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Visit Petén

Petén

The department of Petén is the largest one in the Republic of Guatemala, where the ladin population is the predominant one; only at the municipium of La Union there are ch'orti'es indigenous. The departament is divided as follows: 10 municipiums; 206 caserios (a group of houses in a determined area); 153 large towns; 42 farms; 8 towns; 11 other; five parajes; 17 colonias; two cities; one asentamiento (a group of informal houses in an invaded piece of land).

This is the department that inspired the Guatemalan writer Virgilio Rodriguez Macal, when he wrote the book “La Mansion del Pajaro Serpiente”. This region has an unthinkable natural beautifulness which is with no doubt a point of introduction to this department. This is considered one of the most important ecological areas in all Central America, only superseded by its archaeological richness which has converted it in one of the most interesting tourist places of the world.

In addition to the archaeological sites, we find in this region an extensive and diverse wild life, which offers all its enchantment to those who adventure to enter its forests. Petén’s historical value is based in the Maya culture life many centuries ago, which left a permanent clue in history and in Guatemala's currently life.

With no doubt, Tikal National Park is the most important archaeological site, but we can also mention a long list, including Yaxha, Nakun, Nakbe, Aguateka, Petexbatun, Piedras Negras, and Ceibal, considered first class archaeological sites, but there are many others that we will not mentioned in detail.

One of Guatemala's most mystical features is its archaeological heritage, the heart of the Maya World. The signature site is majestic Tikal but recent decades have showcased spectacular San Bartolo, with its “Sistine Chapel” murals; and Yaxha wit its main walk ways and beautiful lagoon; El Mirador, the largest pyramid by volume in the world; TakalikAbaj with ten terraces rising 1500 meters from the Pacific and spanning the Olmec to the Maya civilization.

Petén is one of the most important areas during the Pre-Columbian occupation and therefore the large number of archaeological sites located in this region, which are considered invaluable and have been declared as a patrimony of men. A walk to Tayasal will soon take you to the imaginary time of the Prehispanic occupation. The current itza'es and the mixed peteneros (natives) still tell stories about the history of these warriors.

But for every one, with no exception, Petén is a place of unthinkable opportunities, like Ornithology (bird watching): the climate and the widespread green areas practically guarantee a wide variety of birds of different species. Guatemala is especially exciting to birdwatchers because it is on the North-South migratory path of birds from South and North America, the two coasts of the United States, and Canada. Birds of different feathers do block together in the Petén region.

Exploring and studying caves can be as exciting and adventurous as any experience can get in nature. A weekend or even a single day in a cave can transport you to another world as remote as the ocean bottom or even the surface of another planet. For the Mayas, caves were the sacred entrance to the underworld. Petén is home to Actun Kan (Cave of the Serpent's Mouth), just minutes outside Flores, and many others through the region.

In the department of Petén, there are two Biosphere Reserves, seven national parks, five wild life protected areas, four protected Biotopes, three Cultural Monuments, and a Biological Reserve. All of them, in addition to the splendid nature, are watchers of the invaluable archaeological sites.

The total extension of protected lands in Petén occupy almost 17,000 km², as large as the departments of Totonicapan, Quiche, Quetzaltenango, Sololá, Chimaltenango, Sacatepéquez, and Guatemala all together.

Places to visit in Peten:

Tikal:

National Park: The National Park was instituted on may, 1955. In 1979, UNESCO declared Tikal as Cultural Treasure of Humanity, in light of its unequaled value of gathering en endless cultural and natural resources. The whole park has an overall area of 576 sq. kilometers.

Archeologecal Site: In 1848, Colonel Modesto Méndez and Ambrosio Tut Administrador and Governor of Petén, respectively, performed the first official survey of the site.

To this day, the mapped surveyed area totals about 16 sq. kilometers, where almost 4000 different structures are located. the first sings of occupation date back to the year 800 BC, during the Middle Pre-classic period. The last buildings found are from the late Classic period (900 AD). These 1500 consecutive years of occupation conveyed this civilization with a high cultural, artistic, architectural, urban, mathematical, astronomical, agricultural and commercial development. This has been the cause of international scientific admiration and interest.
For more information about Tikal click here.

Ceibal:

This archeological site is located 12 kilometers east of Sayaxché a long the river banks of La Pasión river, at an altitude of 220 meters a.s.l.

Ciebal was declared Archeological Park in 1985; it was given a reservation area of 17,612 sq. kilometers, in order to protect and perform the conservation of the archeological heritage, by avoiding ecological changes that might contribute to its destruction, as well as for protecting the plant and wildlife of the area and therefore preserve the environment

The first report of the was done by Federico Artes in 1892, when he named the place Saxtanquiqui, Mayan name for a white bird indigenous to the region.

The fist archeological surveyor who this site was Teobert Maler in 1895 and 1905, who named the place as Ceibal due to the large number of Ceiba trees found at the place. He also drew the first map of the site, which he published in 1902. Later, in 1914 and 1915, Sylvanus Morley arrived at the site interested in the large number of esculpted monuments. The site was also visited by Francisco Villacorta in 1928 and 1930; Richard Adams in 1961;and Ian Graham 1967.

The systematic research and restoration work done on some of the main buildings, as well as the standing of the steles, was performed by scientists of the Peabody Museum of Harvard University, between 1964 and 1968.

