Petén (from the itz'a , Noj Petén , 'Great Island') is a department of Guatemala . It is geographically the northernmost department of Guatemala, as well as the largest by area – at 35,854 km (13,843 sq mi) it accounts for about one third of Guatemala's area. The capital is Flores . The population at the mid-2018 official estimate was 595,548.
23-625: (Redirected from Peten ) Petén or Peten may refer to: Petén Department , a department of Guatemala Petén Basin , the geographical/archaeological region of Mesoamerica and a center of the Maya civilization Lake Petén Itzá , a lake in the Petén Basin region Peten Itza kingdom , a Maya kingdom in Central America centered on the city of Nojpetén The Hebrew name (Hebrew: פתן ) for
46-583: A year. The Petén department was created by decree of the Guatemalan government on 8 May 1866. Starting in the 1960s the Guatemalan government offered land in Petén to any citizen willing to settle on it and pay a fee of $ 25. A road was opened up to Flores, although it was unpaved, and the notorious bus trip to Flores was known to take up to 24 hours to travel the 500 kilometres (300 mi). Small airports were built at Flores and Tikal, bringing tourists to
69-495: Is Lake Petén Itza , near the centre of the drainage basin; it measures 32 by 5 km (20 by 3 mi). A broad savannah extends south of the central lakes; it features a compact red clay soil that is too poor to support heavy cultivation. This resulted in a relatively low level of pre-Columbian occupation. The savannah has an average altitude of 150 metres (490 ft) above mean sea level with karstic ridges reaching an average altitude of 300 metres (980 ft). The savannah
92-533: Is a hypothesized geological depression found in the remote rainforest of the northern department of Petén , Guatemala . Mirador Basin consists of two true basins, consisting of shallowly sloping terrain dominated by low-lying swamps called bajos ; one draining into the San Pedro River and the other into the Candelaria River . The basin is surrounded by rugged karstic limestone hills on
115-442: Is characterised by a variety of forest and soil types; water sources include generally small rivers and low-lying seasonal swamps known as bajos . A chain of fourteen lakes runs across the central drainage basin of the Petén; during the rainy season some of these lakes become interconnected. This drainage area measures approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) east-west by 30 kilometres (19 mi) north-south. The largest lake
138-461: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Pet%C3%A9n Department The Petén department is bordered on the east by Belize and by Mexico (with the Mexican states of Chiapas to the west, Tabasco to the northwest and Campeche to the north). To the south it borders the Guatemalan departments of Alta Verapaz and Izabal . Much of
161-460: Is divided into wet and dry seasons , although these seasons are not clearly defined in the south; the climate varies from tropical in the south to semitropical in the north. Temperature varies between 12 and 40 °C (54 and 104 °F), although it does not usually drop beneath 18 °C (64 °F). Mean temperature varies from 24.3 °C (75.7 °F) in the southeast around Poptún to 26.9 °C (80.4 °F) around Uaxactún in
184-487: Is surrounded by hills with unusually steep southern slopes and gentler northern approaches; the hills are covered with dense tropical forest. To the north of the lakes region bajos become more frequent, interspersed with forest. In the far north of the Petén the Mirador Basin forms another interior drainage region. To the south Petén reaches an altitude of approximately 500 metres (1,600 ft) as it rises towards
207-804: The Boeing AH-64A Apache in Israeli service , meaning "Cobra" in English Petén molly , a fish Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Petén . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Petén&oldid=1257504227 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Place name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Articles containing Hebrew-language text Short description
230-654: The Basin, including several extremely large ones such as Naachtun in the northeast corner which is currently under investigation by a team from the University of Calgary in Canada (Director: Kathryn Reese-Taylor). The primary settlement of the major sites in the basin dates to the Middle Preclassic (ca. 1000 BCE - 350 BCE) and Late Preclassic periods (ca. 350 BCE - CE 150), with relatively little overburden from
253-493: The Guatemalan Highlands and meets Paleozoic metamorphic rocks. The main bodies of standing water in the department are the lakes Petén Itzá , Peténchel , Quexil , Salpetén and Macanche in the centre of the department; Yaxhá and Sacnab in the east, Petexbatún in the southwest, and Perdida , Larga , La Gloria , San Diego , Mendoza , El Repasto and Lacandón in the west. The climate of Petén
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#1732773260806276-895: The Mirador Basin occurs in close cooperation and collaboration with the Guatemalan Institute of Anthropology and History ( IDAEH ), the Guatemalan Ministry of Culture and Sports (Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes), the Guatemalan Institute of Tourism ( INGUAT ), the National Council of Protected Areas ( CONAP ), and the Presidency of the Republic of Guatemala . In addition, projects work closely with community organizations in
