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The small town of Las Cruces only recently became a municipality in 2011. It is located in the north-west of Guatemala in the department of Petén, a part of the country famous for its Mayan history and archeological sites. A few hours travel to the west of Las Cruces lies the Mexican states of Chiapas and Tabasco, which are divided from Guatemala by the extensive Usumacinta River. Nevertheless, this is a popular boarder crossing for tourists wishing to travel between the jungles of Palenque and Flores, from where one can visit the majestic archeological ruins of Tikal. Other important archaeological sites close to Las Cruces include the Altar de Sacrificios, Las Ruinas del Rey Itzán in the settlement of La Palma, and particularly Piedras Negras, one of the most important cities of the Pre-Columbian, Mayan period, located in the middle basin of the Usumacinta River.



Because much of the population is made up of people who have come from different parts of the country, the town of Las Cruces itself does not have a defined native population or culture. However within the forty communities

                 belonging to the municipality, there are those that do have distinctive indigenous cultures. Should you have the opportunity to visit these communities, you will  find areas where Spanish is second to indigenous languages such as Que'chi, and where Mayan Rituals are still practised

practiced and observed



The first inhabitants arrived here at the end of the 1960's and the first teacher (Antonio Elias Matus Burgos) arrived in the early 1970's, giving classes in a hut until the first two classrooms were built in the current Central School. The municipality now consists of over 37,000 inhabitants spread out over the forty communities. The development of Las Cruces as a municipality means that there is now a local authority that can cater to the needs of these people. Many projects are now being created to improve the quality of life for the population of Las Cruces and especially the more underdeveloped of its surrounding communities. The help and participation of voluntary workers as well as local residents can make these projects a success and bring to fruition a better quality of life for many of these communities.

To find out how to arrive at Las Cruces, take a look at the Apply page

LAS CRUCES

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