San Juan Cotzal, Quiché, Guatemala Genealogy

Guide to Municipality of San Juan Cotzal ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, church records, parish registers, and civil registration.

History

 * Before arriving the Spaniards in 1524, the Mayan Ixil region existed as a single town, a group that had detached itself from the Mayan town of Mam.
 * After the fall of Zaculeu, the Spaniards spent ten years trying to invade the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes with the attempt to conquer the Chuj and Q'anjob'al people, in search of gold, silver and other riches; however, the remoteness and difficulty of the terrain made conquest difficult.
 * The Spanish forces besieged the city, and their indigenous allies managed to climb the walls, penetrate the fortress and set fire to it; the survivors were marked as slaves to punish them for their resistance and to frighten the other surrounding towns.
 * With the Independence of Central America, San Juan Cotzal was originally part of the department of Totonicapán / Huehuetenango.
 * On August 12, 1872, San Juan Cotzal joined the new department of Quiché.
 * The population of San Juan Cotzal suffered greatly during the Civil War of Guatemala.
 * The municipality of San Juan Cotzal has a population of approximately 20,000 people

Civil Registration

 * 1877-1980 Guatemala, Civil Registration, 1877-1980 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * 1880-1932 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
 * 1880-2008 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Church Records

 * 1581-1977 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Census Records

 * 1816-1819 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images

Cemeteries

 * Cementerio Municipal de San Juan Cotzal
 * Cementerios rurales

Localities

 * Asich
 * Cajixay
 * Chichel
 * Chisis
 * Xeputul