Santiago Chimaltenango is a Mam-Maya highland town in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, nestled high in the Cuchumatanes mountains around 7000 feet.
Life here moves with the rhythm of the hills: small farms, family markets, marimba music, and strong communal ties.
Visitors find hand-woven textiles, hearty stews, and fresh tortillas. Many local families have relatives abroad, yet the town keeps its roots: shared work, shared aspirations, and shared celebration.
Archaeological and documentary references indicate a settlement existed in the area before the Spanish conquest; by the 1520s local communities—including those around present-day Santiago Chimaltenango—were drawn into campaigns centered on the Mam stronghold of Zaculeu. During the colonial period the town acquired the Christian dedication “Santiago” and the composite place-name “Chimaltenango,” widely explained as deriving from Náhuatl roots meaning “place of shields/walled place.”
After Central American independence, Santiago Chimaltenango was administratively linked to the Huehuetenango circuit (1820s–1830s). In a major 20th-century reorganization under President Jorge Ubico, the municipality was dissolved on December 11, 1935 and attached to San Pedro Nécta; following local petitions, municipal status was restored on February 2, 1948 during the administration of President Juan José Arévalo.
The population is overwhelmingly Indigenous Mam, with Mam widely spoken alongside Spanish. Many families have relatives in the United States (notably California and Florida), and remittances are part of the local economy. The patronal fair for St. James typically unfolds in the days around July 24–25 with religious observances and community events.