Editing Chimaltenango (section)

==History==

[[File:Nataliagorriz1898.jpg|170px|thumb|left| Teacher [[Natalia Górriz|Natalia Górriz de Morales]]. Photograph from ''[[La Ilustración Guatemalteca]]''.{{sfn|La Ilustración Guatemalteca|1896|p=24}}]]

In [[Pre-Columbian]] times, what is now the city of Chimaltenango was known to its native inhabitants as '''B'oko''''.  Like many other cities in the area, the [[Spain|Spanish]] [[Conquistador]]es used the name given by their [[Nahuatl]] speaking allies from central [[Mexico]]. The [[Nahuatl]] name was '''Chīmaltenānco''', meaning "Shield City".  The current town was founded in 1526 by Spanish conquistador [[Pedro de Portocarrero (conquistador)|Pedro de Portocarrero]], and shortly after it was assigned by Bishop [[Francisco Marroquín]] to the [[Order of Preachers]], along with Jocotenango, [[San Martín Jilotepeque|Jilotepeque]], [[Sumpango, Sacatepéquez|Sumpango]], Candelaria, [[Amatitlán]], Petapa, [[Mixco]], and Pinula.{{sfn|Juarros|1818|p=336}}  These were the general areas under the jurisdiction of "Valle de Pasuya" (English: Pasuya Valley) in those days (which had nine valleys), among them the Chimaltenango Valley.{{sfn|Juarros|1818|p=344}} This valley bordered with Xilotepeque valley on the northwest, with Mixco valley on the East, with Guatemala on the North, and with [[Sololá Department|Sololá Prinvice]] on the West.{{sfn|Juarros|1818|p=344}} Furthermore, the Valle of Pasuya had two mayor municipalities: Chimaltenango (which included the Chimaltenango, [[San Martín Jilotepeque|Xilotepeque]], and Alotenango valleys), and Sacatepéquez (which included the remainder).{{sfn|Juarros|1818|p=345}}

After independence from Spain in 1821, the town was elevated to "Villa" status in 1825 but apparently lost some luster, as one can infer from archeologist [[Alfred Percival Maudslay]] wife's description from a trip there in 1895. Anne Cary Maudslay, wrote: "We were not tempted to loiter for long, and rode on again over the dull plain to the uninteresting town of Chimaltenango, where we proposed to spend the night. The hotel was dirty and the bedrooms so unpleasant that we would have none of them, and sent Gorgonio to hunt for an empty room in which we could put up our own beds. This he found in a "meson", or caravanserai, attached to the hotel, where there was a good-sized room and a rough kitchen opening on a patio in which we could turn the beasts loose for the night. A sprinkling with water, a good sweeping, and a free use of [[Persian powder|Keating's powder]], soon made the room habitable. The supper at the hotel was, however, far above the average, and the only thing to complain of was the poor forage supplied to the mules." {{sfn|Maudslay|Maudslay|1899|p=42}}