San Pedro Carchá
San Pedro Carcha on the map of Guatemala
San Pedro Carcha is a small town in Guatemala and administrative seat of the greater community ( municipality ) in the department of Alta Verapaz. In the 1082 km ² large municipality of about 200,000 people live in San Pedro Carcha about 18,000.
Geography
San Pedro Carcha located in the central highlands of Alta Verapaz, at the headwaters of the Río Cahabón at about 1,200 m altitude. The majority of its territory extends in the surrounding highlands 600-2100 m above sea level and is dominated by cloud forest and humid - temperate climate.
San Pedro Carcha bordered to the north by the municipalities Chisec and Raxruhá, on the northeast by Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas, on the east by Santa María Cahabón and Lanquín, in the southeast and south by Senahú and San Juan Chamelco and to the west by Coban.
Population
The majority of the population belongs to the Mayan group Kekchi, a smaller portion are Pocomchí, about three Percentage are Ladinos. The city of Pedro Pan Carcha is divided into eight districts ( "zones" ) and ten settlements. The municipality comprises 35 rural communities ( " Aldeas "), which further subdivided into 238 smaller districts and hamlets.
History
San Pedro Carcha is one of the oldest settlements in Alta Verapaz. It is mentioned in the annals of pre-colonial Cakchiquel and especially in the Popol Vuh, the sacred book of the Quiché. The original name was Carchah, probably referring to a fairly well-known ball court. Peaceful advancing in the Verapaz region Dominican monks evangelized 1543 the 400 inhabitants of the village and built from 1544 in the immediate vicinity of a new Spanish colonial village, whose church is worth seeing even today. San Pedro Carcha was already at that time the administrative seat of a ten municipalities of Verapaz region. Towards the end of the colonial period the city had about 2,000 inhabitants. Its status as a municipality was officially confirmed after independence from Spain on September 12, 1839.
Economy and Transport
San Pedro Carcha is located about eight kilometers east of Coban, the capital of Alta Verapaz. About the National Highway 5 and Highway 14 CA, the place is very well connected to the rest of the country. After Guatemala City there are over El Rancho 220 km. The village benefits from tourism on the one hand by the Balneario Las Islas, a natural, created by a river " pool ", and the other part of through traffic from Coban after Lanquín, where among other things, Semuc Champey is a tourist attraction. The most important industry is agriculture. Among the most important products include coffee, cardamom, corn and beans and various vegetables. An important role is also played by the livestock. Of importance is the service sector and the craft, in particular the processing of silver.