Mayan Ruins

Before making the long bus rides across El Salvador and Honduras to reach Nicaragua, we visited two significant Mayan ruins. The first was Tikal which is located deep in the jungle in the north of Guatemala. Then on the way back to Guatemala City we took a quick detour across the Honduran border to visit Copan Ruins.

Although Tikal is definitely not the easiest destination to reach, it is worth the effort. Once one of the largest Mayan cities, sometime in the 10th century the city fell into decline. Surely it didn't take much time for the jungle to reclaim the stone structures. It was almost 1,000 years later that the western world would learn about it's existence. Now the city and wildlife inhabiting it can be explored with an extensive trail network of limestone roads that were used by archaeologists during excavation and restoration. The highlight of the ruins are the well restored temples rising above the tree canopy.

A day's travel to the south across the border of Honduras lies the ruins of another great ancient city. Although the temples are not as high as Tikal's, Copan has some of the best preserved stone carvings from the Mayan era. With lawns spreading between a highly concentrated layout of buildings it is hard not to try imagining what it would have been like to be in that space over a millennium ago.

To see photos of Tikal click the play button below for a slideshow which can be viewed in fullscreen. If the slideshow does not show up on your screen, click here for direct link to the photo album.

To see photos of Copan click the play button below for a slideshow which can be viewed in fullscreen. If the slideshow does not show up on your screen, click here for direct link to the photo album.