Sayaxché

Sayaxché on the map of Guatemala

Sayaxché is about 8,000 inhabitants small town in Guatemala. Sayaxché is located in the department of Petén, and is the administrative center of Municipalities, which covers 3904 km ² and 60,000 inhabitants.

Geography

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 municipality comprises Sayaxché the abundance of water the tropical lowlands in the south west Peténs. In the north and east it is bordered by the Río de la Pasión, in the west of Río Salinas, their numerous tributaries traverse vast tracts of land. Among the lakes ( " lagoons " ), about 10 km south of Sayaxché located Laguna Petexbatún is worth mentioning, with its south in the swamps. This area with its famous Mayan ruins Aguateca Dos Pilas and was put under protection. In the surroundings of the capital Sayaxché are also the National Park El Rosario and Ceibal, the latter with the same ruined city.

The adjacent municipios are Las Cruces and La Libertad in the north, San Francisco in the northeast, Dolores in the east and San Luis in the southeast. In the south Sayaxché adjacent to the Department of Alta Verapaz and to the west by the Mexican state of Chiapas.

History

The numerous Mayan ruins in the field of Municipalities testify to the flourishing here civilization of the Maya. After its decline in the 8th century AD, the area was largely deserted after the Spanish Conquest. The place Sayaxché was founded in 1874 by forestry workers of the company Jamet Sastre. Until the elevation to the municipality in 1929, the very remote place remained with the environment a " rural community " ( Aldea ) of the Municipalities of La Libertad. In the following decades a gradual migration of Kekchi from Alta Verapaz, and then also of people from all different parts of the country began. With the expansion of national road 5 to Flores Sayaxché soon grew to the small town and the commercial and transportation center approach in the southwestern Petén.

Population

The population is now 65 percent Kekchi and 25 per cent of Ladinos, and the remaining 10 percent are zugewnaderte Maya various ethnic groups from the highlands. Of the Kekchi 95 percent live in rural areas. The municipality is next to the main town Sayaxché from eight rural communities and more than 150 in some cases very remote hamlets. Among the population in the isolated rural settlements and the illiteracy rate is still very high.

Economy

Sayaxché lives mainly from agriculture, especially the cultivation of corn, beans, rice, fruit and vegetables and the production of spices and animal husbandry. It is also important the forestry and timber industry. The main town serves as a trading and service center in the region. Because of the beautiful landscape and the rich Mayan heritage tourism also plays a role.

Mayan ruins

In the field of Municipalities there are numerous Mayan ruins, of which but not all are worth seeing. Among the most important archaeological sites include Cancuén, Jolomax, San Diego, Bonis, El Prado, La Reforma III, San Amelia, Tres Islas, La Flojera, Aguateca, Arroyo de Piedra, Anonal, Resbalón, Tamarindo, Punta Chimino, Las Pacayas, Dos Pilas, El Cedro, altar de Sacrificio, El Chorro, Sayaxché, Ceibal, Aguas Calientes, El Caribe, Calatrava, La Amelia and San Juan Acul.