The Mayan population wears some of the most colorful typical garments in the country usually bright yellows, greens and blues.

The indigenous population in San Marcos speaks both the ancient Mayan language Ma'am and Spanish The first documented historical account of San Pedro Sacatepéquez is from 1 May 1543, when in Barcelona, Spain a Royal letter from emperor Carlos V thanked the services of the people from Sacatepéquez during the pacific conquest of Lacandón and the Verapaz, granting them special privileges.

[4][5] On 13 October 1876, according to decree 165 of the government of Justo Rufino Barrios and considering that it was convenient to improve the condition of the natives and a petition from some leaders from San Pedro Sacatepéquez, then president Barrios authorized that, for legal purposes, the natives from San Pedro Sacatepéquez be declared ladinos so they could use western clothing.

[6][a] In September 1897, after the failure of both the interoceanic railroad and the Central American Expo and the deep economic crisis that Guatemala was facing after the plummeting of both coffee and silver international prices, Quetzaltengo people raised in arms against the decision of present José María Reina Barrios to extend his presidential term until 1902.

The eruption began on 24 October, and the largest explosions occurred over the following two days, ejecting an estimated 5.5 cubic kilometres (1.3 cu mi) of magma.

The wind then changed from the south to the east and ashes began to fall at Helvetia, a coffee plantation six miles to the South-West.

[11] Because of the lack[10] of previous Holocene activity at Santa María, local people did not recognise the preceding seismicity as warning signs of an eruption.

[12] On the top of the bell one can read the inscription "Año de 1577" (Spanish: "Year of 1577") and a Latin prayer "Pro Novis Virgo María alleluya ore tuorpis".

[d] It is now inside the church, close to the main entrance; it is one meter high, with an outer diameter of 0.95m and is 0.08 m thick; it weighs half a ton.