of the doctrines was that they were run by a group of friars, because it made sure that the community system would continue without any issue when one of the members died. In 1638, the Order of Preachers split their large doctrines — which meant large economic benefits for them — in groups centered around each one of their six monasteries, including the Sacapulas monastery: In 1754, the Order of Preachers had to transfer all of their doctrines and convents to the secular clergy, as part of the Bourbon reforms. Pan American highway In the 20th Century, the Pan-American Highway passed Santa Cruz by, making it less a gateway to the Western Highlands and only the main stop on the road to the North of el Quiché. As the living conditions for the Indigenous people were so pitiful in the city, the town of Santo Tomás Chichicastenango, about 20 miles to the south of Santa Cruz, began to swell with the immigration of displaced Mayas and soon passed up Santa Cruz in both size and importance. Guatemalan Civil War During the Guatemalan Civil War Santa Cruz del Quiché found itself in the area where the Ejército Guerrillero de los Pobres - one of the guerrilla organizations that operated in Guatemala - was active. This organization justified its terrorist attacks against private and public infrastructure by saying that they only impacted the economic interests of both the state and the country's productive sector, and that it made the Guatemalan Army more vulnerable. In the Comisión para el Esclarecimiento Histórico final report, former EGP members said that "destroying infrastructure just under the concept of destroying the country's infrastructure, to damage the country, that did not happen. There was always an explanation... in context with the war that we were sustaining at the time and in context within the tactic moment when we were going to blow up a bridge, yes, we were going to blow it up so that the Army could not go through and to stop it from its barbarism... to cut its advances and withdraws- But from Nentón to the North, the highway was closed [end of 1981 to beginning of 1982], the Army did not get in, not a single authority would come in, and the telegraph posts -which were the other communication device that existed- were taken down". "When we cut power to some (Army) barracks the