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The Tikal ruins

 
 

Our expert Guatemala

The Tikal ruins

The Tikal ruins The ancient temples of Tikal Tikal is an archaeological site home to numerous temples. © Wilfried Louvet

Guatemala's undisputed treasure is the Tikal ruins, the biggest city of the Mayan civilisation in Central America. It was estimated that around 10,000 inhabitants used to live there and the city was mysteriously abandoned in the 9th century. Imagine an area of 109 sq mi in the heart of the jungle with temples, palaces and houses. It was a city nestled in extraordinary vegetation where mantled howler monkeys and tropical birds congregate; there are just over 10,000 sculptures. So far, only 15% of them have been fully restored by archaeologists. They are one of the most extraordinary sites in Central America, marked on the Unesco natural and cultural world heritage list.

Monuments

Other reasons to go

  1.   Landscapes

  2.   Coasts

  3.   Towns

  4.   The fauna and flora

  5.   Arts and culture