Lake Atitlán

The lake is 144 kilometers from Guatemala City and is without a doubt the most important natural attraction of the region. When novelist Aldoux Huxley visited Guatemala he referred to the lake as "the most beautiful in the world..too much of a good thing..". Years before Huxleys's visit, after a fierce battle Pedro de Alvarado (the Conqueror of Guatemala) decided to camp on its shore to rest and observe its natural beauty. Three spectacular volcanoes: Tolimán, Atitlán and San Pedro form a natural backdrop to the lake which is at 1562 meters over sea level. Its 18 kilometers long by 12 wide at is widest point with a depth of around 320 meters. For many years it was thought the lake had no bottom since a superficial drain has never been found. During the morning the waters are smooth and calm changing in color from blue, green and gray. In the afternoon blows the Xocomil (the wind that carries away sins) chopping and agitating the waters making any voyage hair-raising. The Maya believed that if the wind blew from the north it meant the lake was returning the body of someone that had drowned.after having claimed that person's soul. Besides unsurpassable natural beauty, Lake Atitlán also offers picturesque villages. The 13 villages along its shore of predominantly of Native American inhabitants are mostly only accessible by boat. Some years ago the Native Americans began construction of a road that would connect all villages called the Royal Road but some obstacles were insurmountable and the road was never finished. If one desires, in 5 or 6 days one can walk around the shore of the lake, camping on the beach or at resting at the various villages. Since ancestral times the shores of the lake have been inhabited due to the quantity of fish in its waters and variety of animals on the slopes of the volcanoes that surround it.

Tikal:

The ruins of the Maya city Tikal are found in the province of Petén. This city, of which 16 square kilometers have been excavated, forms part of National Park Tikal with an extension of 576 square kilometers, which is nestled inside the Maya Reserve Biosphere with an extension of 1.5 million hectares. The city boasts around 4,000 structures and is totally surrounded by a luxurious forest full of animals and contains Maya temples rising 70 meters, the highest discovered so far. The park was created in May 1955 and in 1979 UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site. By the end of the XIX century Alfred Maudsley and Teobert Maler had photographed some monuments but systematic exploration did not start until 1956. The first sign of inhabitation date from the year 900 BC and believed abandoned at the end of the IX century. Tikal is considered one of the largest Maya cities of the classic period and its location, almost at the center of the Maya world, placed it in a strategic position for commerce. Archeologists think that during its apogee 10,000 people inhabited Tikal. Here as well as in the archeological site of Uaxactún are found the first indications of the Maya pre classic period, such as the stepped pyramids with covered summits of cosmic creatures. In fact, the oldest known recorded date by the Maya is found on stela 29 and reads, 292 AC.