Trip to the Mayan world of Petén

The dizzying pyramids of Tikal are Guatemala's most famous tourist attraction.

The reason why many are encouraged to travel to the department of Petén, a huge, sparsely populated and jungle-covered region in the north of the country, which is still a challenge today for anyone who wants to feel like a true traveler.

Almost isolated from the rest of Guatemala, Petén is the true cradle of the Mayan civilization.

Its great attraction are the mysterious cities hidden in the jungle, with its very tall pyramids looming above the dense vegetation, but it is also a place to discover a different world, rest next to quiet lakes where people live at a different pace, take a dip in a cenote from a zip line, observe exotic animals and birds or venture along trails where you rarely meet anyone else.

The jewel, without a doubt, is Tikal, with its surprising Mayan temples, but Petén is much more.

More remote sites such as El Mirador and Piedras Negras require days of planning and as many days of foraying through the jungle.

And if you go even further, the Maya Biosphere Reserve comprises almost the entire northern third of Petén and together with the border reserves of Mexico and Belize form a plurinational park of more than 30,000 square kilometers.

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Guatemala is the Mayan world in an almost pure state, in particular the department of Petén, whose main centers (Tikal and El Mirador) were always more in contact with neighboring Belize and Mexico than with their neighbors to the south.

Things didn't change much with the arrival of the Spanish either.

In the middle of an impenetrable jungle, the Itza, inhabitants of the island of Flores - located in Lake Peten Itzá - and famous for their ferocity, kept the conquerors at bay until 1697, about 150 years after the conquest of the rest of the country.

If you have to choose only one Mayan city in Guatemala, it is undoubtedly Tikal.

But this enclave is only the beginning.

To see all the sites in this area of ​​the country would require much more time than is usually available.

Furthermore, there is not only ancient history: the Mayan culture and traditions are still alive in the towns of Petén, the thick jungle hides many special plants and animals, and the Petén Itzá Lake area offers travelers the opportunity to simply enjoy resting in quiet places such as the Flores Island or the El Remate area.

To the south, the hills, valleys and lagoons of Sayaxché and Petexbatún are perfect for peaceful river tours and excursions to ruins that few tourists visit.

More information in Lonely Planet's new guide to Guatemala and at lonelyplanet.es.

The Petén region, largely protected by incredible national parks, is very extensive.

You can explore part of it by off-road vehicle, but then you have to continue on foot, on horseback or by helicopter if you want to reach the less visited corners.

Tikal, the essential

It is the jewel of the classic Mayan heritage, a collection of temples that emerge spectacularly from the jungle, wrapped in that aura of mystery that still surrounds everything that has to do with this civilization.

Fascinating discoveries continue to emerge in Guatemala's most impressive ruins.

These enormous temples tell us that, in other times, for centuries, it was a powerful and feared capital.

Like so many Mayan cities, it ended up burned and abandoned, covered by the jungle until relatively recently: starting in 1956, excavations brought to light hundreds of buildings, ball courts, temples and homes.

The Great Plaza at the Mayan site of Tikal (Guatemala), an archaeological site recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site.Byron Obed Sagastume Bran (Getty Images)

Unlike other tourist places, Tikal is just as magical as what you see in the photos, or even more.

It is true that we will not be alone because there are many visitors, but the ruins are so large that it is easy to sneak away and find corners where you feel that there is no one else.

There is no shortage of moss-covered steps, ancient glyphs that tell stories of conquests and kings, and astronomical constructions that point to the stars.

Although it is a challenge to get here, it is very worth it.

One of the most unforgettable experiences is watching the sunrise here.

Even the most seasoned travelers agree that few experiences beat sitting in Tikal's Temple IV, surrounded by fog, listening to the roars of howler monkeys as the light of the new day breaks through the clouds, and seeing four more temples along the way. above the jungle.

There is a silence among the visitors, a shared sense that what they are seeing is something spiritual.

And if you can't see the sunrise (80% of the time clouds prevent it), the sunset can be just as exciting: it is possible to stay after six in the afternoon, taking photos until after the golden hour, to then leave among the dark shadows of the evening.

