Semuc Champey
Encyclopedia
Semuc Champey is a natural monument in the department
of Alta Verapaz
, Guatemala
, near the Q'eqchi'
Maya
town of Lanquín
. It consists of a natural 300 m
limestone
bridge, under which passes the Cahabòn River
. Atop the bridge is a series of stepped, turquoise pools, a popular swimming attraction. Although it can be difficult to get to, Semuc is becoming more and more popular with travelers.
Departments of Guatemala
||Guatemala is divided into 22 departments :#Alta Verapaz#Baja Verapaz#Chimaltenango#Chiquimula#Petén#El Progreso#El Quiché#Escuintla#Guatemala#Huehuetenango#Izabal#Jalapa#Jutiapa#Quetzaltenango#Retalhuleu#Sacatepéquez...
of 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...
, 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...
, near the Q'eqchi'
Q'eqchi'
Q'eqchi or Kekchi may refer to*Q'eqchi' language, a Mayan language spoken in Guatemala and Belize*Q'eqchi' people, an indigenous Maya people...
Maya
Maya peoples
The Maya people constitute a diverse range of the Native American people of southern Mexico and northern Central America. The overarching term "Maya" is a collective designation to include the peoples of the region who share some degree of cultural and linguistic heritage; however, the term...
town of Lanquín
Lanquín
Lanquín is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Alta Verapaz. It is situated at 380 m above sea level. It contains 16,500 people, many of Q'eqchi' Maya descent...
. It consists of a natural 300 m
M
M is the thirteenth letter of the basic modern Latin alphabet.-History:The letter M is derived from the Phoenician Mem, via the Greek Mu . Semitic Mem probably originally pictured water...
limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
bridge, under which passes the Cahabòn River
Cahabón River
The Río Cahabón is 196 km long river in eastern Guatemala. From its sources in the Sierra de las Minas range in Baja Verapaz it turns north and then east into Alta Verapaz, running through Santa Cruz Verapaz, Tactic, Cobán, San Pedro Carchá, Lanquín, Santa María Cahabón and Panzós, where it joins...
. Atop the bridge is a series of stepped, turquoise pools, a popular swimming attraction. Although it can be difficult to get to, Semuc is becoming more and more popular with travelers.