El Estor

El Estor on the map of Guatemala

El Estor is a small town in eastern Guatemala. It is the administrative seat of the greater community ( municipality ) in the department of Izabal. In the 2896 km ² large municipality of about 50,000 people.

Geography

The town of El Estor lies on the northwestern shore of Lake Izabal, at the foot of up to 1,200 high Sierra de Santa Cruz. The municipality comprises the western part of the department of Izabal. To the northwest is still extends the area of the adjacent municipios Livingston, in the southwest Izabals borders the municipality of Los Amates on, and the Department of Zacapa and, in the west, Alta Verapaz. To the municipality of El Estor also the estuary of the Río Polo Chic in the alluvial part of next parts of the Sierra de Santa Cruz in the north and north-west and the foothills of the Sierra de las Minas in the southwest on the western shore of the lake, which was put under protection ( Bocas de Polo Chic ). In the 23,000 hectare nature reserve, there are in addition to numerous bird and fish species, among others, crocodiles and jaguars. The climate is on the shore of the lake and the western lowland tropical hot, a bit slower in the mountain regions.

History

Since the Lake Izabal on the navigable Río Dulce is connected to the Caribbean, served several villages on the lake for a long time as a storage and transshipment points for trade between the highlands of Guatemala and North America and Europe, including El Estor. End of the 19th century operated the Englishman George Skinner and the German Carl Rudolf clover here a general store, which was called The Store, but was soon verballhornt by the locals to El Estor. The original name was Kekchi shekels, which means " milled woman." It refers to the many women who were grinding corn here and so baked tortillas.

Population

In the municipality of El Estor live mainly Kekchi.

Economy and Transport

El Estor formerly served as secondary Commercial space for Alta Verapaz long stood in the shadow of Panzós on the west lies further on the Río Polo Chic and had an inland port and a railway connection. The situation after the new building of the National Road 7, the El Estor with Alta Verapaz to the west and the highway CA 13 in El Relleno has improved somewhat connects to the east. The transport on the lake provide private providers of charter boats safely. These transport links have helped the tourism to a limited recovery. Of importance is also the textile trade. The mining of nickel and cobalt was discontinued several years ago.