Sansare is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the

El Progreso department El Progreso () is a department in Guatemala. The departmental capital is Guastatoya. The Spanish established themselves in the region by 1551, after the Spanish conquest of Guatemala. El Progreso was declared a department in 1908, but was dissol ...

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

. It is situated at 790 m above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...

. It contains 11,100 people. It covers a terrain of 118 km². Its annual festival is September 23-September 25. Sansare is known for its annual bicycle race, the "Carretera Valle del Sare".

History

The municipality and the valley are named after the ''sare'' tree (''

Acaciella angustissima ''Acaciella angustissima'' (prairie acacia, white ball acacia, ocpatl, or palo de pulque) is most recognized for its drought tolerance and its ability to be used as a green manure and ground covering. It is a perennial, deciduous, and belongs to ...

''). The area was already settled by

Mayan Mayan most commonly refers to: * Maya peoples, various indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Maya civilization, pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Mayan languages, language family spoken ...

s, associated with the cultures of Copán and

Quiriguá Quiriguá () is an ancient Maya archaeological site in the department of Izabal in south-eastern Guatemala. It is a medium-sized site covering approximately along the lower Motagua River, with the ceremonial center about from the north bank. ...

, when the Spanish arrived. The valley was mentioned as early as 1769 in Spanish records, and the municipality was included in those mentioned in the creation of the department of Zacapa in 1871. In 1908 it was transferred to El Progresso Department.

Notes and references

Municipalities of the El Progreso Department {{Guatemala-geo-stub