Dolores (Peten)

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Dolores
Coordinates: 16 ° 31 '  N , 89 ° 25'  W
Map: Guatemala
marker
Dolores​
Dolores on the map of Guatemala
Basic data
Country Guatemala
Department Peten
City foundation 1708
Residents 32,404  (2002)
- in the metropolitan area 4,000
Detailed data
surface 3050 km 2
Population density 11 people / km 2
height 437  m
Waters Río Mopán
Post Code 17008
Time zone UTC −6
City patron Virgen de Dolores (festival: May 23rd to 31st)
Peténs map
Peténs map

Dolores is a town in Guatemala with a population of about 4,000 . Dolores is located in the south-east of the Department of Petén and is the administrative seat of the Municipios Dolores, which extends over 3,050 km² and has over 40,000 inhabitants.

geography

The place Dolores is about 30 km west of the border with Belize at an altitude of 436 m. Not far from the town, the CA 13 road leads past in a north-south direction, which connects Flores , the capital of Penténs, with Izabal in the south and the rest of the country. From Dolores it is 78 km to Flores and around 420 km to Guatemala City .

The municipality is located on the upper reaches of the Río Mopán in the western foothills of the Maya Mountains , which still reach 1,000 m on the border with Belize. In general, the climate is tropical and hot.

The adjacent Municipalities are in the north Melchor de Mencos and Santa Ana , in the northwest of San Francisco , in the southwest Sayaxché and San Luis and the south Poptún . To the east, Dolores borders on Belize.

history

The spring-rich area of ​​today's Municipios Dolores was settled by Mopan-Maya long before it was conquered by the Spanish conquistadors . Today's place Dolores was called Ixtanché at the time . In April 1695, the Spaniards set up a military base here. In 1708 the place received the name Nuestra Señora de Dolores ( Mater Dolorosa ), after Guatemala's independence it was then only called Dolores. In the 19th century, only around 300 people lived in the poorly developed area of ​​Dolores. The construction of the CA 13 trunk road has brought more economic development in recent times, but this was also accompanied by a steady increase in population, the ruthless deforestation of the rainforest , as well as the expansion of secondary routes and the emergence of dead-end villages .

population

In addition to Mopan-Maya, a large part of the local population consists of Ladinos . Kekchí live in the hamlet of Monte de los Olivos . The municipality has next to Dolores with Santo Toribio only a subordinate "rural community" ( aldea ). There are also numerous smaller settlements and hamlets.

economy

Dolores lives mainly from agriculture, especially from growing corn and beans as well as from livestock . Trade and the service sector also play a role on trunk road CA 13.

Attractions

There are around 80 Mayan ruins in the municipality of Dolores . The most important ruins include Ixkún, Sacul, El Chal, Ixtontón, Tigres, Curucuitz and Ixtutz as well as the Cuevas de San Miguel.

See also

Web links