15°30′N 90°20′W / 15.500°N 90.333°W / 15.500; -90.333
6-513: Las Victorias National Park is located in Alta Verapaz , Guatemala , on the north-western outskirts of the city of Cobán ( 15°28′38″N 90°22′54″W / 15.477182°N 90.381775°W / 15.477182; -90.381775 ( Las Victorias National Park ) ). Formerly a finca acquired in the mid-19th century by the French coffee grower Jules Rossignon , Las Victorias
12-480: Is a department in the north central part of Guatemala . The capital and chief city of the department is Cobán . Verapaz is bordered to the north by El Petén , to the east by Izabal , to the south by Zacapa , El Progreso , and Baja Verapaz , and to the west by El Quiché . Also in Alta Verapaz are the towns of Chisec , San Pedro Carchá and San Cristóbal Verapaz . In pre-Columbian times, this area
18-658: The Spanish conquest, can trace back their Mayan features and curly hair to that local oral history. Majority of pre-Columbian heritage is seen with straight black hair throughout Guatemala. The department was called Vera Paz by the British in the 19th century. In 1850, the department had an estimated population of 66,000. As a result of the Mexican Drug War , the Los Zetas drug cartel members overtook much of
24-451: The local indigenous people to fight and maintain their freedom. Spanish friars succeeded in converting the area to Christianity, and named the area "Verapaz" meaning "True Peace". In the 19th century this became an important coffee producing region as well as a sugar cane plantation during prior centuries. A museum exists today highlighting the sugar plantation history. In this region of Guatemala, families that trace back their heritage before
30-587: Was designated a national park in 1980. The park covers an area of 82 ha , and is managed by the National Forestry Institute (INAB). This Guatemala location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a protected area in North America is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Alta Verapaz Alta Verapaz ( Spanish pronunciation: [ˈalta βeɾaˈpas] )
36-616: Was part of the Maya civilization . When the Spanish Conquistadores came in the 1520s they conquered the central and southern highlands of Guatemala, but were driven back from this region by fierce native resistance. Unknown to the history books of this region, local oral history speaks of a former slave ship capsizing prior to the Spaniards arriving upon this area. The former African slaves moved inland, and joined forces with
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