Quimistán is a municipality in Santa Bárbara Department of Honduras. It covers an area of and had a population of 47,993 inhabitants according to the 2013 national census. It is the most populous municipality in Santa Bárbara department.
History The region was part of the region conquered by the conquistador Pedro de Alvarado in the early 16th century CE. In 1791, it is mentioned as part of the curato (ecclesiastical jurisdiction) of Petoa. Later, it was part of the San Pedro partido, which later became San Pedro Sula. The word Quimistan is from Nahuatl roots and means "Place of mice or spies".
Geography Quimistan is located in the department of Santa Bárbara in Honduras. It borders the municipalities of Petoa and San Marcos to the south, Azacualpa and Macuelizo to the west, San Pedro Sula to the west, and Omoa to the north. The municipality covers an area of .
Administrative divisions The municipality comprises 41 aldeas (villages) and their associated caseríos (hamlets).
+Aldeas (villages) of Quimistán Aldea Population Men Women Quimistán (municipal seat) 6,765 3,222 3,542 Agua Sucia 866 427 439 Aldea Nueva o La Divisoria 423 221 202 Buenos Aires 670 348 322 Buena Vista 204 102 102 Camalote 1,966 991 975 Col. Brisas del Campo 222 112 110 Concepción del Listón 516 274 242 Correderos 2,204 1,140 1,064 El Aguacate 1,567 787 780 El Chaguite 292 165 127 El Higuerito 519 266 253 El Pinal 213 113 100 El Porvenir o El Descanso 204 107 96 El Tablón 826 422 404 El Venado 204 103 102 La Acequia 3,986 1,968 2,019 La Ceibita 1,535 776 759 La Mina 752 380 372 La Montañita 885 469 416 Laguna del Carmen 451 226 225 Las Crucitas 1,219 639 580 Las Flores de Río Chiquito 741 390 351 Milpa Arada 847 423 424 Naco 2,655 1,351 1,304 Nueva Esperanza 1,071 576 494 Nueva Esperanza de Río Chiquito 366 186 180 Ocotal Tupido 996 491 505 Pichinel 238 131 107 Pinalejo 7,568 3,594 3,974 Río Blanco 1,400 756 644 Río Chiquito 142 74 68 San Isidro 1,280 705 575 San José del Cacao 567 313 254 San Juan del Sitio 432 236 196 San Miguel del Paso Viejo 270 143 127 Santa Cruz Minas 1,922 999 922 Tierra Amarilla 164 85 79 Unión Frontera 116 65 51 Vista Hermosa 728 384 344 Total 47,993 24,158 23,835
Demographics At the time of the 2013 census, Quimistán had a total population of 47,993 inhabitants, of which 24,158 (50.3%) were male and 23,835 (49.7%) were female. It is the most populous municipality in Santa Bárbara department. Of the total population, 14,445 (30.1%) was classified as urban and 33,549 (69.9%) lived in rural.
Of the total population, 6.16% were classified as Indigenous and rest as non-indigenous. By broad age group, 37.6% of the population were aged 0–14, 57.6% were aged 15–64, and 4.8% were aged 65 and over. The median age was 20.3 years and the mean age was 24.8 years. Among the population aged 15 and over (29,951 persons), the illiteracy rate was recorded as 17.6% as against 22.2% for the department. The municipality had 10,778 occupied private dwellings, with an average household size of 4.3 persons.
Culture The municipality celebrates its annual festival in June in honour of its patron San Juan Bautista.
References