La Democracia (Escuintla)

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La Democracia
Coordinates: 14 ° 14 ′  N , 90 ° 57 ′  W
Map: Guatemala
marker
La Democracia​
La Democracia on the map of Guatemala
Basic data
Country Guatemala
Department Escuintla
Residents 4200 
Detailed data
height 165  m
Time zone UTC −6
La Democracia - Stone heads in Parque Central
La Democracia - Stone heads in Parque Central

La Democracia is a small town near the Pacific coast of Guatemala . It belongs to the Escuintla Department and has about 4,200 inhabitants.

Location and climate

The city is located about 92 km southwest of Guatemala City in the Pacific foothills at about 165 m above sea level. d. M. La Democracia can be reached from the town of Siquinalá, about 10 km to the north, via the road leading to Sipacate on the Pacific Ocean. The mostly humid climate of the place is influenced by the Pacific Ocean, which is only about 30 km (as the crow flies) away.

Economy and tourism

As in many other places along the often humid Pacific coast of Guatemala, the cultivation of sugar cane ( caña ) determines the economic life of the place. Rum is distilled from the molasses , a pulpy brown and sticky mass that occurs during sugar refining . But banana and cotton plantations can also be found here. Corn ( maíz ) and vegetables are grown only for self-sufficiency and for the local markets.

history

No information is available on the history of La Democracia. The area has been settled for a long time, however, because the archaeological site of Monte Alto is only about one to two kilometers to the east , the buildings and stone sculptures of which are mostly from the late pre-classical period (approx. 400 BC to approx. 200 AD). can be added. It is possible that the Nahuatl- speaking Pipilen, who immigrated from the north to Guatemala around the same time, are the creators of these expressive artifacts.

Attractions

Figure with snake head at the entrance to the museum
  • On the square ( Parque Central ) in the center of La Democracia, several of the approximately one to two meter high monolithic sculptures from the grounds of Finca Monte Alto are on display. These are stone heads as well as fat-bellied figures ( barrigones ), in which hands and legs are placed in relief on the body. Whether it is male and / or female figures or even images of gods is controversial; clear sex characteristics are not recognizable. Most of the characters' eyes appear to be closed; they convey an almost enraptured or trance-like impression.
  • In the neighboring small museum ( Museo Regional de Arqueología de la Democracia ) there are other small finds, including mushroom-shaped stones. The hallucinogenic effects of some types of mushrooms are sometimes blamed for the trance-like appearance of the figures in the plaza. But a death mask made of green jade and yoke stones ( yugos ), which are probably related to the Mesoamerican ball game , are exhibited here; they probably belong to a later period that was already under the artistic influence of the Maya . The precious jade mask was stolen from the museum in 2002 and has not yet been found again.

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : La Democracia, Escuintla  - collection of images, videos and audio files