Benque Viejo del Carmen

Benque Viejo del Carmen
Benque Viejo del Carmen Map of Benque Viejo's metropolitan area
Coordinates: 17°04′N 89°08′W
Country	Belize
District	Cayo District
Time zone	Central (UTC-6)
Website	www.benqueviejotown.com

Benque Viejo del Carmen (usually shortened to "Benque") is a town in the Cayo District in the country of Belize.

History

The town was established in the 19th century, mostly by immigrants from Guatemala. During the first years of the 21st century, the town experienced a rapid boom in population. Benque is mainly a suburban settlement with schools, supermarkets and other facilities.

Location and geographics setting

Benque Viejo del Carmen is the furthest west sizable settlement in Belize, located about 130 km (81 mi) west of Belize City, near the border with Guatemala. San Ignacio Cayo is located 13 km (8.1 mi) to the east of the town, while Melchor de Mencos is 2 km (1.2 mi) to the west in Petén, Guatemala. The northern edge of the town lies along the Mopan River which also forms the border with Guatemala.

Demographics

Benque Viejo del Carmen has a population of about 8,000 people, most of Maya or Mestizo descent. The ancient Maya ruins of Xunantunich are nearby. The town lies alongside the Mopan River. Film director Caleb Botton featured the town as the backdrop it in his feature "7 Days in Carmel." which featured Benque's Holy week processions.

Government

As of March 2009, the mayor is Nicholas Ruiz of the United Democratic Party. The current councillors of the Benque Viejo Town Board are Salvador Iglesias, Ana Melita Castellanos, Constance Hyde, Eric Raul Manzanero, Marcos Moises Kotcha, and Miguel Velasquez. All are members of the UDP.

Population and Housing

2010 Population and Housing Census has Benque Viejo's total population as 5,824 residents,of this 2,906 are males and 2,918 are females. The total number of households is 1,415 and the average household size is 4.1.