Cobán

Cobán, city, north-central Guatemala, situated 4,331 feet (1,320 metres) above sea level in the Chamá Mountains on the Cahabón River. Founded about 1538 near Mayan ruins and named for the Indian chieftain Cobaóu, the city developed as the major urban centre of northern Guatemala. A 17th-century church still stands. Cobán was the centre of a large colony of German settlers who went to Guatemala in the late 19th century to grow coffee. Most of these landowners were deported during World War II by the Guatemalan government (under pressure from the United States) for supporting the Nazi Party. Las Victorias National Park, just south of Cobán, is on the site of a former German-owned coffee plantation, as is Verapaz Nursery (1898), which preserves orchids endangered by logging operations in the area. The agricultural hinterland is best known for its coffee, but tea, cacao (the source of cocoa beans), vanilla, spices, grains, livestock, and hardwoods are also significant. The city was formerly an important commercial and manufacturing centre. Much of the agricultural produce now bypasses Cobán and goes directly to Guatemala City, 130 miles (210 km) south. An annual folklore festival, which draws many tourists, takes place in Cobán in the last week of July or first week of August. Pop. (2002) 47,202.