Tucurú is a small town and
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
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 ...
n department of
Alta Verapaz. The municipality population was 43,473 at the 2018 census.
History
Verapaz Railroad
The Verapaz Railroad began on 15 January 1894 with a contract for 99 years between Guatemala, then ruled by president
José María Reina Barrios
José María Reyna Barrios (December 24, 1854 – February 8, 1898) was President of Guatemala from March 15, 1892 until his assassination on February 8, 1898.
He was a moderate of Guatemala's Liberal Party, who worked to solidify the less ...
and Walter Dauch, representative of the "Verapaz Railroad & Northern Agency Ltd." The contract settled the rules for the construction and maintenance of a 30 mile railroad line between Panzós and Pancajché. Passenger service travelled twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays; mail also arrived by ship every Wednesday and cargo came from
Livingston, Izabal. Besides, there were train stops in Santa Rosita,
Santa Catalina La Tinta, and
Papalhá.
[
In 1898, it was reported that given the coffee prosperity in Cobán, which in those days was the third largest city in Guatemala, the railroad was going to be extended to that city.]
Image:Ferrocarrilverapaz1895.jpg, Verapaz Railroad maiden voyage in 1894.
Image:Vaporferrocarrilverapaz1898.jpg, Verapaz Railroad steamboat sailing the Polochic river.[
Image:Ferrocarrilverapaz1900.jpg, Verapaz Railroad engine in the 1900s.
]
Thomae family
One of the most powerful German families that settled in the region by the end of the 19th century was the Thomae family, who had their headquarters in neighbor Purulhá
Purulhá is a town and municipality in the Baja Verapaz department of Guatemala. It is situated at 1,570 m (5,151 ft) above sea level. The municipality covers an area of 536 km² and the population was 56,822 at the 2018 census. The annual f ...
. Mauricio Thomae's early farmland had the following haciendas:[
]
Years later, during general Jorge Ubico's presidency (1931-1944), Thomae went on to become one of the most influential landlords in the German Verapaz, along with the Sarg, Sapper and Diesseldorf families. Ubico had been governor of Cobán during Manuel Estrada Cabrera
Manuel José Estrada Cabrera (21 November 1857 – 24 September 1924) was the President of Guatemala from 1898 to 1920. A lawyer with no military background, he modernised the country's industry and transportation infrastructure, via granting c ...
22-year regime and befriended several German families, including the Thomaes.
Climate
Tucurú has a tropical rainforest climate
A tropical rainforest climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southeast Florida, United States ...
(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 ...
: ''Af'').
Geographic location
See also
* Alta Verapaz Department
Notes and references
References
Bibliography
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tucuru
Municipalities of the Alta Verapaz Department