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Jocotán Quetzaltenango Retalhuleu San Cristóbal San Jerónimo Capital: Guatemala City Area: 108,889 km² Population: 11.1 million (December 2000 est.) Ethnic groups: Spanish descent (56%), Mayan descent (44%) Official language(s): Spanish Religion(s): Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Mayan-Catholic Currency: 1 Guatemalan quetzal = 100 centavos Our Facilities SOS Children's Villages began its work in Guatemala in 1975. At that time, the initial steps were taken to build the first SOS Children's Village in the town of Quetzaltenango. But as a consequence of the terrible earthquake in 1976, which destroyed the Indian town of San Juan Sacatepéquez (30 km from the capital of Guatemala City), plans had to be changed, and the first SOS Children?s Village was erected in San Juan Sacatepéquez within one year. During the following decades SOS Children's Villages have been set up all over the country. Most of them also include SOS Social Centres for the people from the neighbourhood. There is the SOS Children's Village Quetzaltenango (inaugurated in 1979) which is located 2400 m above sea level at a distance of 200 km west of Guatemala City, the SOS Children's Village Retalhuleu near the Pacific coast (inaugurated in 1990), the SOS Children's Village Jocotán near the Honduran border (inaugurated in 1982), the SOS Children's Village San Cristóbal in Guatemala City, which was opened in 1996 to replace the first SOS Children's Village (and now SOS Social Centre) San Juan Sacatepéquez, and - last but not least - the SOS Children's Village San Jerónimo. (available in Spanish)