Pajapita is a town and municipality in the San Marcos department of Guatemala.It was created on 31 May 1920, after the station of Vado Ancho on the Panamerican Railroad of Guatemala was built.
However, with the decline of the rail that followed the constructions of major highways in the country the importance of the town of Vado Ancho diminished, to the point that in the early 21st century it was completely abandoned.
On April 18, 1902, thanks to his excellent personal rapport with then president Manuel Estrada Cabrera, pharmacist and writer Antonio Macías del Real won the concession to build the Panamerican Railroad of Guatemala sections between Las Cruces, Retalhuleu and Vado Ancho in Pajapita; however, he could not finish the line to Coatepeque in Quetzaltenango Department and had to give away his rights to the Central Railway Company, who finished the section.
[3] The original contract with Macías del Real had been extremely generous and had been signed by the lieutenant secretary of Economy, José Flamenco and approved by Estrada Cabrera; the contract authorized the exclusivity on the construction and usage of the railroad for twenty four years, counting from the moment the section was open to the public.
[4] Besides, Macías del Real and his descendants would have enjoyed the revenue from the railway for 99 years, after which the line was supposed to go back to the State of Guatemala.