Destination Attractions: Things To Do In Guatemala

Things to do in Guatemala, site of the legendary forgotten cities of Yucatan.

Legends of "forgotten cities" enshrouded by the deepest jungles of the Yucatan had been enticing European adventurers for around a generation, when the Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortés passed within a few dozen miles of the grandest of such sites in 1525""abandoned by its original inhabitants more than a thousand years before, that fabulous metropolis remained unknown to outsiders for nearly a millennium. Though successive waves of Franciscan missionaries had recorded tales, from local Indians, concerning encounters with the ruins of obviously sacred stone temples hidden by those nigh-impenetrable rainforests while on extended hunting trips; their stories were more often than not discounted as mere folklore. Even in 1841, when explorers John Lloyd Stephens and Fredrick Catherwood made headlines worldwide with their vivid descriptions of Central America's Maya remains failed to include that aforementioned forgotten place among their "finds." Years later, when a rubber trapper named Ambrosio Tut first layed eyes on the spectacular skeleton of Tikal, he had trouble convincing people that the sights he described were real. His find was the largest discovery of its kind in Mayan America. It took twenty years just to map out the main plazas""over 10,000 structures have been identified. But, only the larger ones have actually been excavated, leaving the rest covered by creeper vines and poinciana. Today, the overpowering archeological site we know as Tikal is both an expansive National Park and a good enough reason in and of itself to visit the land it calls home.

The Republic of Guatemala is Central America's westernmost border. Bounded to the southeast by the Pacific Ocean, to the east by El Salvador, to the northeast by Honduras, to the west by Belize and to the north by Mexico""it's topographically dominated by the red glow cast off by night by its volcano-riddled western highlands, its vast jungle-covered lowland of dinosaur bone deposits and banana plantations and the black sand stretch of its Pacific coastline. Though rare, due to poaching, the land's fauna still includes tapir, peccary, quetzal, jaguarondi, margay, ocelot, puma and the occasional jaguar. Beside its substantial pre-Columbian remains, Guatemala offers travelers the chance to visit the natural steam baths at Fuentes Georginas and Los Vahos, to swim in the collapsed volcanic cone of Lago de Atitlán or hike in the lava rock highlands around Antigua.

Unless you're a traveler from elsewhere in the region you'll be arriving in country via either Flores or Guatemala City's international airports. If your only intent is to see Tikal, your entry point will most likely be Flores, otherwise you'll be starting off in the more centrally located capital of Guatemala City. Scattered across a range of even, ravine-pocked mountain plain and surrounded by coffee plantations, the capital practically screams banana republic. Though regular earthquakes have left little of its colonial era character intact, travelers may still want to hang around to visit the crafts markets of the Mercado Central, the Museo Nacional de Arqueologia y Etnologia's fantastic collection of Mayan artifacts, the Museo Popol Vuh's superb private collection of Spanish colonial and Mayan art or the Museo Ixchel del Troje Indígen's rich displays of traditional highland costumes and crafts.

Once you've made it out into the hinterland, you won't want to miss the opportunity to take a stroll through the stucco-white lined streets of Chichicastenango. Lying on the mist-laden crests of mountaintops at an altitude of approximately 6,658 feet, about 2-3 hours northwest of Guatemala City, Chichicastenango is home to a colorful and quite famous native handicraft market that draws not only the K'iche' Maya of the surrounding region, but vendors from all over Guatemala. Both the town's Museo Regional and the Santo Tomás""a 400 year old church that native shamans still use for their own rituals, are well worth visiting as well.

Before heading off to see Tikal, archaeology buffs will want to stop by a small town situated on Guatemala's Pacific Slope called Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa. Its lush sugarcane fields host a trio of pre-Mayan ritual sites. Bilbao, Finca El Baul and Finca Las Ilusiones contain a series of magnificently carved and beautifully preserved stelae, statuary and reliefs of black volcanic rock""including a massive half-buried stone head, with wrinkled brow and patterned headdress, that is possibly a representation of Huhueteotl""supporter of the sun, the fire god of ancient Mexico. On a site that is still actively used for pagan ceremonies, particularly by women seeking either to ensure conception or a safe childbirth. In front of the stones a small set of altars await locals desirous of making animal sacrifices, burning incense or leaving offerings of flowers.

The above will all be fascinating and enlightening sights to be sure. But if you've made the somewhat less than completely safe trip down into Guatemala's lowlands, you've come to see the once-forgotten glories of Tikal. Once a wealth-ridden metropolis of perhaps 100,000 souls, the ancient Maya began building the city around 600 BC, and for the next 1500 years the area was an important religious, scientific, and political center Today, Tikal draws archeologists and tourist alike from around the globe to its towering pyramids and squawking parrot and howler monkey populated wildlife surround. Because of its rare combination of naturalist wonders and archaeological remains, Tikal has been declared a UNESCO Heritage of Humanity Site. The ruins comprise a National Park that includes more than 3,000 structures extending over six square miles of palaces, temples, ceremonial platforms, ball courts, terraces, plazas, avenues and steam baths. The aforementioned town of Flores""with all its pastel-colored buildings, is located about half an hour from the entrance to the National Park and generally speaking serves as a jumping off point from which to explore the area. Tikal is truly among the world's travel-destination wonders and many call it one of the most spiritually powerful spots on earth. It is simply not to be missed.

Head out during its November to May dry season to catch the best possible weather or during Semana Santa (the Holy Week before Easter) or during Rabin Ajau""a Mayan celebration held in late July or early August if magnificent festivals are your thing.

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