“Río Dulce…… A piece of heaven in Guatemala”
Rio Dulce is Guatemala’s biggest exit of water towards the Caribbean; it is located between Lake Izabal and the Caribbean Sea. It has an extension of approx. 50 km (31 miles) and in some parts more than 2 km (1.2 miles) of width. Currently is a National Park that serves as a sanctuary for an incredible amount of different species of birds, mammals, fishes, and amphibians. Ecologically speaking it is one of the biggest and most important protected zones in Guatemala. continue story
Tomb of Royal Mayan....
This marks the second royal tomb discovered at Waká. Two years ago, Dr. Freidel and his SMU students discovered a queen's tomb that was more than 1,200 years old and dated to the late classic period of Mayan civilization.
The new tomb was discovered in a different pyramid and dates to the early classic period between the second and fourth centuries A.D., according to SMU officials.
The Archeologist explained that the tomb contains Jade offerings, shells, alabasters ceramic jars, Royal symbols, and claws from a jaguar skin from about 1500 years.
The funerary space is located inside of a pyramid of 18 meters high, in the center of this archeological site. The chamber where the tomb is, measures 5.1 meters long and 1.5 meters width.
"We are trying to identify the remains, which appear to be in good condition despite the collapse of the tomb's roof," said Dr. Freidel in an e-mail exchange with the university. "This may be the resting place of either the dynasty founder, a man we do not have a history for, or K'inich B'alam the First, the Maya king who allied with Siyaj K'ak', conqueror of Tikal in A.D. 378."
Known as Waká in Mayan inscriptions but called El Perú today, the site was possibly a city of tens of thousands that sat on a crucial river route west of the famous Mayan site of Tikal. Over the course of 700 years, 22 kings ruled at Waká.
Guatemala Package
Mayan Treasures Package (10 days / 9 nights)
Guatemala is the most colourful country in Central America and in all the Americas. It offers superb, jungle encrusted Maya pyramid complexes, gorgeous smoking volcanic landscapes, wildlife crammed rainforests, magnificent colonial towns, colourful ethnic people with curious customs.
Destinations: Tikal, Antigua, Lake Atitlan, Copan, Rio Dulce, Quirigua, Livingston & Chichicastenango . Book this package!
Satellites Uncover Mayan Secrets
Mayan ruins, hidden beneath soil and dense forest, have been located in Guatemala using satellite technology, revealing more secrets of this ancient indigenous culture.
Guatemalan experts, alongside academics and scientists from the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), have found ruins in the San Bartolo region in the northern department of Petén, using images taken from outer space.
The team found that there is a relation between the colour and the reflection of the vegetation as it is seen in the images – through instruments that measure light in general but also cover the infrared spectrum -- and the location of known archaeological sites.
The images that show potential ruins are scrutinised, then a trip is made to the site, where probes are dug to obtain the chronology of the ruins, Urquizú explained.
The San Bartolo project involves the Guatemalan Department of Pre-Hispanic Monument's institute of anthropology and history, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Centre, and the U.S. universities of New Hampshire, Harvard and Yale.
The program encompasses in-depth research of the area's ruins, including architectural structures and murals, to better understand the Mayan culture, which lasted some 3,400 years (until the 9th century), across the region that is now southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and the western parts of Honduras and El Salvador.
One of the most important discoveries of Maya art was in San Bartolo: a series of murals, the oldest known so far, which Saturn found in a royal tomb in 2001 and made public last December.
That discovery forced the rethinking of other studies that attributed the first Maya paintings and hieroglyphs to the later classic period, between 550 and 900 AC.
The murals "show us that there was already a well-organized and consolidated society that was interested in painting the origins of the world," said Salvador López, director of the Ministry of Culture's department of Maya monuments.
The principal mural, measuring nine meters by 90 cm, depicts the birth, death and resurrection of the god of maize, portrayed four times with different animals, offering a blood sacrifice.
Continued: Río Dulce…
Rio Dulce is a wonderful zone of tropical forest! When explorer and founder of Copan John Stephens passed there at the beginning of the 16th. Century, he was impressed by its beauty and imposing appearance. It is believed that in the top of its cliffs lays the last Mayan city of the area; the mysterious city of “Nito”. Going out of the principal course of the “Rio Dulce” there some small lagoons are surrounded by mangroves trees and where you can appreciate crocodiles, monkeys, and an innumerable variety of birds, turtles, and the famous “Sabalos” (big fishes of 2mts that jump 1 meter out of the water!) and if you are lucky manatees. There is a small biological station where the foresters will take you for some interpretive footpaths of the protected area, in which the visitors will be able to appreciate the importance of the ecological area. It is an area where the annual fluvial precipitation can reach the 6mts or more. The trajectory ends when you come to the mouth of the sea in the coastal city of Livingston, which the happy and nice settlers of African descendant will give you an unexpected and different image of the country, since this rich culture contributes with elements that are very different from those of other zones of the country, like the music, the kitchen, the dances, the language, etc.
Also worth a visit is the old Fort of San Felipe that was built by the Spanish to protect the rich area from Dutch and English pirates of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.
If you are looking for a zone of contrasts, of natural mysterious beauty and history, in “Rio Dulce” you will find it all !!!
Tourist Card in Guatemala
AsisturCard is the new tourist service that provides immediate information, assistance and insurance to local and foreign tourist. AsisturCard will be at the disposal of local and foreign tourists, offering information, assistance and insurance to visitors.
An added value In the last few years, the tourist flow to Guatemala has increased 46%. In the same manner, the foreign presence of our country was strengthened around the globe. This is why the Guatemalan government, by means of INGUAT and Asistur, and in alliance with Seguros G&T, Rescate 911, and Club de Asistencia Centroamericana, presented the service of AsisturCard, an information, assistance and insurance card that guarantees quality and availability of tourist services.
“This program places us as pioneers in Central America, since none of the other countries have a system for tourists such as this one. With this, we wish to once again let tourists know that tourism is a priority for Guatemala”, stated Director of INGUAT, Daniel Mooney.
National Coverage
ASISTUR CARD offers its customers tourist, health, legal, police, and mechanical assistance, as well as hospital support, electronic services, and tourist information. Depending on the needs or the length of stay of the tourist, this card may be:
§ For one day, for the amount of US$1.00
§ For 15 days, for the amount of US$10.00
§ For 30 days, for the amount of US$15.00
§ For 365 days, for the amount of US$50.00
AsisturCard is a proactive information and assistance service that offers all year-round telephone service in different languages such as: English, French, Spanish, German, Quekchí, Quiché, and Cakchiquel.