It's a good time to be in the park because there are far fewer people, and dusk offers more chances to see animals and birds, which appear when most park visitors have left.

Uaxactún, in the depths of the jungle

Wrapped in the deep jungle, the mysterious Uaxactún allows us an image of the complex and majestic Mayan world, more solid and complete than if we only visited Tikal.

Getting here is not easy and you have to get a special permit in Tikal before going, but it is something very special if we like archeology.

You reach the town of the same name in an hour along a dirt track full of potholes, and once there you have to choose between the groups of ruins that you can visit, because there are several, numbered from A to E. They are ruins isolated and beautiful, with solemn buildings covered in moss.

It takes several hours to fully explore the entire site, so allow enough time.

One of the Mayan temples at the Uaxactún site (Guatemala).Alamy Stock Photo

Given the proximity of Tikal, some may think that it was an allied city, but in reality they were rivals and at one point Uaxactún was defeated by the ruler of Tikal, Siyaj K'ak'.

Despite a brief subsequent resurgence, as is the case with so many Mayan cities, Uaxactún was abandoned around the year 900.

Yaxhá, Topoxté, El Naranjo and Nakum

Where Tikal ends, a lot of fascinating routes begin, especially for fans of past times and the Mayan world.

Petén is a huge region where there are dozens of known sites, and many more still unexcavated.

Some even surpass Tikal in grandeur, but they are very remote.

In the Mayan world everything is a question of location.

If reaching a ruin requires a five-day journey through the jungle or a helicopter ride, it is almost certain that we will find ourselves practically alone observing the jungle that stretches towards the horizon.

For example, in Yaxhá, a ruin on the shore of a lagoon, which is sometimes included in Tikal circuits to complete the archaeological visit with a spectacular sunset, looking west from the top of temple 216. The pyramid It juts out above the jungle and allows viewers to see parrots and monkeys up close as they wait for the sky to change from blue to gold in the jaguar kingdom, just as the Mayans once saw.

Here you can see temples and also roads that connect the ruins and rise several meters above the jungle floor;

These roads facilitated the inhabitants' access to the lake shore and to the palaces and homes.

Wildlife can be spotted from the ruins' shady walkways, especially if you have a little time before sunset.

Like Tikal, Yaxhá

It also has architectural and historical connections with the Mexican Teotihuacán, both in its talud-tablero style constructions and in the steles that represent the Venus-Tláloc warriors of northern Mesoamerica, who were not Mayan.

Two visitors at the Mayan site of Yaxhá (Guatemala).Alamy Stock Photo

Another departure from Tikal is the one that takes a boat to the little-visited ruins of Topoxté, still unrestored.

The largest buildings are impressive, several stories high and intricately decorated.

Others remain completely unexcavated.

There is also El Naranjo, a kingdom devoured by the jungle and converted into an inaccessible place.

The reward for getting there is discovering ruins that in their heyday were perhaps grander and even more important than Tikal.

The buildings that rise above the jungle include an observatory, pyramids and the impressive palace.

This non-place is not for the spontaneous tourist, as visiting it requires careful planning, preparations and a bit of luck.

But it is a charming and almost forgotten site that deserves its place in the fascinating legacy that the Mayans left the world.

If the traveler liked El Naranjo, perhaps they should add Nakum to their list.

It is everything that El Naranjo is... but increased.

Instead of two or three hours on the road, a visit to Nakum requires almost an entire day (maybe more), and for much of the year the road is impassable.

But in this place you will find some of the best preserved crests in the Mayan world.

The stairs of Temple E, in the ruins of Nakum.Alamy Stock Photo

El Mirador, arrival on foot or by helicopter

Access to El Mirador can be the most difficult or the easiest of all the ruins in the jungle.

It can be reached on foot in a journey of five or six days, or by helicopter.

The latter is the easy part but it doesn't come cheap, and the time spent at the archaeological site is limited.

The main objective of visiting El Mirador is to climb La Danta, the tallest pyramid in Guatemala (72 meters), made of several base platforms that must be climbed before the final pyramid appears.

So climbing to the top involves a good dose of sweat.

However, it is very worth it to reach the

Everest

of the Mayan world and see jungle in all directions.

