Tucurú

Tucurú on the map of Guatemala

Tucurú (also San Miguel Tucurú ) is a city in Guatemala and administrative seat of the greater community ( municipality ) in the department of Alta Verapaz. In the 96 km ² large municipality of about 30,000 people live in Tucurú over 2,000.

Geography

The place Tucurú is located south of Alta Verapaz to about 460 m altitude. The municipality extends between the Sierra de Chama to the north and the north-western foothills of the Sierra de las Minas in the south at the headwaters of the Río Polo Chic. Compared to the much higher western Nachbarmunicipio Tamahú the climate in Tucurú is influenced by the tropical lowlands Izabals, into which opens the Polo Chic - valley to the east.

The municipality is bordered to the north by the municipalities of San Juan and Chamelco Senahú, on the east by Santa Catalina La Tinta, to the south Purulhá ( Baja Verapaz ) and to the west by Tamahú.

Population

The population belongs mostly to the Mayan ethnic groups Pocomchí and Kekchi, the rest are Ladinos. Many inhabitants are descended from German immigrants.

History

The place is mentioned in the Popol Vuh, the sacred book of the Quiché as Ah Tucurub. Reference is made ​​to the designated as Tucur residents who were in the service of the princes of Xibalba, which were located in Tucurub. They were a missionary in the 16th century by Dominicans who gave it the name of San Miguel Tucurú. Tucurú long time belonged to the municipality of Tactic. From 1870 onwards, a large number of immigrants from Germany arrived in the region in the train of expropriation were given large tracts of land here and mainly cultivated coffee, which was mostly exported to Germany. Agricultural products have been associated with the Verapaz railway through the Polo Chic - valley into further east Panzós, embarked there and brought across the river, the Lake Izabal, the Río Dulce and the Atlantic Ocean to Europe.

Economy and Transport

Tucurú located about 35 km east of the well-developed highway CA 14, which runs from Coban about El Rancho and the Atlantic highway to Guatemala City. In this way, there are 212 kilometers to Guatemala City and 64 according to Coban. About the poorly developed national road 7 Tucurú is connected through the Polo Chic - valley to the east by Izabal. The most important industry is agriculture.