Los Altos ("The Highlands" in the
Spanish languageSpanish or Castilian is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that originated in northern Spain and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile, evolving into the principal language of government and trade in the Iberian peninsula...
) was an area of
Central AmericaManagua
Guatemala City
San Salvador
San Pedro Sula
Panama City
San José, Costa Rica
Santa Ana, El Salvador
León
San Miguel|-|}...
, which was added as a sixth state to the
Federal Republic of Central AmericaThe Federal Republic of Central America, after known as the United Provinces of Central America in its first year of creation, was a short-lived sovereign state in Central America, which consisted of the territories of the former Captaincy General of Guatemala. A republican democracy, it existed...
in the 1830s. Its capital was
QuetzaltenangoQuetzaltenango, more commonly known as Xela is the second most populous city of Guatemala, after Guatemala City. It is both the capital of Quetzaltenango Department and the municipal seat of Quetzaltenango municipality....
. Los Altos occupied eight departments in the west of present-day
GuatemalaGuatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast. Its size is just under 110,000 km² with an estimated population...
as well as the
SoconuscoSoconusco is a region of the Mexican state of Chiapas, located in the extreme south of the state and separated from Guatemala by the Suchiate River. It is a region of rich lowlands and foothills. The economic center is Tapachula. Soconusco consists of 16 municipalities.The name comes from the...
region in the
MexicanThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
state of
ChiapasChiapas is the southernmost state of Mexico, located towards the southeast of the country. Chiapas is bordered by the states of Tabasco to the north, Veracruz to the northwest, and Oaxaca to the west. To the east Chiapas borders Guatemala, and to the south the Pacific Ocean.Chiapas has an area of...
.
The state originated from the political differences and tensions between
Guatemala CityGuatemala City is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala...
on one side, and
QuetzaltenangoQuetzaltenango, more commonly known as Xela is the second most populous city of Guatemala, after Guatemala City. It is both the capital of Quetzaltenango Department and the municipal seat of Quetzaltenango municipality....
and other parts of western Central America on the other.
Los Altos ("The Highlands" in the
Spanish languageSpanish or Castilian is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that originated in northern Spain and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile, evolving into the principal language of government and trade in the Iberian peninsula...
) was an area of
Central AmericaManagua
Guatemala City
San Salvador
San Pedro Sula
Panama City
San José, Costa Rica
Santa Ana, El Salvador
León
San Miguel|-|}...
, which was added as a sixth state to the
Federal Republic of Central AmericaThe Federal Republic of Central America, after known as the United Provinces of Central America in its first year of creation, was a short-lived sovereign state in Central America, which consisted of the territories of the former Captaincy General of Guatemala. A republican democracy, it existed...
in the 1830s. Its capital was
QuetzaltenangoQuetzaltenango, more commonly known as Xela is the second most populous city of Guatemala, after Guatemala City. It is both the capital of Quetzaltenango Department and the municipal seat of Quetzaltenango municipality....
. Los Altos occupied eight departments in the west of present-day
GuatemalaGuatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast. Its size is just under 110,000 km² with an estimated population...
as well as the
SoconuscoSoconusco is a region of the Mexican state of Chiapas, located in the extreme south of the state and separated from Guatemala by the Suchiate River. It is a region of rich lowlands and foothills. The economic center is Tapachula. Soconusco consists of 16 municipalities.The name comes from the...
region in the
MexicanThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
state of
ChiapasChiapas is the southernmost state of Mexico, located towards the southeast of the country. Chiapas is bordered by the states of Tabasco to the north, Veracruz to the northwest, and Oaxaca to the west. To the east Chiapas borders Guatemala, and to the south the Pacific Ocean.Chiapas has an area of...
.
The state originated from the political differences and tensions between
Guatemala CityGuatemala City is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala...
on one side, and
QuetzaltenangoQuetzaltenango, more commonly known as Xela is the second most populous city of Guatemala, after Guatemala City. It is both the capital of Quetzaltenango Department and the municipal seat of Quetzaltenango municipality....
and other parts of western Central America on the other. Debate about separation from Guatemala dated from shortly after
Central AmericaManagua
Guatemala City
San Salvador
San Pedro Sula
Panama City
San José, Costa Rica
Santa Ana, El Salvador
León
San Miguel|-|}...
n independence from
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
in 1821. Such a separate state was provided for by the Federal constitutional assembly of November 1824, but there was sizable opposition to the separation in
Guatemala CityGuatemala City is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala...
.
The independence of Los Altos from Guatemala was officially proclaimed on 2 February 1838. The Federal government recognized Los Altos as the sixth state of the union and seated the representatives of Los Altos in the Federal Congress on 5 June of that year. The
flagA flag is a piece of fabric, often flown from a pole or mast, generally used symbolically for signaling or identification. It is most commonly used to symbolize a country...
of Los Altos was a modification of that of the Central American Union, with a central seal showing a
volcano3. Conduit
4. Base
5. Sill
6. Dike
7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano
8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano
10. Throat
11. Parasitic cone
12. Lava flow
13. Vent
14. Crater
15...
in the background with a
quetzalThe Resplendent Quetzal, Pharomachrus mocinno, is a spectacular bird of the trogon family. It is found from southern Mexico to western Panama . There are two subspecies, P. m. mocinno and P. m. costaricensis, the Costa Rican Resplendent Quetzal...
