Las Cruces, El Petén

Las Cruces on the map of Guatemala

Las Cruces is a 3,000 inhabitants small town in Guatemala. Las Cruces is located in the department of Petén, and is the administrative center of Municipalities founded in 2011, which covers 1775 km ² and has a population of 35,000. Las Cruces was formerly a rural community ( aldea ) of the Municipalities of La Libertad.

Geography

The municipality of Las Cruces is located in the west Peténs. Limited is in the south of the Río de la Pasión, in the west and north-west of Río Usumacinta, which forms the border with the Mexican state of Chiapas. Where in the northwest of Guatemala Usumacinta all leaves, the border of the Municipalities spent at the foot of the hills of Sierra del Lacandón in a wide arc to the southeast. Thus, a relatively narrow strip of land along the Usumacinta is limited. In the East, thus Las Cruces adjoins La Libertad, on the south by Sayaxché. From northwest to southeast, extending in the field of Municipalities Las Cruces nor the foothills of the Sierra del Lacandón, an area covered by rain forest, up to 672 m high hills, which then merges with the slightly lower, extending eastward Montañas Chiquibul in the southeast. This hill country is still one of La Libertad, while the lowlands to the Usumacinta part of Las Cruces. These areas were declared a national park, especially to protect against deforestation, which is already well advanced in the southeast. The climate is hot and humid.

As with all municipios Peténs the main village is located on a major thoroughfare, while the administrative territory stretches far back in sparsely populated regions. The Las Cruces is located about 30 km southwest of La Libertad and 60 km south-west of the Petén Itzá lake at 130 m height. From Flores, of the lakeside capital of the department of Petén, the National Highway 5 via La Libertad and Sayaxché the further south Alta Verapaz. Between the small towns of Santa Teresa in the north and El Subin in the south branches of the National Road 5 in a westerly direction a partially unpaved road off to the after around ten kilometers of Las Cruces can be achieved. In the further course it leads to the vicinity of the Río Usumacinta and thus into the remote, relatively undiscovered areas in the northwest of Municipalities. Secondary roads branch off to the Usumacinta, including to Bonanza and on to Lacantún, Ixmucané and Santa Rosita in the south, to La Providencia and to Bethel, a major border crossing to Mexico. The remaining areas in the North West can be reached only on rivers or unpaved roads.

History

In the train of the Spanish Conquest, the Lacandon fled from Yucatán to the then largely uninhabited land on the Usumacinta. Over time Kekchi attracted to from the south and then next Ladinos also Highland Maya. Today's today's Las Cruces was founded in 1968 by immigrants from Retalhuleu. The remote area is often neglected by the authorities, which is why the residents demanded the establishment of a specific municipios. 1993 was formed for this purpose, a citizen committee that campaigned for 18 years at the higher authorities for self-government. On November 22, 2011, the Parliament of Guatemala for the construction of the new Municipalities agreed. Structural measures against flood damage are considered a priority in the new mayor.

During the Guatemalan civil war, a massacre took place in the village of Dos Erres. Kaibiles, elite soldiers of the Armed Forces of Guatemala, brought here from 6 to 8 December 1982 a total of 252 people in a cruel way around.

According to legend, received Las Cruces (Eng. " The Cross" ) got its name because three wooden crosses that supposedly found the first settlers here.

Population

The population of the municipality of Las Cruces consists of Ladinos and Kekchís. In recent decades, the population has increased greatly. At present, likely in the municipality of Las Cruces around 40,000 people live, more than 80 percent in the country.

Economy

Las Cruces lives mainly from agriculture, especially the cultivation of corn and beans, as well as animal husbandry. The town of Las Cruces is a major trading center for agricultural products. Because of the charming landscape at the Río Usumacinta and the rich Mayan heritage tourism also plays a role.

Attractions

In the field of Municipalities Las Cruces, there are numerous Mayan ruins of which Piedras Negras is the best known. Yaxchilan is located on the bank of the Usumacinta River in a distinctive loop, but on the Mexican side. The Usumacinta lends itself to more trips to Palenque ( Chiapas ).