El Calvario Church
Encyclopedia
El Calvario Church is a church in Cobán
, Guatemala
. The church is the most sacred site in Cobán and the focal point of religious practices throughout the year and for pilgrimages. The church is also important in local folklore when a Lacandon
hunter according to legend encountered two jaguar
s sleeping on a rock and instead of killing them he left them in peace and when he returned the following day, the place where the jaguars had been he saw an image of Christ. It was this sighting that led to the decision to build a church on the spot.
The terrace of the church is noted for its panoramic views of the city and views of the Rocja Mountains and Xucaneb, the highest point in Alta Verapaz
to the southeast.
Cobán
The city of Cobán is the capital of the department of Alta Verapaz in central Guatemala. It also serves as the administrative center for the surrounding Cobán municipality. It is located 219 km from Guatemala City....
, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
. The church is the most sacred site in Cobán and the focal point of religious practices throughout the year and for pilgrimages. The church is also important in local folklore when a Lacandon
Lacandon
The Lacandon are one of the Maya peoples who live in the jungles of the Mexican state of Chiapas, near the southern border with Guatemala. Their homeland, the Lacandon Jungle, lies along the Mexican side of the Usumacinta River and its tributaries. The Lacandon are one of the most isolated and...
hunter according to legend encountered two jaguar
Jaguar
The jaguar is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico...
s sleeping on a rock and instead of killing them he left them in peace and when he returned the following day, the place where the jaguars had been he saw an image of Christ. It was this sighting that led to the decision to build a church on the spot.
The terrace of the church is noted for its panoramic views of the city and views of the Rocja Mountains and Xucaneb, the highest point in Alta Verapaz
Alta Verapaz
Alta Verapaz is a department in the north central part of Guatemala. The capital and chief city of the department is Cobán. Verapaz is bordered to the north by El Petén, to the east by Izabal, to the south by Zacapa, El Progreso, and Baja Verapaz, and to the west by El Quiché.Also in Alta Verapaz...
to the southeast.