Across the Border to Tikal Guatemala
It was too tempting to resist. Our place in San Ignacio sits less than 30 minutes from the border of Guatemala, and many companies offer day tours to the UNESCO world heritage site and former capital of the Mayan civilization: Tikal. With over 4,000 buildings in various stages of excavation, the abandoned city was once home to 150,000 people, and the sprawling complex covers over 500 square kilometers.
Our first driver dropped us off at the Guatemalan border, where we were met by our driver/guide for the rest of the day. Mariella, a native Guatemalan, started working in the tourism industry from a young age for a tourism business that her father started. She guided us through the seamless border-crossing process, which involved showing our passports and handing over the $20US exit fee for leaving Belize (seems like a strange way to generate revenue for your country…). After that, a couple of stamps were added to our passports and we were back on the road.
We enjoyed our small contingent of fellow American tourists for the day – a newlywed couple from Georgia and a single guy from Pennsylvania. The 2-hour drive from the border to the park entrance gave us ample time to begin getting acquainted and swap travel stories. That’s one of the great delights of traveling: meeting other travelers who have great highlights and tips to share from their global journeys.
When we arrived at Tikal, Mariella guided us to the main plaza where two temples towered above the festivities taking place on the ground. These were built by the 26th ruler of this city, one for his wife (Temple II) and the second (Temple I) for himself. He died before the completion of his own, so his son finished it and then had his own constructed (Temple IV) when he assumed the throne.
Apparently once Tikal was selected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, all excavation ceased, believing the ruins were better preserved in their natural habitat than when exposed to the deterioration of humans and rain. Thus a number of the buildings, including this Temple III, look more like a large pile of rubble obscured by trees and shrubs than like the magnificent structures that are revealed when such flora is removed.
Temple IV boasts a stunning view of miles and miles of Guatemalan countryside. Only a small portion at the top has been excavated (due to the aforementioned moratorium on all such work), but a wooden staircase at the back allows visitors to climb to the top and then ascend the final few original stairs to a platform overlooking this gorgeous view.
We spent several hours climbing and exploring various areas of ruins, trying to imagine what the homes and lives of these people were like over a thousand years ago. Similar to the ATM Caves, this city was abandoned around 900AD, most likely due to an extended drought in the area.
Once our exploration was complete, we drove back out of the park to a meal that was included as part of the tour. Several in the group ordered fajitas and a couple ordered the grilled chicken and mushrooms. All were served with mixed veggies and rice. It was decent, but nothing especially delicious. Nevertheless, we were grateful for the nourishment before our 2-hour return trip.
The sun behind us set the sky on fire as we traveled back to Belize. There was less talking as we neared the end of the journey, each of us lost in our own thoughts, grateful for the experience, for the added stamp in our passports, and for yet another glimpse into the mysterious ways of the ancient Maya.
