Champerico, Retalhuleu, Guatemala Genealogy

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

History

 * In Spanish colonial times the creoles and Ladinos of Los Altos remained resentful against the merchants of Guatemala City - members of the Clan Aycinena - because they monopolized trade and were adamantly opposed to the construction of a port in the city. Pacific and a road that would serve Los Altos to be able to trade directly with foreign countries.
 * As of April 3, 1838 the area of ​​Retalhuleu remained as part of the region formed by the ephemeral State of Los Altos, which was authorized on December 25 of that year by the Congress of the Federal Republic of Central America.
 * However, after several combats, Guatemala regained the territory of Los Altos and imposed a harsh and hostile regime on the liberal altenses, but kindly on the indigenous people of the region.
 * Since its foundation the private companies operated the port, until the year 1955, when the government acquired the port facilities.
 * In recent years there have been new settlements formed by indigenous groups, who are originally from the highlands, especially the Man, Quiché, Cachiquel, Axil and Chuj ethnic groups. These groups consist of populations displaced by the internal armed conflict that was carried out in the decades of the 60 to the 90, which after having taken refuge for some time in Mexico, returned in conditions of poverty and without land to live and cultivate, accompanied In some cases poor farmers in the region, and based on pressure have managed to obtain farms purchased by the state, settling in them, resulting in the change of the ethnic composition of the municipality.
 * The municipality of Champerico has a population of approximately 35,000 people

Civil Registration

 * 1877-1980 Guatemala, Civil Registration, 1877-1980 at Ancestry - index & images, ($)
 * 1880-1930 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images

Parish Records

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

Census Records

 * There are no records for only the municipality of Champerico. See the records of neighboring municipalities.

Cemeteries

 * Cementerio Municipal de Champerico