Petén Department
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Petén Department
Departmento de Petén | |
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UTC-6 | |
ISO 3166 code | GT-PE |
Languages | Spanish |
Petén (from the
Geography
The Petén department is bordered on the east by
The Petén lowlands are formed by a densely forested low-lying
The main bodies of standing water in the department are the lakes
Climate
The climate of Petén is divided into
History
For the early history of the region, see Petén Basin, Maya civilization and Spanish conquest of Petén.
The Petén department was created by decree of the Guatemalan government on 8 May 1866.[13]
Starting in the 1960s the Guatemalan government offered land in Petén to any citizen willing to settle on it and pay a fee of $25. A road was opened up to Flores, although it was unpaved, and the notorious bus trip to Flores was known to take up to 24 hours to travel the 500 kilometres (300 mi). Small airports were built at Flores and Tikal, bringing tourists to the region. In the early 1970s a road was opened from Tikal to Belize. The first paved road in Petén was built in 1982.
Since the 1990s many new settlers have come to Petén. The area is also experiencing severe deforestation in its southern half. Deforestation has been particularly rapid near Laguna del Tigre National Park in western Petén.[14] To combat deforestation, Guatemalan president Álvaro Colom proposed dramatically expanding ecotourism around Maya archaeological sites, especially El Mirador, and trying to further develop an agricultural system in the southern portion of the Maya Biosphere Reserve that would prevent further northward migration.[15] He called his plan "Cuatro Balam".
The Mundo Maya International Airport, in Santa Elena, is the second largest in Guatemala.
Municipalities
Petén consists of the following 14 municipalities, listed below with their populations in 2002 and 2018.[16] Las Cruces was separated from La Libertad in 2011, and El Chal was separated from Dolores in 2014.[citation needed]
Name | Area (km2) |
Population Census 2002 |
Population Estimate 2018 [17] |
---|---|---|---|
Dolores |
1,374 | 32,404 | 29,406 |
El Chal | 947 | (a) | 15,095 |
Flores |
2,934 | 30,897 | 41,166 |
La Libertad |
4,986 | 67,252 | 80,597 |
Las Cruces |
1,834 | (b) | 36,652 |
Melchor de Mencos | 4,208 | 18,872 | 29,339 |
Poptún | 1,480 | 35,663 | 63,854 |
San Andrés |
8,513 | 20,295 | 34,160 |
San Benito |
129 | 29,926 | 50,701 |
San Francisco |
581 | 8,917 | 15,889 |
San José |
1,792 | 3,584 | 7,034 |
San Luis |
2,541 | 48,745 | 74,813 |
Santa Ana |
1,191 | 14,602 | 22,630 |
Sayaxché | 3,550 | 55,578 | 94,212 |
Total Petén | 35,854 | 366,735 | 595,548 |
Notes: (a) the 2002 population of El Chal municipality was included in the figure for Dolores municipality.
(b) the 2002 population of Las Cruces municipality was included in the figure for La Libertad municipality.
Museums
- Museo Regional del Sureste de Petén in Dolores.
- Museo Regional del Mundo Maya, in San Miguel (Flores).
Archaeological sites
The Petén department includes a large number of archaeological sites belonging to the ancient Maya civilization, many of which have only received minimal attention by archaeologists.
The sites with some level of restoration include
.Other archaeological sites include: Altar de Sacrificios, La Amelia, Arroyo de Piedra, Bejucal, Cancuén, El Caribe, El Chal, Cival, La Corona, Dos Pilas, Holmul, Holtun, Itzan, Ixkun, Ixlu, Ixtonton, Ixtutz, La Joyanca, Kinal, Machaquila, El Mirador, Motul de San José, La Muerta, Muralla de León, Naachtun, Nakbe, Naranjo, El Peru, Piedras Negras, Polol, El Porvenir, Punta de Chimino, Río Azul, Sacul, San Bartolo, La Sufricaya, Tamarindito, Tayasal, El Tintal, Tres Islas, Ucanal, Xultun, Zacpeten, Zapote Bobal and El Zotz.[18]
Notes
- ^ "XI Censo Nacional de Poblacion y VI de Habitación (Censo 2002)". Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Guatemala (in Spanish). 2002. Archived from the original on 12 June 2008. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- ^ Instituto Nacional de Estadistica Guatemala (web).
- ^ Instituto Nacional de Estadistica Guatemala (web).
- ^ GeoCenter
- ^ a b c d ITMB Publishing Ltd. 2005.
- ^ Lovell 2005, p. 17.
- ^ Sharer and Traxler 2006, pp. 46–47.
- ^ Rice and Rice 2009, p. 5.
- ^ a b Schwartz 1990, p. 17.
- ^ a b Schwartz 1990, p. 18.
- ^ Hernández & González.
- ^ Michael Stoll. "A Visit to Beef National Park". Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. Archived from the original on 2017-12-22.
- ^ Ricardo Quinto. "Turismo: Gobierno lanza proyecto Cuatro Balam". Prensa Libre. Archived from the original on 2008-07-29.
- ^ Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Guatemala.
- ^ Instituto Nacional de Estadistica Guatemala (web).
- ^ ITMB Publishing Ltd., 1998. ITMB Publishing Ltd., 2005.
References
- Central America, Mexico, Caribbean (Map). 1:4000000. World Country Map. GeoCenter. ISBN 3-575-33214-2.
- Hernández, Gonzalo; González, Miguel. "Petén:Zona arqueológica por excelencia" (PDF) (in Spanish). Prensa Libre. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-02-14. Retrieved 2010-01-20.
- Guatemala (Map) (3rd ed.). 1:500000. International Travel Maps. ITMB Publishing Ltd. 1998. ISBN 0-921463-64-2.
- Guatemala (Map) (5th ed.). 1:470000. International Travel Maps. ITMB Publishing Ltd. 2005. ISBN 1-55341-230-3.
- Lovell, W. George (2005). Conquest and Survival in Colonial Guatemala: A Historical Geography of the Cuchumatán Highlands, 1500–1821 (3rd ed.). Montreal, Canada: OCLC 58051691.
- Rice, Prudence M.; Don S. Rice (2009). "Introduction to the Kowoj and their Petén Neighbors". In Prudence M. Rice; Don S. Rice (eds.). The Kowoj: identity, migration, and geopolitics in late postclassic Petén, Guatemala. Boulder, Colorado, US: OCLC 225875268.
- Schwartz, Norman B. (1990). Forest Society: A Social History of Petén, Guatemala. Ethnohistory. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA: University of Pennsylvania Press. OCLC 21974298.
- OCLC 57577446.