Las Lisas is a beach on Guatemala’s Pacific coast. At Playa Las Lisas, the Chiquimulilla Canal meets the sea at Boca Barra. This places the destination in the context of two closely connected geographical features: its location on the Pacific coast and the specific point where the canal and sea meet. If you are choosing a destination on Guatemala’s Pacific coast, Boca Barra gives you a clear reference point within Las Lisas.
Distances for orientation
Two distances help put the location in context. Playa Las Lisas is 46 kilometers from the administrative center of the municipality of Chiquimulilla and 161 kilometers from Parque Central in Guatemala City. These figures refer to different points of reference: one locates the beach in relation to the municipality, and the other in relation to the capital. The administrative center and Parque Central are therefore not interchangeable reference points; together, they offer municipal and urban orientation. The distance to Parque Central is greater than the distance to the administrative center. If you are considering Las Lisas as a possible destination, you can look at these two scales separately and place it in a broader geographical context.
Culture in the wider destination of Santa Rosa
In the wider destination of Santa Rosa, Puente de Los Esclavos is located in Cuilapa. The bridge is made of dressed stone, is 75 meters long and two meters wide, and has eleven arches. The relationship between its length and width makes its elongated shape clear, while the arches divide the stone structure into sections. For the community, Puente de Los Esclavos represents resilience and five centuries of history, and symbolizes a spiritual transition to the “New Faith.”
According to legend, the story arose during the Spanish colonization of the Americas and the enslavement of the Xinka people. An old man made a pact with the devil so that the bridge would be built in a single night. Regardless of this legendary motif, the people were forced to build the bridge as forced labor. Its overnight construction belongs to the legend; the forced labor is a separate part of the bridge’s history. Thus, legend and the memory of imposed labor stand side by side as distinct perspectives.
Every year, the community brings the bridge’s story to life again through the Zarabanda. The event features music, dances, and colorful clothing; the tradition connects faith, identity, and cultural heritage. The descendants of the old man in the legend maintain their own religious and cultural forms of expression, especially during Día de la Luz de la Candelaria. The Zarabanda focuses on bringing the bridge’s story to life as a community; Día de la Luz de la Candelaria is particularly associated with the descendants’ forms of expression.
Discover more destinations: Taxisco, Chiquimulilla, El Hawaii, Monterrico, Tecuamburro, Cuilapa
Back to the wider travel overview: Santa Rosa.
