Santa María Cahabón

Santa María Cahabón on the map of Guatemala

(Often just called Cahabón ) Santa María Cahabón is a small town in Guatemala and administrative seat of the greater community ( municipality ) in the department of Alta Verapaz. In the 900 km ² large municipality of about 50,000 people live in Cahabón about 13,000.

Geography

Cahabón lies to the east of Alta Verapaz on the Río Cahabón to about 250 m altitude. The majority of its territory lies in the foothills of surrounding highlands. Due to the comparatively lower altitude and proximity to the lowlands of Lake Izabal, the climate is tropical.

Santa María Cahabón bordered to the north by the municipalities of Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas and Chahal, on the east by Panzós and El Estor ( Izabal ), to the south by the municipality of Senahú and on the west by San Pedro Carcha and Lanquín.

Population

The majority of the population belongs to the Mayan group Kekchi.

History

The peaceful advancing in the Verapaz region Dominican monks Luis de Cáncer, Pedro Santa María de Angulo and Juan Rodrigo de Santa María Cahabón Landrade founded in 1543 on the site of Kekchi settlement called Chicaj'bom. 1980 Cahabón lost its northern municipality from which the new municipality of Fray Bartolome de Las Casas was formed. Cahabón was hit hard into the 1990er years by the civil war in Guatemala. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch devastation.

Economy and Transport

Santa María Cahabón is very remote in the east of Alta Verapaz. It can be reached from Coban from over the not very well developed in this section of National Highway 5 and then Lanquín on a side track. After Coban there are nearly 100 km, to Guatemala City nearly 400 Cahabón is under rafting experts world- famous for its rapids. One of the main economic activities of the Municipalities therefore tourism. On the Río Cahabón rides of different locations in Alta Verapaz are offered to the Lake Izabal. Plays an important role besides the agriculture, forestry and timber industry.