Pop Flores 23,000, Santa Elena 29,000/Elevation 110 meters Flores is on a small island on Lake Petén Itza, connected to Santa Elena and San Benito by a causeway. The three cities are often referred to collectively as Flores. It was named in honor of Cirilo Flores, one of the first pro-independence leaders in Guatemala. Flores is a good starting point for your trip around Petén. The city itself is beautiful with colonial, red-roofed buildings, narrow cobblestone streets and many restaurants and hotels. The cathedral houses one of Black Christs that stretches across Central America. Small, the town is a quiet and peaceful place, and probably the safest place in Petén. You can walk around the whole town in 15 minutes. Santa Elena is modern and requires a little more caution, but the city offers a more authentic Guatemala experience with traffic, litter and street food. Flores has a large selection of hotels for all budgets with view of the lake, and many delicious restaurants. Santa Elena is where the banks, supermarkets and buses are. The main economy is agriculture (corn, red beans, oranges, chilis and wood) and handicraft (baskets, brooms and leather products).