Visit of El Mirador from the top of La Danta, the highest pyramid in Guatemala.Alamy Stock Photo

Next to it there are other smaller pyramids, such as El Tigre, with three peaks on a flat base and a beautiful stucco frieze that adorns a cistern.

The perfectly preserved stucco represents scenes from Xibalbá, the Mayan underworld;

In particular, it demonstrates how the “twin heroes” managed to return victorious from Xibalbá.

Some incredible

sac-be

(white roads) connected El Mirador with other nearby places, with trails that were several meters above the jungle floor.

Sunsets on Isla de Flores and Santa Elena de la Cruz

The base of operations for touring Petén is usually the small island of Flores and the nearby city Santa Elena de la Cruz, with bars and restaurants, nightlife and a starting point for all types of day trips.

It takes less than 10 minutes to explore the entire island by car and less than half an hour on foot, but no traveler misses it.

The biggest draw is the sunsets and its west-facing restaurants fill up for drinks or dinner while watching the sunset in an environment so peaceful that it is easy to imagine the Mayans feeling the same sense of reverence before the sun. .

Aerial view of Flores Island, in Lake Petén Itzá.Oleh_Slobodeniuk (Getty Images)

Water is present everywhere in Flores, and the changing level makes it sometimes difficult to access certain places.

The water level rises and falls not with the tides, but with the seasons, and the island temporarily cedes its curbs, cobblestones and sidewalks (even entire streets) to frogs, tadpoles, herons and fish.

No problem: almost all restaurants and joints put up temporary walkways to be able to reach the establishment despite the floods.

Flores offers the only nightlife in all of Petén.

Things get lively shortly after the stars come out.

People usually go to the west side of the island to have a drink, chat and socialize.

Just walk around the main circle (especially Unión and 30 streets) and follow the music you like the most along stairs, narrow alleys or even pedestrian bridges until you find the ideal place for each one.

It could be karaoke in a bar, a lively party on a terrace or even a few drinks with new friends in a hostel.

And during the day it is impossible to be in Flores and not end up in the lake.

The water is quite calm and crystal clear and the shortest boat ride is pleasant.

In the surroundings of Flores

If someone gets tired of Flores, there is much more to see in the area.

In the region surrounding Flores and Santa Elena de la Cruz there are forests, jungles and grazing areas.

And water, a lot of water if you are on the shores of Lake Petén Itzá.

For tourists, excursions through the region are the counterpoint to busy Flores or dusty Santa Elena: they can cross the lake to discover the Mayan ruins currently being excavated, learn about endangered wildlife or simply rest alongside on the shore of the Petén Itzá.

One option is to go to Tayasal, huge Mayan ruins very close by, which are still being excavated and promise to be much more than previously thought.

There, at its viewpoint, in one of the tallest buildings of the ruins, you can see Flores at our feet, with the lake extending in all directions.

Like other sites, this one also had homes, pyramids, observatories and ball games, with a population of tens of thousands of inhabitants, a heavyweight among the civilizations settled on the shores of the lake.

For those traveling looking for wildlife rather than Mayan ruins, a visit to the ARCAS Rescue Center may be the easiest way to see some of the region's most endangered wild animals, including the big cats: jaguars, pumas, ocelots and jaguarundies.

There are also dozens of macaws, parrots and other birds that are here because they have been involved in the illegal wildlife trade.

Although it is not exactly a zoo, there is a path to walk freely between various informative cages.

View of Lake Petén Itzá, in Guatemala.Alamy Stock Photo

Another different experience: a dip in Jorge's Rope Swing, which is nothing more than a series of rickety platforms on the Tayasal/San Miguel side, where there is a rope to jump into the lake.

Specifically, to a cenote that is one of its deepest parts, so you don't have to worry about falling into the mud (you would have to go down a hundred meters to reach the bottom).

Just wait your turn and jump.

There are many people who prefer to get on the road and surround Lake Petén Itzá, in a beautiful circular route: Santa Elena de la Cruz, El Remate, Ixlú, a little stop on the Cahuí hill or in the towns of San José and San Andrés (coast northwest), a fantastic photo at the westernmost point of the lake, where the Sacpuy bridge crosses a small marshy finger very popular with fishermen and birdwatchers.

