Alta Verapaz () is a
department in the north central part of
Guatemala. 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
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 ...
, to the east by
Izabal, to the south by
Zacapa
Zacapa () is the departmental capital municipality of Zacapa Department, one of the 22 Departments of Guatemala. It is located approximately from Guatemala City.
Sports
Football club Deportivo Zacapa competes in Guatemala's top division and p ...
,
El Progreso
El Progreso () is a city, with a population of 119,260 (2020 calculation), and a municipality located in the Honduran department of Yoro.
Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport of San Pedro Sula is located west of the city. To the eas ...
, 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 p ...
.
Also in Alta Verapaz are the towns of
Chisec,
and
San Cristóbal Verapaz.
History
In
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, a ...
. When the Spanish
Conquistadores 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
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
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
Los Zetas (, Spanish for "The Zs") is a Mexican criminal syndicate, regarded as one of the most dangerous of Mexico's drug cartels. They are known for engaging in brutally violent "shock and awe" tactics such as beheadings, torture, and indiscr ...
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 th ...
members overtook much of the department and occupied many towns in December 2010. The
Guatemalan government declared a
state of siege
A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...
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
#
Chisec
#
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 ...
#
Fray Bartolomé de las Casas
Fray Bartolomé de las Casas () is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Alta Verapaz. It is situated at 170m above sea level. It contains 31,611 people. It covers a terrain of 1229km2. The annual festival is April 30-May 4. It is named a ...
#
Lanquín
#
Panzós
Panzós () is a town, with a population of 22,068 (2018 census), and a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Alta Verapaz.
On 29 May 1978, the village of Panzós was the site of a massacre in which between 30 and 106 local inhabitants (fi ...
#
Raxruha
#
San Cristóbal Verapaz
#
#
#
Santa Cruz Verapaz
#
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 Centr ...
#
Tactic
#
Tamahú
#
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 Ma ...
#
Santa Catalina la Tinta
References
External links
Chelemhá cloud forest reserve in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala
{{Authority control
Departments of Guatemala