Editing Esquipulas (section)

== History ==

=== Pre-Hispanic ===

The northern region and center of Esquipulas is located within the geographical area known as Region [[Ch'orti' people]] of Guatemala. Chorti culture and the Kingdom Payaki or Payaqui which was notable for leaving some of their old architectures developed within this municipality.<ref name="Historia">{{cite web |url=http://biblioteca.usac.edu.gt/tesis/02/02_1922.pdf |language=es |title=Historia of the Casa de la Cultura |author=Norma Guisela Acosta Zavala |access-date=11 December 2012}}</ref>

==== Culture Chorti ====

The first settlers were descendants from Maya people of Copán (archaeological site) [[Copán]], [[Honduras]] who came to these lands, shortly after they were forming groups or ethnic groups including ethnic [[Ch'orti ']], these moved Esquipulas after leaving or moving of its ancient cities, this culture achievement develop for several years, even after of the [[Spanish conquest]] these were gradually disappearing from the municipality and moved to other municipality such as [[Camotan]], [[Chiquimula]] and [[Jocotan]], although they reached the Valley of Esquipulas, this culture is developed more in the villages [[Timushan]] and [[Chanmagua]].<ref name="Origen">{{cite web |url=http://www.chiquimulaonline.com/chiquimula/origen.htm |language=es |title=Origen de la Ciudad de Chiquimula |access-date=11 December 2012 |archive-date=15 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130715030341/http://www.chiquimulaonline.com/chiquimula/origen.htm |url-status=usurped }}</ref>

==== Kingdom Payaqui ====

Another ethnic group who lived in this municipality was ethnically Payaqui. The priest Topiltzín Axcitl or Nacxit was the founder of the Kingdom of Payaqui. The origin of this town, is located in the depths of the mystery of the [[culture Maya|cultura maya]] (the name Isquitzuchil´ appears in the history from the earliest times in 1000 BC).

=== 16th Century ===

==== Spanish colonization ====

[[File:Basilicaesquipulas1895.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Esquipulas Basílica in 1895]]
In 1524 Spanish forces first established themselves in the area now known as [[Guatemala]] with the settling of the area's first municipality at [[Tecpán Guatemala|Tecpan]]. By 1525 Spanish forces had reached the region South of the Valley of Monte Christo, this region then being inhabited by the Chorti Indians.

==== Conquest of Isquitzuchil ====

In 1525, the captains Juan Pérez Dardón, Sancho de Barahona and Bartolomé Becerra under the command of [[Pedro de Alvarado]] conquered the province of Chiquimula, and as a result the Catholic religion was imposed upon the conquered peoples. In April 1530 the locals led by chieftains Copantl and Galel again revolted against the conquerors and as a result, Don Francisco de Orduña ordered the captains Pedro de Amalina and Hernando de Chávez that they leave from Mitlan to "pacify" the region, who departed along with 60 Marines, 400 Allied Indians and 30 horses. The region was well defended and hindered the entry of the Spanish army.  After fighting for 3 days, the inhabitants of the region finally surrendered, mostly for peace and public tranquility, and also for fear of the Castilian arms, in the words of the Chief.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.esquipulas.com.gt/turismo/historia/ |title=Historia de Esquipulas |author=Nicolás Rodríguez |language=es |access-date=11 December 2012}}</ref>

==== Esquipulas ====

Between 1550 and 1560 the town of Yzquipulas (later Esquipulas) was founded in this region by Juan Pérez Dardón.  Dardón brought with him slaves of Mayan-Chortí and Mayan-Payaquí origin from other regions of the Province of Chiquimula de la Sierra. The main street in town was laid out, running from the main Iglesia de Santiago in the South, to the town's aqueduct in the North.  The city plan eventually grew to include two city plazas, now known as "Parque de la Basilica," in the South and in the North, adjacent to the older parish church "Iglesia de Santiago,"is the "Parque Centroamerica" plaza.

In the early 1700s Esquipulas was one of the most populous Spanish communities in the area. According to the town's baptismal registry, it then had a population of 198 people. A century later, the records reflected that the community had reached 851 inhabitants, representing 30% of the total population of the department of Chiquimula.  Apparently settlers were attracted to the region by the great fertility of its valleys.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.esquipulas.com.gt/turismo/historia/|title=Historia - Esquipulas|author=José Romilio Villeda Maderos |language=es|access-date=6 October 2012}}</ref>

=== Catholicism in Esquipulas ===

In 1594, the villagers asked the Portuguese sculptor Quirio Cataño to sculpt a crucified Christ with a dark complexion. The Portuguese sculptor, who resided in Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala, delivered the Black Christon October 4, 1594, as established in the initial contract. The image was collected by the inhabitants of Esquipulas and taken to their small town, arriving on March 9, 1595, and initially installed in a small shrine in a monastic hermitage just outside of the town. The inhabitants of that time called the sculpture "miraculous", which drew the attention of the surrounding Catholic populations. By 1650 the town was one of the most important Catholic sites of the captaincy general since it was visited by people from the provinces of El Salvador and Comayagua. In 1680, the construction of the Santiago Church began, which was completed in 1682, the year in which the sculpture of the Black Christ was moved from the hermitage.

In 1740 the fifteenth bishop of Guatemala, fray Pedro Pardo de Figueroa, in order to attend the ever-growing pilgrimages dedicated to the Christ of Esquipulas and in gratitude for the healing of a disease, commissioned the construction of a larger basilica to the architect Felipe José de Porres, son of Diego de Porres and grandson of José de Porres, renowned senior architects of the capital city of the Captaincy General of Guatemala, Santiago de los Caballeros.

Fray Pedro Pardo de Figueroa died on February 2, 1751, during a visit to Esquipulas to supervise the construction of the sanctuary and was buried in the basilica of Esquipulas, according to his last will. He was replaced by Francisco de Figueredo y Victoria, who continued the construction of the basilica, which was completed at the end of 1758.  On November 4 of that year he decreed the solemn dedication of the new sanctuary, which was inaugurated on January 4, 1759. The image of the Christ of Esquipulas was transferred to the new basilica on Saturday January 6, 1759.