Santo Tomás de Castilla facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Santo Tomás de Castilla
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city
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View of the city's container port
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 Santo Tomás de Castilla
Location in Guatemala
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| Country |  Guatemala |
| Department | .png){kind=small} Izabal |
| Municipality | Puerto Barrios |
| Climate | Af |
Santo Tomás de Castilla is a busy port city in Guatemala. It's officially called Matías de Gálvez, but most people still use its old name. This city is located on Amatique Bay, which is part of the Gulf of Honduras. It's also part of the larger area known as Puerto Barrios.
Contents
Early History: A Belgian Colony
In the 1840s, people from Belgium tried to start a colony in Santo Tomás. This happened after Belgium helped Rafael Carrera in Guatemala's fight for independence. In 1843, the Guatemalan Parliament gave a private Belgian company, the Compagnie belge de colonisation, permission to manage the area forever. King Leopold I of Belgium supported this company.
This Belgian company took over from a British company that had failed. Many Belgians who settled here faced serious health challenges. They often got sick from diseases common in the area. By 1854, the Belgian company decided to leave because they were losing too much money.
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Modern Developments: After 1960
In the early 1960s, the port of Santo Tomás de Castilla became very important. It was chosen as the main base for Guatemala's new Navy. The port had been officially renamed Matías de Gálvez in 1958.
Admiral Manuel Sosa Avila was the first commander of the new Navy base. The Navy started with a frigate (a type of warship) and two fast attack boats. The United States gave the fast attack boats to Guatemala. The frigate was bought from Sweden. Later, the frigate was sunk by the Guatemalan Navy near Puerto Barrios in shallow water. You can still see parts of the ship there today.
A main highway connects the port to Guatemala City. There is also a railroad that was first built by the Banana Fruit Company. For many years, the railroad was not used because there wasn't enough money to fix it. It briefly reopened in 2006 with money from America. However, the American investors left the project due to problems with how it was managed.
A Busy Seaport
The city's seaport was built in 1976. This happened after a big earthquake badly damaged the port of Puerto Barrios. Today, Santo Tomás de Castilla's port is one of the busiest in Central America. It is still growing and getting bigger.
The port is right next to a special area called a free trade zone. This zone is known as Zolic, which stands for Zona de Libre Industria y Comercio Santo Tomás de Castilla. The port provides jobs for about 2,100 people. In 2004, over 4.5 million tons of goods were moved through the port by 1,372 ships.
Cruise Ship Tourism
In 2004, a special terminal for cruise ships was finished. This meant Santo Tomás de Castilla started welcoming cruise ships. The cruise ship terminal has greatly helped Guatemala's tourism industry.
About four cruise ships visit each month, bringing around 1,500 passengers on each ship. Cruise ship visitors often come to Guatemala to see its amazing Mayan culture. Mayan sites are found all over the country. The Puerto Barrios Airport is being updated to handle small planes. These planes can take cruise ship passengers on day trips to places like Tikal or other interesting spots.
Nearby Attractions
There are many fun places to visit near Santo Tomás de Castilla, including:
- Rio Dulce
- Lake Izabal
- The towns of Puerto Barrios and Livingston
- San Felipe Castle
- The ancient Mayan ruins of Quirigua
See also
In Spanish: Santo Tomás de Castilla para niños