And from there, back to Santa Elena to complete the circle.

El Remate and the procession of the Santa Calavera

El Remate is at the eastern end of Lake Petén Itza and is an alternative to Flores, much quieter but also next to the water.

Although you come here to access Tikal, there are those who take it more calmly and spend days or even weeks swimming from the docks, kayaking, having a drink by the lake in a hammock, contemplating the sunset or observing the birds that swarm along the banks full of reeds or that look for the feeders that people put out for them.

It's a perfect place for kayaking and paddle boarding, even swimming, although one thing to keep in mind: there are crocodiles in this part of the lake!

One of the streets of the town El Remate.Alamy Stock Photo

The surroundings of El Remate can be an original way to connect with this part of Guatemala, with quiet towns and original traditions, such as the Santa Calavera procession, an original celebration of the Day of the Dead, which here are more macabre than the famous and holidays in Mexico or the rest of the country.

In the small town of San José, on the northwest side of Lake Petén Itzá, on November 1 there is a curious procession: real human skulls—believed to be the skulls of Itza Mayan ancestors—are used in a mix of Catholic and pagan tradition .

The procession takes place at night leaving the church, where the sacred skulls are kept.

The skulls then

visit

various members of the community, who receive blessings.

Unlike many other celebrations in Guatemala, this is a somber event performed with respect and solemnity.

This is a tradition that has probably persisted since Mayan times.

Another excursion from El Remate is the one that takes you to corners of the jungle, such as the Cerro Cahuí Biotopo, a huge area of ​​protected jungle on the northern shore of the lake.

Once inside, there are two routes through the dense jungle that give the opportunity to see orchids, bromeliads, vines and various jungle plants, as well as (hopefully) tepezcuintles, coatis, foxes, squirrels and even one or two larger mammals. .

Looking up into the treetops you can see spider monkeys and howler monkeys, parrots and toucans.

There are also several small unrestored Mayan ruins, but above all, Cerro Cahuí is the habitat of the majestic jaguar, although it is difficult to see.

For many hikers, the best thing about these trails are the beautiful views from the viewpoints at the top of the different hills, with the lake at their feet.

Navigating the depths of the Mayan world: Sayaxché

If the surroundings of Tikal or Flores seem touristy to us, there are many alternatives.

For example, Sayaxché, on the south bank of the La Pasión River, 60 kilometers southwest of Flores.

It is the gateway to a dozen rarely visited Mayan archaeological sites, including Ceibal, Aguateca, Dos Pilas, Amarindito or Altar de Sacrificios.

If you want to explore a part of Guatemala that most tourists ignore, you have to stay here at least one night, although you can spend weeks in the area to explore them all.

In addition to its strategic position between Flores and the Cobán area, Sayaxché is, above all, a starting point to visit places such as the Blue Crater, a crystalline natural pool fed by a spring at the end of a river.

There are other barely visited sites, such as El Ceibal, with long trails through the jungle, and a curious circular construction instead of square, with clear Mexican influences.

It is believed that before its abandonment in the 10th century it had more than 10,000 inhabitants.

EITHER

Aguateca, which is not easy to get to, but for the Mayans that was the idea.

The city was well defended, not only because of its remote access across the Petexbatún lagoon, but also because it was built on a steep hill on almost all sides.

Its viewpoint reserves impressive views of the region.

It would have been easy to detect any advance by a rival army long before it arrived.

Despite this, the city was hastily abandoned, invaded and burned, like the rest of the Mayan cities in the area.

Mayan ruins at the Guatemalan site of Aguateca, in the department of Petén.Alamy Stock Photo

And if the traveler dreams of a boat ride, they cannot miss the island of Chiminos.

It is usually reached by boat from Sayaxché, in two or three hours of navigation.

But upon arrival, the charming jungle

lodge

offers everything you could ask for: good food, relaxing hammocks, incredible views and monkeys frolicking in the treetops.

Once here, it is very easy to forget that real life is somewhere and that you have to return to it... Someday.

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