Purulhá is a town and municipality in the Baja Verapazdepartment of Guatemala. It is situated at 1570 m above sea level. The municipality has a population of 56,822 and covers an area of 536 km². The annual festival is June 10-June 13.
History
Verapaz Railroad
The Verapaz Railroad began on 15 January 1894 with a contract for 99 years between Guatemala, then ruled by president José María Reina Barrios, and Walter Dauch, representative of the "Verapaz Railroad & Northern Agency Ltd." The contract settled the rules for the construction and maintenance of a 30milerailroad line between Panzós and Pancajché. Passenger service travelled twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays; mail also arrived by ship every Wednesday and cargo came from Livingston, Izabal. Besides, there were train stops in Santa Rosita, Santa Catalina La Tinta, and Papalhá. In 1898, it was reported that given the coffee prosperity in Cobán, which in those days was the third largest city in Guatemala, the railroad was going to be extended to that city. The railroad was in operation until 1965, when it was superseded by truck and highways.
Thomae family
The Thomae family, coming from German settlers from the 1880s, was the ruling family in Purulhá for most of the 20th century. By taking advantage of the pro-German policies of president Justo Rufino Barrios, Mauricio Thomae gathered the following coffee haciendas:
Year
Hacienda
Location
1882
Cubilgüitz
Cobán
1889
San Isidro
Purulhá
1897
Comija
Tamahú
1897
Popabaj
Tucurú
1900
Nueve Aguas
Purulhá
1902
Panzal
Purulhá
1902
Rocjá
Tamahú
1902
Paijá
Tucurú
1905
Chimox
Tucurú
During the régime of general Jorge Ubico, Mauricio Thomae became one of the most influential German Verapaz landowners, along with the Sarg, Sapper and Diesseldorf families. He took advantage of his close relationship with president Ubico, who had been Cobán's governor during the presidency of Manuel Estrada Cabrera and befriended several German families, including Thomae's. For most of the 20th century, the Thomae family kept Puruhlá under its control thanks to their large coffee plantations and farm land holdings, and despite the expulsion of most Germans from Guatemala during World War II. After the coffee crisis in 2000, the Thomaes diversified their investments into the power, tourism and forest incentive businesses; in fact, by 2015 they were planning on building the Enerjá megaproject which will connect to their other power generation project, El Cafetal in Finca Bremen, also owned by the Thomaes.
