Esquipulas

Esquipulas
Basilica of Esquipulas
Esquipulas Location in Guatemala
Coordinates: 14°34′N 89°21′W / 14.567°N 89.350°W / 14.567; -89.350Coordinates: 14°34′N 89°21′W / 14.567°N 89.350°W / 14.567; -89.350
Country	Guatemala
Department	Chiquimula Department
Climate	Aw

Esquipulas (Nahuatl: Isquitzuchil, "place where flowers abound"), officially Municipality of Esquipulas, whose original name was Yzquipulas, is the largest city located in the department of Chiquimula, in eastern Guatemala. Esquipulas' main attraction is the beautiful Black Christ () located in the Basilica of Esquipulas, making the city an important place of Catholic pilgrimage for Central America. It is also one of the most important cities of the country and one that has had the most economic and cultural growth.

In 2002 it was registered on UNESCO's tentative World Heritage list.

The city is a tourist attraction due to its ecological and religious importance. It is the most visited city and town across eastern Guatemala and the second most visited in the country, surpassed only by the City of Guatemala, visited annually by approximately four to five million tourists and devout Catholics, this due to its important and varied religious resorts and distributed in the 532 km2, the smallest city was visited by Pope John Paul II in 1996 which entitled him recognition as Capital Central to the Faith, whose recognition is currently known as to this city, which was also visited by Teresa of Calcutta, hosted the Esquipulas Peace Accords during the mid-1980s. The Basilica of Esquipulas headquarters in Central Catholic Faith is the first wonder of Guatemala competition held by the Industrial Bank on November 26, 2008.

The territory comprises an area of 532 square kilometers, distributed in 20 villages, 123 sub villages, and one city and two villas which are Timushán Chanmagua and had, in 2012, a total population of 56.258 inhabitants; with the City Esquipulas having a population of 29.260, which represents 55% of the total population of the municipality. The city of Esquipulas is located 222 kilometers from Guatemala City, 9.5 kilometers from the border with the Republic of Honduras and 45 kilometers from the city of Chiquimula, bordering the municipalities of Olopa, Jocotán and the department Camotán Chiquimula to the north and the municipality of Metapan, El Salvador to the south. To the east it meets the departments of Copán and Ocotepeque, Honduras and to the west, the municipality of Concepción Las Minas and the Resume Chiquimula department.

The northern region and center of Esquipulas is located within the geographical area known as Region Ch'orti ' of Guatemala. Chorti culture and the Kingdom Payaki or Payaqui which was notable for leaving some of their old architectures developed within this municipality.