299-728: The North Petén, Guatemala (RAINPEG) Project, have identified data relevant to the origins and early development of the Maya civilization in this area. The executing organization for the research is the Foundation for Anthropological Research and Environmental Studies (FARES), and the Institute for Mesoamerican Research at Idaho State University , where Hansen is the Chief Senior Scientist. Research and development of
322-754: The department of Petén . The Inter-American Development Bank , along with The National Geographic Society , the Foundation for Maya Cultural and Natural Heritage - Fundación del Patrimonio Cultural y Natural Maya (PACUNAM), the Global Heritage Fund , and the Friends of the Natural and Cultural Heritage of Guatemala (APANAC), the Carlos Novella Foundation, among other private sponsors, have given economic support to projects in
345-479: The east and south, forming a triangular geographical "trough" covering more than 2,169 km (837 sq mi). The geological formation of the landscape, as well as the significance of the formation, are the subject of some controversy in Northern Guatemala. NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data indicate no depression in the area. [1] During the past two decades, the region has been
368-521: The large scale constructions and extensive settlements that characterized the Classic periods (CE 250-900) of Lowland Maya civilization. Illegal logging and forest fires resulting from slash and burn agricultural practices threaten Mirador Basin's rich biodiversity . Looting is also a major threat to the many Mayan archaeological sites that reside in the Basin. While many sites are known, others remain undiscovered and, according to Richard Hansen, "by
391-482: The northeast. Highest temperatures are reached from April to June; January is the coldest month. All Petén experiences a hot dry period in late August. Annual precipitation is high, varying from a mean of 1,198 mm (47.2 in) in the northeast to 2,007 mm (79.0 in) in central Petén around Flores . The extreme southeast of Petén experiences the largest variations in temperature and rainfall, with precipitation reaching as much as 3,000 mm (120 in) in
414-470: The object of archaeological investigations at the large Middle and Late Preclassic sites of El Mirador , Nakbe , El Tintal , Wakna, the recently discovered sites of Xulnal and El Pesquero, and numerous smaller settlements, dating mostly to the Classic period , such as La Florida, Maaxte, Zacatal, Chan Kan, Tsab Kan, Pedernal, Isla, La Muerta, and La Muralla. Dozens of additional sites are dispersed within
437-570: The region. In the early 1970s a road was opened from Tikal to Belize . The first paved road in Petén was built in 1982. Since the 1990s many new settlers have come to Petén. The area is also experiencing severe deforestation in its southern half. Deforestation has been particularly rapid near Laguna del Tigre National Park in western Petén. To combat deforestation, Guatemalan president Álvaro Colom proposed dramatically expanding ecotourism around Maya archaeological sites, especially El Mirador , and trying to further develop an agricultural system in
460-595: The southern portion of the Maya Biosphere Reserve that would prevent further northward migration. He called his plan " Cuatro Balam ". The Mundo Maya International Airport , in Santa Elena , is the second largest in Guatemala. Petén consists of the following 14 municipalities, listed below with their populations in 2002 and 2018. Las Cruces was separated from La Libertad in 2011, and El Chal
483-627: The time scholars get there, looters may already have plundered them." The region belongs to the Maya Biosphere Reserve that represents the last large area of intact tropical rainforest remaining in Mesoamerica . Archaeological and environmental studies conducted by the Mirador Basin Project, directed by Richard Hansen , previously known as the Regional Archaeological Investigation of
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#1732773260806506-541: The western border with Mexico is formed by the Usumacinta River and its tributary the Salinas River . Portions of the southern border of the department are formed by the rivers Gracias a Dios and Santa Isabel. The Petén lowlands are formed by a densely forested low-lying limestone plain featuring karstic topography. The area is crossed by low east–west oriented ridges of Cenozoic limestone and
529-1118: Was separated from Dolores in 2014. Notes: The Petén department includes a large number of archaeological sites belonging to the ancient Maya civilization , many of which have only received minimal attention by archaeologists. The sites with some level of restoration include Tikal , Uaxactún , Aguateca , Seibal , Yaxha , Nakum , Topoxte , San Clemente and La Blanca . Other archaeological sites include: Altar de Sacrificios , La Amelia , Arroyo de Piedra , Bejucal , Cancuén , El Caribe , El Chal , Cival , La Corona , Dos Pilas , Holmul , Holtun , Itzan , Ixkun , Ixlu , Ixtonton , Ixtutz , La Joyanca , Kinal , Machaquila , El Mirador , Motul de San José , La Muerta , Muralla de León , Naachtun , Nakbe , Naranjo , El Peru , Piedras Negras , Polol , El Porvenir , Punta de Chimino , Río Azul , Sacul , San Bartolo , La Sufricaya , Tamarindito , Tayasal , El Tintal , Tres Islas , Ucanal , Xultun , Zacpeten , Zapote Bobal and El Zotz . Mirador Basin The Mirador Basin
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