river in eastern Guatemala. Its major headstreams arise in the Chamá and Minas mountain ranges. Flowing eastward for 150 miles (240 km), it forms a delta in Lake Izabal, south of the town of El Estor. The Polochic is navigable as far upstream as Panzós; its principal cargo traffic consists of coffee and lumber. Except for an unsuccessful nickel mining project in the late 1970s, few attempts have been made to develop the river valley. The unpaved highway linking El Estor with Huehuetenango follows the Polochic Valley.