(a local bird symbolizing
libertyLiberty is a concept of political philosophy and identifies the condition in which an individual has the right to act according to his or her own will....
) in front. This was the first Central American flag to use the
quetzalQuetzals are strikingly colored birds of the trogon family found in tropical regions of the Americas.The word "quetzal" was originally used for just the Resplendent Quetzal, Pharomachrus mocinno, the famous long-tailed quetzal of Central America, which is the national bird of Guatemala...
as a symbol; since 1871, it has been on the present
flag of GuatemalaThe flag of Guatemala features two colors: sky blue and white. The two sky blue stripes represent the fact that Guatemala is a land located between two oceans, the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean sea; and the sky over the country . The white color signifies peace and purity.In the center of the...
.
Los Altos consisted of the administrative regions of Totonicapán (the modern Guatemalan departments of
TotonicapánTotonicapán is one of the 22 departments of Guatemala. The capital is the city of Totonicapán.- Municipalities :# Momostenango# San Andrés Xecul# San Bartolo# San Cristóbal Totonicapán# San Francisco El Alto# Santa Lucía La Reforma...
,
HuehuetenangoHuehuetenango is one of the 22 departments of Guatemala. It is situated in the western highlands and shares borders with México in the North and West; with El Quiché in the East, with Totonicapán, Quetzaltenango, and San Marcos to the South. The capital is the city of Huehuetenango.Huehuetenango's...
), Quetzaltenango (the modern departments of Quetzaltenango and
San MarcosSan Marcos is a department in Guatemala. The capital is the city of San Marcos.# Ayutla# Catarina# Comitancillo# Concepción Tutuapa# El Quetzal# El Tumbador# Esquipulas Palo Gordo# Ixchiguan# La Reforma# Malacatán# Nuevo Progreso# Ocos# Pajapita...
) and Suchitepéquez-Sololá (the modern departments of
RetalhuleuRetalhuleu is a department located in the south-west of Guatemala, extending from the mountains to the Pacific Ocean coast. It has an area of 1856 km². In 2002 the population of the Department of Retalhuleu was 241,411. The capital is the city of Retalhuleu....
,
SuchitepéquezSuchitepéquez is one of the 22 departments of Guatemala. Its capital is Mazatenango.It is situated in the southwestern region of Guatemala, limiting to the north with Quetzaltenango, Sololá and Chimaltenango, to the south with the Pacific Ocean, to the east with Escuintla, and to the west with...
,
SololáSololá is a department in the west of Guatemala. The capital is the city of Sololá.- Municipalities :# Concepción# Nahualá# Panajachel# San Andrés Semetabaj# San Antonio Palopó# San José Chacayá# San Juan La Laguna# San Lucas Tolimán...
, and
QuichéEl Quiché is a department of Guatemala.El Quiché department is in the heartland of the Quiché people, to the north-west of Guatemala City. The capital is Santa Cruz del Quiché.-Population:...
).
As the Federation crumbled into
civil warA civil war is a war between organized groups within a single nation state, or, less commonly, between two nations created from a formerly-united nation state. The aim of one side may be to take control of the nation or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies...
, Los Altos declared itself an independent republic. On 2 April 1840, the majority of the government officials from Los Altos were captured by
Rafael CarreraJosé Rafael Carrera Turcios was the ruler of Guatemala from about 1839 until his death...
's horde army, then quickly shot on his orders. Carrera, now de facto ruler, forcibly annexed
QuetzaltenangoQuetzaltenango, more commonly known as Xela is the second most populous city of Guatemala, after Guatemala City. It is both the capital of Quetzaltenango Department and the municipal seat of Quetzaltenango municipality....
and much of Los Altos into
GuatemalaGuatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast. Its size is just under 110,000 km² with an estimated population...
. Taking advantage of the chaos and unsettled situation, the
SoconuscoSoconusco is a region of the Mexican state of Chiapas, located in the extreme south of the state and separated from Guatemala by the Suchiate River. It is a region of rich lowlands and foothills. The economic center is Tapachula. Soconusco consists of 16 municipalities.The name comes from the...
region was annexed by
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
In 1844, 1848, and 1849, unsuccessful revolts against the
dictatorA dictator is a ruler who assumes sole and absolute power with military control but, without hereditary ascension such as an absolute monarch. When other states call the head of state of a particular state a dictator, that state is called a dictatorship...
ship of
Rafael CarreraJosé Rafael Carrera Turcios was the ruler of Guatemala from about 1839 until his death...
briefly reproclaimed the independence of Los Altos.
The region is still distinctive today, and
Los Altos is still a nickname for the region of
GuatemalaGuatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast. Its size is just under 110,000 km² with an estimated population...
around
QuetzaltenangoQuetzaltenango, more commonly known as Xela is the second most populous city of Guatemala, after Guatemala City. It is both the capital of Quetzaltenango Department and the municipal seat of Quetzaltenango municipality....
. Similarly, the Mexican portion of the former state is known as
Los Altos de Chiapas.
External links (in Spanish)