Santa Cruz El Chol
El Chol on the map of Guatemala
Santa Cruz El Chol (short form: El Chol, formerly Santa Cruz Belén de los Indios Chol ) is a small town in the south of the department of Baja Verapaz in Guatemala. Santa Cruz El Chol is the administrative seat of the greater community ( municipality ), which extends to 140 km ² and roughly 10,000 inhabitants. The municipality is divided into nine rural communities with a total of 53 small villages or settlements.
Location and climate
El Chol is located about 90 km north of Guatemala City and 45 km south-west of Salamá at the foot of the Sierra de Chuacús at 1,009 m altitude. You can reach El Chol on the National Highway 5, the old highway from Guatemala City to Salamá, Coban and El Petén. The road is very curvy and only partially paved.
The municipality is located in a mountainous area which slopes towards the south to the valley of the Río Motagua ( Granados ). It is bordered to the north by Rabinal, to the east by Salamá, on the west by Granados and on the south by the department of Guatemala.
The average temperature is 22.8 ° C, depending on the position, however, the temperatures may vary widely. The average annual rainfall is about 1,200 mm. The rainy season lasts from May to October.
Economy
Santa Cruz El Chol lives mainly from agriculture. The most important products are maize, beans and coffee, served with various fruits and vegetables are grown for local consumption. The soils are due to the pronounced slopes often difficult to order. The place is located in a very remote and less developed area, so develop trade and tourism only very slowly. El Chol is connected to the power and water supply, has primary and secondary schools, a small infirmary and a police station.
In the center is a remarkable, colonial-style church. From 6 to 8 December will take place for larger parties for Immaculate Conception.
History
Today's Baja Verapaz and Alta Verapaz departments were proselytized peacefully in the 16th century by the Dominicans under the leadership of Bartolomé de Las Casas. The Santa Cruz Belén de los Indios Choles originated in 1603 in an area settled in the Chol - speaking Maya. They were from 1689 proselytized by newly settled Maya, who came from the northern part of the Verapaz region. In 1700, there were confused Umsiedelungsmaßnahmen who overthrew the place and had moved to Rabinal and Coban families in economic distress. In the 18th century the Spanish colonial administration and the Church neglected the place where Mayans and Ladinos and -arrived Spaniards mingled on unregulated manner. The Chol - language and other indigenous languages were thus very rapidly displaced by the Spanish.
After independence from Spain El Chol in 1827 the administrative seat of Municipalities. 1935 came in the train of an administrative reform for a year to the municipality of Granados. 1973 El Chol received adequate drinking water supply (later also a sewage treatment plant ), a power and telephone connection as well as smaller health facilities in the train of state development policies.