and beans; the land is flat and fertile.

## Tourism

Esquipulas Palo Gordo has several natural attractions; among them is Ixtagel hill and the Quetzal refuge in Fraternidad village, along with a large forest area that covers approximately 50% of the municipal area and has extensive fauna variety.
The municipality celebrates its annual fair in honor of the Black Christ of Esquipulas between January 12 and 17.

## Politics

In 2011, a woman joined the mayoral race in Esquipulas Palo Gordo for the very first time, when Edilma Marleny Ochoa Barrios ran for Unión del Cambio Nacional —UCN—.

## Climate

Esquipulas Palo Gordo has temperate climate (Köppen:Cwb).
Climate data for Esquipulas Palo Gordo :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 16.7 (62.1) | 17.1 (62.8) | 18.6 (65.5) | 19.5 (67.1) | 19.4 (66.9) | 18.7 (65.7) | 18.6 (65.5) | 19.1 (66.4) | 18.6 (65.5) | 17.8 (64.0) | 17.5 (63.5) | 17.0 (62.6) | 18.2 (64.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 9.2 (48.6) | 9.5 (49.1) | 11.0 (51.8) | 12.5 (54.5) | 13.7 (56.7) | 13.8 (56.8) | 13.6 (56.5) | 13.5 (56.3) | 13.7 (56.7) | 12.8 (55.0) | 11.2 (52.2) | 10.2 (50.4) | 12.1 (53.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.8 (35.2) | 2.0 (35.6) | 3.4 (38.1) | 5.5 (41.9) | 8.1 (46.6) | 9.0 (48.2) | 8.7 (47.7) | 7.9 (46.2) | 8.8 (47.8) | 7.8 (46.0) | 4.9 (40.8) | 3.5 (38.3) | 6.0 (42.7) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 6 (0.2) | 6 (0.2) | 25 (1.0) | 66 (2.6) | 227 (8.9) | 329 (13.0) | 237 (9.3) | 269 (10.6) | 342 (13.5) | 227 (8.9) | 28 (1.1) | 13 (0.5) | 1,775 (69.8) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org ||||||||||||||

## Geographic location

Esquipulas Palo Gordo can be reached two ways:
* From Guatemala City to San Marcos: Ruta Interamericana, 252 km highway
* From San Marcos: 7.5 km national route
It is surrounded by San Marcos Department municipalities:
vtePlaces adjacent to Esquipulas Palo Gordo :
San Marcos
San Rafael Pie de la Cuesta
Esquipulas Palo Gordo
San Marcos
San Pedro Sacatepéquez and El Tumbador :