Panzós

Panzós on the map of Guatemala

Panzós is a place in Guatemala and administrative seat of the greater community ( municipality ) in the department of Alta Verapaz. In the 537 km ² large municipality of about 60,000 people live in Panzós about 5000.

Geography

The place Panzós located in the southeastern lowlands of Alta Verapaz to about 20 m in height. The municipality extends between the Sierra de Santa Cruz in the north and the Sierra de las Minas in the south in the valley of the Río Polo Chic, which go far opens at Panzós east to Lake Izabal. In the eastern part of the municipios Polo Chic Delta with its wetlands, the home to numerous bird and reptile species begins is. In Panzós a smaller portion of this area is a nature reserve, the greater part lies in neighboring El Estor.

The climate in the valley is characterized by tropical lowland Izabals, in mountain areas, it is more temperate.

The municipality Panzós borders in the north on the community of Santa María Cahabón, on the northwest by Senahú, on the west by Santa Catalina La Tinta, in the south and southwest by the departments of El Progreso and Zacapa and on the east by Izabal.

Population

Originally, the area was inhabited by Pocomchí and Kekchi. Today the population is about 90 percent Kekchi, plus some smaller Mayan communities and Ladinos. A small portion of the population is descended from German immigrants. The municipality consists of over 200 smaller villages and settlements, of which Teleman in the west and Cahaboncito are the important of the northeast.

History

According to some sources, the municipality Panzós was already founded in 1825, according to the official version, however, until 11 October 1861. At times it was one of Izabal, 1891, there was definitely Alta Verapaz. On 11 November 1999 was separated from Panzós and raised into an independent municipality in the west of the subordinate Aldea Santa Catalina La Tinta.

1865 began in Panzós and Alta Verapaz immigration of Germans who settled here as farmers and mainly cultivated coffee. The Guatemalan government paid the German immigrants from numerous privileges and informed them expropriated land to. 1890 was almost the entire coffee production area in German hands. The export of agricultural products from Alta Verapaz to the German Reich was almost exclusively handled by the Polo Chic - valley, the Lake Izabal and the Rio Dulce to Livingston on the Caribbean coast of Guatemala and from there across the Atlantic. In return, we took advantage of that infrastructure for import of goods from Germany. Pretty soon, it was found that the Río Polo Chic was navigable from Panzós and built a small harbor. 1895 between the jetty at Panzós and the further west village Pancajché at Tucurú Limitada by the Ferrocarril Verapaz y Agencia del Norte was built with German capital and expertise, a nearly 50 km long railway line. The transports to and from the few stations were made with ox carts. 1943, the railway was nationalized, 1965, the adjusted operating.

Panzós was several times severely affected by the Guatemalan civil war. Gained notoriety it because of a massacre that was perpetrated end of May 1978 here ( massacre Panzós ).

Economy and Transport

The road through the Polo Chic - valley to Lake Izabal and on to the Caribbean belonged for centuries to the most important trade routes in Guatemala. Therefore Panzós long time was very low. However, this changed with the construction of the Atlantic Highway CA 9, a little further south of Guatemala City leads through the valley of the Río Motagua to Puerto Barrios. Panzós is now off the main roads. At El Rancho branches 9, the well-developed highway CA 14 north towards Alta Verapaz on the Atlantic Highway CA. In the southernmost municipality Tactic in San Julian, the curvy and partially unpaved national road 7 runs eastwards through the Polo Chic - valley to Izabal. In this way, there are around 290 km from Panzós to Guatemala City and about 130 km to Coban, the capital of Alta Verpaz. At the regional level Panzós has its status as a major trading center in the Polo Chic - valley to the neighboring village Teleman largely lost. Panzós is the starting point for trips through the Polo Chic - Delta to Lake Izabal for tourists. Rafting trips on the north leading into the Polo Chic Rio Cahabón often end at Cahaboncito, but also continued to Lake Izabal.