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Sayaxché () is a
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...
in the
El Petén EL, El or el may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * El, a character from the manga series ''Shugo Chara!'' by Peach-Pit * Eleven (''Stranger Things'') (El), a fictional character in the TV series ''Stranger Things'' * El, fami ...
department of
Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...
, on the Río La Pasión River. It covers an area of , and had 55,578 inhabitants at the 2002 Census; the latest official estimate (as at mid-2012) was 114,781 inhabitants. The city was founded in 1874 to provide accommodation for forest workers of Jamet Sastré logging company. It obtained municipal status in 1929. El Rosario National Park is located just east of the town. The archaeological sites of Ceibal and
Dos Pilas Dos Pilas is a Pre-Columbian site of the Maya civilization located in what is now the department of Petén, Guatemala. It dates to the Late Classic Period, and was founded by an offshoot of the dynasty of the great city of Tikal in AD 6 ...
are located within the municipal boundaries.


Climate

Sayaxché has a
tropical monsoon climate An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate subtype that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ' ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
: ''Am'').


African oil palm

There is a large demand within Guatemala and some of its neighbors for edible oils and fats, which would explain how the African oil palm became so prevalent in the country in detriment of other oils, and which has allowed new companies associated to large capitalists into a new investment phase that can be found particularly over some territories within the Northern Transversal Strip of Guatemala. The investors are trying to turn Guatemala into one of the main palm oil exporters, in spite of the decline on its international price. The most active region is found in Chisec and
Cobán Cobán (), fully Santo Domingo de Cobán, is the capital of the department of Alta Verapaz in central Guatemala. It also serves as the administrative center for the surrounding Cobán municipality. It is located 219 km from Guatemala City. A ...
, in
Alta Verapaz Department Alta Verapaz () is a department in the north central part of Guatemala. The capital and chief city of the department is Cobán. Verapaz is bordered to the north by El Petén, to the east by Izabal, to the south by Zacapa, El Progreso, an ...
; Ixcán in
Quiché Department Quiché () is a department of Guatemala. It is in the heartland of the Kʼicheʼ (Quiché) people, one of the Maya peoples, to the north-west of Guatemala City. The capital is Santa Cruz del Quiché. The word Kʼicheʼ comes from the languag ...
, and Sayaxché,
Petén Department Petén (from the Itza' language, Itz'a, , 'Great Island') is a Departments of Guatemala, department of Guatemala. It is geographically the northernmost department of Guatemala, as well as the largest by area at it accounts for about one third o ...
, where Palmas del Ixcán, S.A. (PALIX) is located, both with its own plantation and those of subcontractors. Another active region is that of Fray Bartolomé de las Casas and Chahal in Alta Verapaz Department; El Estor and Livingston,
Izabal Department Izabal () is one of the 22 departments of Guatemala. Its coastal areas form part of the homeland of the Garifuna people. Izabal is bordered to the north by Belize, to the northeast by the Gulf of Honduras, to the east by Honduras, and by th ...
; and San Luis, Petén, where Naturaceites operates.


Archeological sites

Sayaxché has thirty two archeological locations; among the most visited are: El Ceibal,
Dos Pilas Dos Pilas is a Pre-Columbian site of the Maya civilization located in what is now the department of Petén, Guatemala. It dates to the Late Classic Period, and was founded by an offshoot of the dynasty of the great city of Tikal in AD 6 ...
and El Duende, Aguateca, and Cancuén.


Tourism

Sayaxché is at the tourism center of Petén Department. The closest tourist attractions to the municipality are:


Ecological disaster

On June 6, 2015, residents around Río La Pasión River reported the finding of a high count of dead fish floating along the river. On June 11, 2015, Guatemala's authorities inspected
palm oil Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 36% of global oils produced from o ...
extracting company "Reforestadora de Palmas de Petén, S.A." (REPSA), located in Sayaxché, and found traces Malathion in the company's tributaries leading to Río La Pasión river. Tranquilino Xojalaj, administrator of REPSA declared that heavy rain caused the treatment wells to flood into the river, however the company is denying any involvement in the disaster, stating that they do not use Malathion as pesticide. As of June 15, 2015, contamination has extended to over 105 km downstream and is affecting over 5,600 families (around 30,000 residents) from 16 communities by the riverside. These communities are dependable on the river's water supply and also for their fishing activities. The pollution is threatening to extend to the
Usumacinta River The Usumacinta River (; named after the howler monkey) is a river in southeastern Mexico and northwestern Guatemala. It is formed by the junction of the Pasión River, which arises in the Sierra de Santa Cruz (in Guatemala) and the Salinas ...
, which travels all the way to Mexico, and may continue its way towards rivers in Tabasco.


Geographic location

The municipality has a surface of , which corresponds to the 10.89% of Petén Department.


See also

* African oil palm * Franja Transversal del Norte * Malation *
Pasión River The Pasión River (, ) is a river located in the northern lowlands region of Guatemala. The river is fed by a number of upstream tributaries whose sources lie in the hills of Alta Verapaz. These flow in a general northerly direction to form the Pa ...
*
Usumacinta River The Usumacinta River (; named after the howler monkey) is a river in southeastern Mexico and northwestern Guatemala. It is formed by the junction of the Pasión River, which arises in the Sierra de Santa Cruz (in Guatemala) and the Salinas ...


Notes and references


Notes


References


Bibliography

* *


External links


Municipal website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sayaxche Municipalities of the Petén Department