Why Comitancillo?
Comitancillo is among the poorest municipalities in Guatemala. Life is precarious for residents of this rural, agricultural community. Access to preventive and emergency medical services is extremely difficult. The nearest emergency room is at least 90 minutes away over gravel roads in the back of a pickup truck. The majority of families survive through a combination of subsistence farming, migratory labor (to the coastal coffee and banana plantations), and insecure, menial jobs in Guatemala, Mexico and the US. Despite this, the people you meet in the street, the clinic, the schools and on the trails that form a sprawling network through the hills and valleys of Comitancillo are generally positive and hardworking -- a tribute to their innate warmth, intelligence and survival skills. It has been our privilege to partner with and learn from many Comitecos over the past 14 years.
Where is Comitancillo?
Guatemala, Central America, has 22 administrative departments (like a province or state).
Comitancillo is one of 29 municipalities in the department of San Marcos, located in the highlands of northwestern Guatemala.
Situated at 2,280 metres, the municipal center (Santa Cruz Comitancillo) is surrounded by 54 villages.
Comitancillo is 283 kilometers from the capital Guatemala City, and 34 kilometers from the nearest sizable city, San Marcos.
It is accessible via a combination of paved and gravel roads through steep mountain passes. The municipality of Comitancillo covers an area of 113 square kilometers.
