Sayaxché

Sayaxché (saʝaʃˈtʃe) is a municipality in the El Petén department of Guatemala, on the Río La Pasión river. It covers an area of , and had 55,578 inhabitants at the 2002 Census; the latest official estimate (as at mid 2012) was 114,781 inhabitants. The city was founded in 1874 to provide accommodation for forest workers of Jamet Sastré logging company. It obtained municipal status in 1929. El Rosario National Park is located just east of the town. The archaeological sites of Ceibal and Dos Pilas are located within the municipal boundaries.

Sayaxché has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen: Am).

There is a large demand within Guatemala and some of its neighbors for edible oils and fats, which would explain how the African oil palm became so prevalent in the country in detriment of other oils, and which has allowed new companies associated to large capitalists into a new investment phase that can be found particularly over some territories within the Northern Transversal Strip of Guatemala.

Sayaxché has thirty two archeological locations; among the most visited are: El Ceibal, Dos Pilas and El Duende, Aguateca, and Cancuén. SiteDescriptionEl CeibalApproximately at 22 km from Sayaxché Vlla. It was restored between 1963 and 1968 by Harvard University scholars. Dos PilasApproximately at 28 km southwest of Sayaxché Villa. It has two crystalline creeks and Mayan sculptures in excellent condition. AguatecaIn the same area as Dos Pilas, it is characterized by a well defined geological fault. CancuénThis site has gained notoriety because of the discovery of several monumental structures. It is located at the border of La Pasión river and close to Chisec, in Alta Verapaz Department.

Sayaxché is at the tourism center of Petén Department. The closest tourist attractions to the municipality are:

SiteDescriptionPetexbatúnThis is a large lagoon, with crystalline water and virgin jungle. It is an appropriate place of fishing, water sports, hunting and animal studies. San Juan AculOnly 14 km from Sayaxché by land or 16 km by boat, San Juan Acul is a small lagoon practically unexplored. Arroyo El PucteLocated at 36 km by boat across the La Pasión river, its crystalline waters allow one to see its bottom. Salinas RiverIt is the natural border between México and Guatemala and has long shores with fine and brilliant sand. El Rosario National ParkLocated 4 km away from Sayaxché villa, has forests and a small lake in the middle. It is controlled by the National Forestry Institute and has 10.79 km².

On June 6, 2015, residents around Río La Pasión River reported the finding of a high count of dead fish floating along the river. On June 11, 2015, Guatemala's authorities inspected palm oil extracting company "Reforestadora de Palmas de Petén, S. A." (REPSA), located in Sayaxché, and found traces Malathion in the company's tributaries leading to Río La Pasión river. Tranquilino Xojalaj, administrator of REPSA declared that heavy rain caused the treatment wells to flood into the river, however the company is denying any involvement in the disaster, stating that they do not use Malathion as pesticide. As of June 15, 2015, contamination has extended to over 105 km downstream and is affecting over 5,600 families (around 30,000 residents) from 16 communities by the riverside. These communities are dependable on the river's water supply and also for their fishing activities. The pollution is threatening to extend to the Usumacinta River, which travels all the way to México, and may continue its way towards rivers in Tabasco.

The municipality has a surface of , which corresponds to the 10.89% of Petén Department.