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Santa Cruz Verapaz

Santa Cruz Verapaz
Municipality
Santa Cruz Verapaz is located in Guatemala
Santa Cruz Verapaz
Santa Cruz Verapaz
Location in Guatemala
Coordinates: 15°22′25″N 90°25′50″W / 15.37361°N 90.43056°W / 15.37361; -90.43056
Country Flag of Guatemala.svg Guatemala
Region Corredor Seco
Department Bandera de Alta Verapaz.svg Alta Verapaz
Municipality Santa Cruz Verapaz
Government
 • Type Municipal
 • Mayor Manuel Quejem (CREO)
Area
 • Municipality 48 km2 (19 sq mi)
Elevation 1,406 m (4,613 ft)
Population (Census 2002)
 • Municipality 10,012
 • Urban 5,004
 • Ethnicities Q'eqchi, Ladino
 • Religions Roman Catholicism, Evangelicalism, Maya
Climate Cfb
Website http://www.inforpressca.com/santacruzav/

Santa Cruz Verapaz (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈsanta ˈkɾus βeɾaˈpas]) is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Alta Verapaz. It is situated at 1406 m above sea level. It contains 19,000 people. It covers a terrain of 48 km². The annual festival is May 1-May 5.

Friars Juan de Torres, Pedro de Angulo and Luis de Cancer, O.P. founded the settlement of "Santa Cruz de Santa Elena", in the region of the Munchú territory, and therefore, the town was originally known as "Santa Cruz Munchú". The town was established on 3 May 1543, according to the minutes from 1 May 1546 taken in Ciudad Real de San Juan Chamelco by Juan Matalbatz, governor of the region at the time.

The catholic church was built in the 16th century and therefore it has a high historical value; like the one in Rabinal in Baja Verapaz Department, it was one of the very first catholic temples built in the region during the Capitulaciones de Tezulutlán. The prestiberium design was magnificent, but it has been damaged over the centuries by the constant seismic events that affect the Guatemalan territory.

By an executive order of the Secretary of Education, the church was named as National Historic place on 12 July 1970.

Santa Cruz Verapaz has an urban and a rural area.

Santa Cruz Verapaz has temperate climate (Köppen: Cfb).

Coordinates: 15°22′N 90°26′W / 15.367°N 90.433°W / 15.367; -90.433


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