Purulhá
| Purulhá | |
|---|---|
 Purulhá
|
|
| Coordinates: 15°16′00″N 90°12′00″W / 15.26667°N 90.20000°W | |
| Country |
 Guatemala
|
| Department |
 Baja Verapaz
|
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Sebastián Castro García |
| Climate | Cfb |
Purulhá is a municipality in the Baja Verapaz department of Guatemala. It is situated at 1570 m above sea level. It contains 36,600 people. It covers a terrain of 248 km². The annual festival is June 10-June 13.
The Verapaz Railroad began on 15 January 1894 with a contract for 99 years between Guatemala, then ruled by president José María Reina Barrios, and Walter Dauch, representative of the "Verapaz Railroad & Northern Agency Ltd." The contract settled the rules for the construction and maintenance of a 30 mile railroad line between Panzós and Pancajché. Passenger service travelled twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays; mail also arrived by ship every Wednesday and cargo came from Livingston, Izabal. Besides, there were train stops in Santa Rosita, Santa Catalina La Tinta, and Papalhá.
In 1898, it was reported that given the coffee prosperity in Cobán, which in those days was the third largest city in Guatemala, the railroad was going to be extended to that city. The railroad was in operation until 1965, when it was superseded by truck and highways.
Verapaz Railroad maiden voyage in 1894.
Verapaz Railroad steamboat sailing the Polochic river.
Coffee transport.
Verapaz Railroad engine in the 1900s.
The Thomae family, coming from German settlers from the 1880s, was the ruling family in Purulhá for the most part of the 20th century. By taking advantage of the pro-German policies of president Justo Rufino Barrios, Mauricio Thomae gathered the following coffee haciendas:
During general Jorge Ubico regime (1931-1944), Mauricio Thomae became one of the most influential German Verapaz landowners, along with the Sarg, Sapper and Diesseldorf families. He took advantage of his close relationship with president Ubico, who had been Cobán's governor during the presidency of Manuel Estrada Cabrera and befriended several German families, including Thomae's.
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Wikipedia