# El Chal Municipality, Petén Department – Villages & Map > Source: https://wherepedia.org/guatemala/peten/el-chal/ Municipality · Petén Department # El Chal El Chal is a municipality of Guatemala in Petén Department. It had an estimated **15,808 people** in 2024 on 958 km² (about 17 per km²). Its main town is El Chal. 50 named villages and localities are recorded here, and 17 mapped services such as hospitals, banks and schools. - 15,808people (2024) - 958km² - 17mapped services - 221 mtypical elevation ## How many people live in El Chal? El Chal had an estimated **15,808 people** in 2024 — 2.4% of Petén Department, 268th of 340 municipalities. There are 942 women for every 1,000 men (close to the Petén Department figure of 944). Spread over 958 km², that is about **17 people per km²**, 335th of 340 municipalities. 33.2% of people are children under 15 and 6.2% are 65 or older; the median age is about 23 years (it is 23 across Petén Department). For every 100 people of working age (15–64) there are 65 children and older people. 0–4 ****1,807** 5–9 ****1,735** 10–14 ****1,701** 15–19 ****1,571** 20–24 ****1,645** 25–29 ****1,484** 30–34 ****1,148** 35–39 ****968** 40–44 ****811** 45–49 ****690** 50–54 ****565** 55–59 ****387** 60–64 ****313** 65–69 ****282** 70+ ****701** Source: [Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) via OCHA HDX, population 2024 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ps-gtm). ## Where is El Chal? El Chal lies in [Petén Department](https://wherepedia.org/guatemala/peten/), [Guatemala](https://wherepedia.org/guatemala/). It borders 5 other municipalities: [Dolores](https://wherepedia.org/guatemala/peten/dolores/), [Poptún](https://wherepedia.org/guatemala/peten/poptun/), [San Francisco](https://wherepedia.org/guatemala/peten/san-francisco/), [Santa Ana](https://wherepedia.org/guatemala/peten/santa-ana/) and [Sayaxché](https://wherepedia.org/guatemala/peten/sayaxche/). By area it is the 23rd largest of 342 municipalities in Guatemala. It covers 2.7% of [Petén Department](https://wherepedia.org/guatemala/peten/). The centre of El Chal is about 225 km in a straight line from Guatemala City, the capital. It is about 49 km from Flores, the main town of Petén Department. The centre point is at 16.5156° N, 89.7277° W. Source: [Coordinadora Nacional Para La Reducción De Desastres via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-gtm). ## Things to see in and around El Chal OpenStreetMap lists 5 named sights in El Chal: 2 attractions; 2 archaeological sites; 1 nature reserve. - El Chal · archaeological site - Sitio Arqueológico El Chal · archaeological site - Los Lagartos Private Natural Reserve · nature reserve - El Chal · attraction - paraíso · attraction ### Nearby, outside El Chal - Museo Nueva Horizonte · museum, San Francisco18 km Source: [© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright). Named attractions, museums, viewpoints, historic sites and natural features mapped in OpenStreetMap. Places of worship are not listed. ## Know before you go: El Chal - Time zoneUTC−6, no daylight saving · America/Guatemala - CurrencyQuetzal (GTQ) - Country calling code+502 - LanguagesSpanish - Plug typesType A, B · 120 V - Driving sideRight - Postcode format5 digits (#####) ### Nearest airports - Mundo Maya International Airport (FRS) · San Benito47 km - Placencia Airport (PLJ) · Placencia146 km ### Daylight Days are longest in Jun (about 13.1 hours, sunrise around 05:25) and shortest in Dec (about 11.2 hours, sunrise around 06:19, sunset around 17:28). Source: [GeoNames country and time-zone files (CC BY 4.0)](https://www.geonames.org/); [Wikidata (CC0) — plug types, mains voltage, driving side; retrieved 2026-11-02](https://www.wikidata.org/); [OurAirports (public domain)](https://ourairports.com/data/). Airports with scheduled passenger flights; straight-line distances. Daylight is calculated for the 15th of each month in local standard time. Check entry and visa rules with official government sources before travelling. ## Villages and localities in El Chal Open gazetteers list **50 villages, towns and localities** in El Chal. Settlements here lie between about 153 m and 309 m above sea level (median 221 m). - Acún Poxté - Agricultores Unidos - Barrio Ebenezer - Canxán - Colpetén - Comunidad Poxte I - Cooperativa Agrícola La Amistad - Cooperativa Las Flores - El Chal - El Chaparral - El Edén - El Esfuerzo - El Jabalí - El Juleque - El Pacay - El Paraíso - El Quetzal - El Quetzalito - El Recodo - Guacamayas I - Guadalupe - La Lucha - La Machaca - La Puente - La Verde - Las Flores - Las Guacamayas II - Las Mojarras I - Las Mojarras II - Las Rosas - Los Ángeles - Nueva Machaca II - Nuevas Delicias - Nuevo San Luis - Parcelamiento Agrario La Lucha - Parcelamiento El Pumpal - Parcelamiento La Lucha - Poxte I - Poxté