CHAPINADAS

The Prensa Libre, a Guatemalan Newspaper, had an article a couple of days ago about Survivor Guatemala and its possibles effects in Peten. The first two episodes of this series have been a total success. According to polls, this instalment of survivor has been watched for over 200 million people. The authorities of the INGUAT are optimistic about an increase in turism in this department. This exposure to Guatemala and all its Mayan jewels is bound to have a lot to do with the increase of turism in Guatemala. The citizens of Peten, on the other hand, are worried because when this increase comes to pass there is not enough infrastructure to accomodate it. It is very important to fix the roads that reach this turistic destinations. The island of Flores and Santa Elena, which is the main city of Peten and its capital, looks good and it is reaping the benefits of turism because there are a lot of four and five hotels opening, etc., etc, but the taxes that are being raised from this don’t provide enough income to provide for maintenance, betterment and security of the department and its many Maya cities. There are different organizations trying to modernize the tax laws, so that the taxes collected can be shared fairly between all the parties involved. Flores looks good, but if you move to the countryside there are huge differences. Tikal belongs to the same area as Santa Elena, but the money raised for visiting this site does not go to Santa Elena. Another worry is that the security of places like Tikal, Yaxha, and other Mayan cities needs to be increased so that the turists can feel safer and really enjoy their stay. Some other organizations are suggesting that the taxing laws for the oil industry need to be modernize so that they can be used to build new infraestructure por this department. One of the things that need to be fixed or built are the roads so that it can be easier to reach this places. Peten, is the biggest department in Guatemala. It is a wonderful place where it is possible to view and admire all the awesome ruins of the Mayan civilization and also to view much of the flora and fauna of Guatemala in its pristine form. Unfortunately, it is also a place where you can see a lot of under development and poverty.

Esta leyendo en el periodico el otro dia acerca de los varias agrupaciones que se esta juntando para hacer algo acerca de el estado de el palacio de los capitanes Generales. Entre estas organizaciones estan, el Ministerio de Cultura, el INGUAT, varias organizaciones privadas asi como tambien otras organizaciones estatales. Esperemos de que cuando todos estos grupos se junten, salgan ideas para ver cual es el mejor paso para comenzar con la reparacion de esta joya colonial. Esperemos de que no sea solo una oportunidad para hacer noticias y al final no se haga nada. Recordemos de que este edificio colonial, asi como tambien la mayoria de edificios en Antigua son parte de el patrimonio nacional y a la vez es una de los lugares clasificados como patrimonio mundial.