:::The Verapaces::: (Nature's
Paradise)
To the north in Guatemala are found the departments of
Alta and Baja Verapaz. The mountainous terrain is part
of the oldest zones. King Charles V of Spain accepted
the name Verapaz as the official name of this region.
German immigrants, who settled coffe plantations. Natural
beauty in the Verapaces includes lovely sites such as
Semuc Champey, and the Cahabón river, popular with
rafters, along with the biotope del Quetzal, where Guatemala’s
national bird may be seen.
The Verapaces region of northern Guatemala is a land of
outstanding natural beauty, with mountainous cloud forests,
orchids, waterfalls, lakes and caves. The region was brought
under Spanish rule by peaceful means. In honor of his
achievement, the region was named Verapaz, or True peace.
Two of Guatemala’s national symbols, the Monja Blanca
orchid and the Resplendent Quetzal, are native to this
area.
Cobán
T he capital of the department of Alta Verapaz, Cobán
offers a number of fine hotels and restaurants and serves
as a convenient base for explorations of the land of true
peace. One of the first local words that travelers will
learn here is “chipi-chipi”, used to describe
the light rain that often falls. Cobán is famed
for its annual Rabín Ajau festival, celebrated
with traditional costumes and dances from June to July
and culminating, on the last Saturday of July, with a
beauty pageant for Maya woman. Things to do in and around
Cobán include a tour of a local coffee farm, a
visit to the Vivero Verapaz where more than 650 orchid
varieties are grown, and a stop at the museum of the Maya
prince, which
houses a small collection of maya artifacts. The museum
of Kekchí culture, in nearby San Pedro Carcha,
feature Maya textiles and ceramics.
Salamá
Near Salamá, capital of the department
of Baja Verapaz, visitors may tour the ruins of a 16th-century
sugar farm established bye Dominican priests in the town
of san Jeronimo. Nearby Rabinal is renowned for its production
of jícaras and for traditional dances performed
during the town fair in January.