II - Quibix - San Antonio Machaca III - San Jorge La Machaca III - San Juan - San Rafael Amatitlán - Sanicté - Santa Amelia - Santa Cruz - Santa Rosita - Sesaltut - Unión Bayer Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/); [© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright). ## Landscape and landmarks of El Chal Named natural and historic features inside El Chal, from the GeoNames gazetteer. ### Water 6 rivers and streams; 1 lake. - Laguneta Guacamayas - Río El Chal - Río La Puente - Río Poxté - Río San Martín - Río Santa Cruz - Río Santa Rosita ### History 1 ancient site. - Santa Cruz ### Estates 1 estate. - Hacienda El Chaparral Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/). Places of worship are not listed. Elevations are from the GeoNames terrain model and are approximate. ## Weather in El Chal and the best time to visit In El Chal, the warmest month is Apr (average 29 °C) and the coolest is Jan (22 °C). About 1,921 mm of rain falls in a year; the wettest month is Sep (307 mm) and the driest Apr (46 mm). The most comfortable months for a visit are **December to March**. - Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun - Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec Month Average °C Rain mm Jan 22 93 Feb 24 58 Mar 26 51 Apr 29 46 May 29 145 Jun 26 269 Jul 26 189 Aug 26 242 Sep 26 307 Oct 25 257 Nov 23 153 Dec 22 110 Source: [NASA POWER climatology, retrieved 2026-10-29](https://power.larc.nasa.gov/). ## Nearest hospital, bank and fuel from El Chal Need Nearest mapped Distance Hospital Puesto de Salud, Santa Teresa · San Francisco 15 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=16.58568&mlon=-89.84544#map=17/16.58568/-89.84544) Bank Banco de Antigua · El Chal 16 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=16.64137&mlon=-89.65183#map=17/16.64137/-89.65183) ATM Cajero 5B · San Francisco 39 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=16.79521&mlon=-89.94663#map=17/16.79521/-89.94663) Petrol pump Puma Gas Station · El Chal 16 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=16.64209&mlon=-89.65166#map=17/16.64209/-89.65166) Hotel Hotel Patio Grande · El Chal 11 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=16.61058&mlon=-89.75418#map=17/16.61058/-89.75418) School Escuela, San Martin · San Francisco 15 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=16.57311&mlon=-89.85939#map=17/16.57311/-89.85939) College Universidad Galileo - Poptún · Poptún 38 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=16.34531&mlon=-89.42132#map=17/16.34531/-89.42132) Police station El Chal · El Chal 16 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=16.64401&mlon=-89.65136#map=17/16.64401/-89.65136) Source: [Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)](https://overturemaps.org/). Straight-line distance from the centre of the division, within 40 km. ## Hospitals, banks and other services in El Chal Places mapped inside El Chal in open map data, by type — each number opens the full list with locations. - Banks3 - Petrol pumps3 - Hotels3 - Pharmacies1 - Restaurants6 - Police stations1 Source: [Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)](https://overturemaps.org/). Coverage depends on what has been mapped; contact details are not shown. ## Other municipalities in Petén Department - Dolores - Flores - La Libertad - Las Cruces - Melchor de Mencos - Poptún - San Andrés - San Benito - San Francisco - San José - San Luis - Santa Ana - Sayaxché ## Quick answers - Where is El Chal?In Petén Department, Guatemala - What is the population of El Chal?15,808 (2024 estimate) - What is the median age in El Chal?About 23 years (2024 estimate) - What is the population density of El Chal?About 17 people per km² - What borders El Chal?Dolores, Poptún, San Francisco, Santa Ana and Sayaxché - What is there to see in El Chal?El Chal, El Chal, Los Lagartos Private Natural Reserve, Sitio Arqueológico El Chal - What time zone is El Chal in?UTC−6 - What currency is used in El Chal?Quetzal (GTQ) - What language is spoken in El Chal?Spanish (main languages nationally) - How many villages are in El Chal?50 named settlements (GeoNames, OpenStreetMap) - What is the elevation of El Chal?Settlements lie between 153 m and 309 m - What is the best time to visit El Chal?December to March - Where is the nearest hospital to El Chal?Puesto de Salud, Santa Teresa, about 15 km from the centre - Where is the nearest bank to El Chal?Banco de Antigua, about 16 km from the centre - Where is the nearest ATM to El Chal?Cajero 5B, about 39 km from the centre - Where is the nearest petrol pump to El Chal?Puma Gas Station, about 16 km from the centre - How many banks are in El Chal?3 mapped - How many petrol pumps are in El Chal?3 mapped - What is the P-code of El Chal?GT1714 (OCHA common operational dataset)