Petén Overview

Guatemala’s northernmost region once boasted one of the world’s most advanced civilizations, but ever since the Maya mysteriously abandoned their power center at Tikal, humans have more or less avoided this foreboding area. The thick forest and thin soil here kept the Spanish settlers away, and today the Petén region contains a third of Guatemala’s land mass but less than 3% of its population. Even so, nature’s dominance is being threatened by new residents, slash-and-burn agriculture, and ranching. Conservation efforts have helped slow the destruction. With roads rolling over cleared grasslands dotted with banana trees, jaguars prowling, and stone pyramids hidden behind hanging jungle vines, Petén feels like something out of a movie.

The region’s great attraction is Tikal, arguably the most beautiful of all Mayan sites. Flores and its sister city, Santa Elena, have the most visitor services in Petén and serve as pleasant bases from which to travel. El Remate, between Flores and Tikal, is a quiet lakeside village. Sayaxché provides river access to smaller Mayan sites, while the famous traveler’s hangout of Finca Ixobel lies along the coastal highway to Guatemala City. North of Tikal are some isolated Mayan ruins, including Uaxactún and spectacular El Mirador.

• History

Tikal was already a small village by about 900 BC, though the oldest excavated buildings only date from 500-400 BC. By 200 BC a variety of ceremonial structures had been built, including the first buildings ...more

• The Main Site

The Great Plaza. A path leads about 1 mi. from the ticket booth to the first main sight, the Great Plaza. The cultural and ceremonial heart of city is surrounded by temples to its east and west and ...more