Alta Verapaz () is a department in the north central part of

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by Hon ...

. The capital and chief city of the department is

Cobán Cobán ( kek, Kob'an), fully Santo Domingo de Cobán, is the Capital (political), capital of the Departments of Guatemala, department of Alta Verapaz in central Guatemala. It also serves as the administrative center for the surrounding Cobán mun ...

. Verapaz is bordered to the north by El Petén, to the east by Izabal, to the south by Zacapa, El Progreso, and

Baja Verapaz Baja Verapaz () is a department in Guatemala. The capital is Salamá. Baja Verapaz contains the Mario Dary Biotope Preserve, preserving the native flora and fauna of the region, especially the endangered national bird of Guatemala, the Resplen ...

, and to the west by

El Quiché EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...

. Also in Alta Verapaz are the towns of

Chisec Chisec is a town and municipality in the north of the Guatemalan department of Alta Verapaz that was founded in 1813. It is situated at 230 metres (755 ft) above sea level. The municipality covers a territory of 1244 km². Approximately ...

San Pedro Carchá San Pedro Carchá, usually referred to as Carchá, is a town, with a population of 16,353 (2018 census),Citypopulatio ...

and

San Cristóbal Verapaz San Cristóbal Verapaz () is a town, with a population of 20,961 (2018 census), and a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Alta Verapaz. It is located approximately 29 km from Cobán, the capital of Alta Verapaz and about 210 km ...

History

Pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, ...

times this area was part of the

Maya civilization The Maya civilization () of the Mesoamerican people is known by its ancient temples and glyphs. Its Maya script is the most sophisticated and highly developed writing system in the pre-Columbian Americas. It is also noted for its art, ...

. When the Spanish

Conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (, ; meaning 'conquerors') were the explorer-soldiers of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, ...

es came in the 1520s they conquered the central and southern highlands of Guatemala, but were driven back from this region by fierce native resistance. Unknown to the history books of this region, local oral history speaks of a former slave ship capsizing prior to the Spaniards arriving upon this area of Guatemala. The former African slaves moved inland, and joined forces with the local indigenous people to fight and maintain their freedom. Spanish friars succeeded in converting the area to Christianity, and named the area "Verapaz" meaning "True Peace". In the 19th century this became an important

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

producing region as well as a sugar cane plantation during prior centuries. A museum exists today highlighting the sugar plantation history. In this region of Guatemala, families that trace back their heritage before the Spanish conquest, can trace back their Mayan features and curly hair to that local oral history. Majority of pre-Columbian heritage is seen with straight black hair throughout Guatemala. The department was called Vera Paz by the British in the 19th century. In 1850, the department had an estimated population of 66,000. As a result of the Mexican Drug War, the Los Zetas

drug cartel A drug cartel is any criminal organization with the intention of supplying drug trafficking operations. They range from loosely managed agreements among various drug traffickers to formalized commercial enterprises. The term was applied when the l ...

members overtook much of the department and occupied many towns in December 2010. The

Guatemalan government Politics of Guatemala takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, where by the President of Guatemala is both head of state, head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by t ...

declared a state of siege on December 19, 2010, to reclaim the department, allowing the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

and police forces to search and arrest any suspects without a warrant, and at least sixteen buildings were searched.

Municipalities

# Chahal #

# Fray Bartolomé de las Casas # Lanquín # Panzós # Raxruha #

San Juan Chamelco San Juan Chamelco is a town, with a population of 13,264 (2018 census),Citypopulation.de
Population of cities ...

San Pedro Carchá San Pedro Carchá, usually referred to as Carchá, is a town, with a population of 16,353 (2018 census),Citypopulatio ...

Santa Cruz Verapaz Santa Cruz Verapaz () is a town and municipality in the Guatemalan department of Alta Verapaz. The municipality is situated at 1406 metres above sea level. It has a population of 32,042 (2018 census) and covers an area of 99.9 km². The annua ...

# Santa María Cahabón #

Senahú Senahú is a town and municipality of the Department of Alta Verapaz in the Republic of Guatemala. The community of San Antonio Senahú was founded by Q'eqchi' Mayan refugees from a series of 19th-century conflicts in the Ishi Mountains of Cen ...

Tactic Tactic(s) or Tactical may refer to: * Tactic (method), a conceptual action implemented as one or more specific tasks ** Military tactics, the disposition and maneuver of units on a particular sea or battlefield ** Chess tactics ** Political tacti ...

Tamahú Tamahú is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Alta Verapaz. History Tamahú was established on 7 December 1574 by friars Francisco de Viana, Lucas Gallego and Fray Guillermo. One of the most powerful German families that settled in t ...

Tucurú Tucurú is a small town and municipality in the Guatemalan department of Alta Verapaz. History Verapaz Railroad The Verapaz Railroad began on 15 January 1894 with a contract for 99 years between Guatemala, then ruled by president José Mar� ...

# Santa Catalina la Tinta

References

External links

Chelemhá cloud forest reserve in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala

{{Authority control Departments of Guatemala