Ceibal was the largest settlement during the Late Classic period, with more power on the west side of La Pasión River, by having a very favorable location as control and interaction point during trade and transportation activities, as well as social and military efforts. This site is located at the highest altitude, on top of a limentone slope 100meters above the river.

The site in composed of a ceremonial center covering an area of 1 sq. kilometer, and is distributed on three high hills, each one separated by deep ravines that drain into the river. Each hill contains a high number of building that have been named Groups A,B,C and D.

The 31 monuments with hieroglyphs sculpted on limestone belong to the Late Classic period. Its most notable feature is the group of characters depicted, which differ from those of the southern classic Mayas of lowlands. A central figure is the most outstanding one, which reflects a return to the classical period style from the early stage of cultural development where the figure in question is standing with its toes pointing outward.

Aside from the non-classical elements added to classical monuments, there is a clear omen of the arrival of final downfall and decadence. Although sculpture is clearly artistic in nature, the carvings are too wide and rough, compared to monuments 20 years older found at the site.

Group A contains most of the monuments: 15 steles and 9 glyph panels in front of A-14 building. Monuments 5 and 7 depict ball players. Stales are located where streets II and III intersect, with an altar near platform C-18. The round altar, with its jaguar head, is located in front building 79 at the end of Street II.

Dos Pilas:

This site is located 17 kilometers southwest of . Sayaxché, at altitude of 150 mts. A.s.l. It is . placed within a humid tropical forest environment .

The park is a protect area of 31.66 sq. kilometers. It includes two additional archeological sites: Arroyo de Pierdra, 4 kilometers east of Dos Pilas; Tamarindo, 3 kilometers northeast of Arroyo de Piedra, and several caves with evidence of pre-Hispanic occupation. To the south of the park is the village of Nacimiento to, to the west lies Reserva de San Román and to the north is the cooperative area of Manos Unidas.

This site was declared National Monument in 1970. It was later declared National Cultural Heritage of the Nation in 1985, which guarantees prohibition of archeological predators, hunting, mining explorations and wood- cutting.

There are two ways to reach the site, either by water or by land. The first is from Sayaxché by boat, along La Pasión River, while going southwest so to take the Petexbatún creek, with a total journey of two hours until ranching a place called Paso Caribe, from where the 12-hour walk starts until reaching the site.

During the dry season, you can make the journey in 3 hours, either by foot or on horseback, while walking the first portion of the trail through privately-owned land without trees, farmlands and grazing lands, an finally entering a forest area that belongs to the protected area of the park itself. If you take, the trail that goes west and leads to Chico Zapote, La Montería, Las Pacayas, El Jordán and Nacimiento (approx. 2 hours using 4x4 vehicle).

The ruins were discovered by brothers José María and Lisandro Flores in 1954. The first name given to the site was Caribal or Caribe. In 1960,the French writer and ethnologist Pierre Ivanoff Christens the place as Dos Pozas, due to the streams that flourish nearby. That same year, G.L. Vinson changes this name to Dos Pilas.

This site does not show any exposed architecture, but compries 492 mounds oriented on an east-west axis within an area of 71 hectares. It contains many rectangular platforms, some pyramid-shaped mounds and some place-like building. It also has four staircases with glyphs, and other staircases with characters that resemble book-keepers. The most outstanding buildings in terms of construction are buildings L5-49 which is directly related to ruler I, and building p5-7 know as pyramid of the Elf, which to this day is the tallest mound among the sites located along the which might have been the residential quarters of the spouse of Ruler I.

Its architecture does not show clear examples of domed rooms, nor stone roofs. It does have several mounds with pyramidal bases, quite possibly with temples built atop its superstructure, palace-type building, U-shaped buildings and low rectangular platforms. A 400-meter-long street leis 3 km. To the northwest. The whole site is a very compact one for defensive reasons and follows a linear pattern. Most of the mounds are oriented eastward, very few southward and even less to the noth or west. This site also has a defensive system, by using concentric walls are no father apart that, have been found so far.

According to Stephen Houston (1986), allegedly, the high clsses of Dos Pilas settled near the river, which perhaps confirms the fact that these people had a lot of control and power over their visitors. Aguateca; Arroyo de Piedra; Cerro Cahui; Ixobel Cave; Actun Can Caves; Ceibal; Dos Pilas; El Naranjo; El Mirador; Lake Peten Itza; El Tigre Lagoon; Petexbatun Lagoon; Yaxcha Lagoon; Azul river; Uaxactun; Nakun; Yaxha; and Topoxte, Naj-tunich, the Aktun-kan or the Jobitzinaj caves

Tours to the Archeological Sites

Local Fairs

Dolores, May 28; Flores City, January 15; La Libertad, December 12; Melchor de Mencos, May 7-16; Poptun, May 1; San Andres, November 30; San Benito, May 3; San Francisco, October 4; San Jose, March 19; San Luis, August 25; Santa Ana, July 26; Sayaxche, June 13.

Map of the Peten Department

View Peten Department - Tikal in a larger map

Google Earth 3D Map of Tikal

Guatemala Departments:

Picture Gallery

A collection of pictures taken around Guatemala. Click here

Books

We recommend you the following books about Peten: