JALAPA

capital, Jalapa department, southeastern Guatemala, in a picturesque valley of the central highlands at an elevation of 4,469 ft (1,362 m) above sea level. In addition to its administrative role, Jalapa functions as a commercial and manufacturing centre for the fertile agricultural and pastoral hinterland. Because of its isolation the town has retained much colonial architecture and culture. Jalapa is connected to the Pan-American Highway in the south by a paved road, and it is connected in the north to the highway leading to Guatemala City. Pop. (1981 prelim.) mun., 54,539. department, southeastern Guatemala, with an area of 797 sq mi (2,063 sq km). Its area includes the continental divide, and it is drained by the affluents of the Motagua and Ostua rivers. The climate is mild in the valleys but cool in the mountains. Most of the inhabitants are Indians, who grow corn (maize), wheat, beans, tobacco, and rice. Dairy cattle are raised for cheese production, and the dense forests yield lumber. Roads, all but one unpaved, cross the isolated plateaus, intersecting at the capital, Jalapa (q.v.), in the centre of the department. Pop. (1982 est.) 162,907. in full Jalapa Enrquez, city, capital of Veracruz state, east central Mexico, in the Sierra Madre Oriental, at 4,681 ft (1,427 m) above sea level. When Hernn Corts marched through it in 1519, it was a thriving Indian village. The city is known for its climate, for its abundant flowers, and as a market for the coffee and tobacco produced nearby. It was famous in colonial days for its annual fair, held to dispose of the goods brought from Cdiz, in Spain, by the returning Spanish silver fleet. The massive Spanish-Moorish architecture of the city is reminiscent of viceregal days. Veracruzana University (1944) is located there. The city is accessible by railroad and highway. Pop. (1980 est.) 212,000.