The town was known as "San Miguel Pochuta" during the Spanish colony and was elevated to a municipality in 1921.

It has an area of 170 km2 and its municipal capital sits at 916 m above sea level.

The main religious annual celebrations are in September, after Michael Archangel.

"Pochuta" comes from the nahuatl Pochotl or Pochotla, which means "Place of ceibas".

Pochuta is surrounded by Chimaltenango Department municipalities except on the west, where it borders San Lucas Tolimán, a Sololá Department municipality:[2]