ROUTE OF THE MAYA
November 9 - 26, 2010
Page Twelve
Guatemala continued - Yaxha
Yaxha is about 20 miles from Tikal. It is believed to be the third largest Mayan site in Guatemala. It was a bustling trade and ceremonial hub. It is now within the largest protected area in Guatemala, the Maya Biosphere, that includes Tikal National Park and a series of smaller national parks and protected areas. More than 1500 years ago, Maya priest-kings built many pyramids just tall enough to poke above the jungle here to view the nearby lakes of Yaxha and Sacnab. They also had stone monuments carved and laid out streets of their city in a grid pattern.
The site has more than 500 structures, including 40 stelae, 13 Altars, 9 Temple Pyramids, 2 ballcourts, and a network of causeways that connect the central, northern, and eastern acropolis, and the Lake causeway that was the main entrance in the past. The TV reality show Survivor: Guatemala - The Mayan Empire was filmed on location here in 2005.
This is not Yaxha. It is on the road from Tikal to Yaxha.
One often sees horses and other farm animals as well as stray and owned dogs along
the roadsides in Central America. We saw stray dogs just about everywhere. They were not aggressive.
They usually left us alone. Occasionally, we would see one hanging out near an open air restaurant hoping
to get a tidbit from a customer.
Typical farm buildings
A step pyramid at Yaxha. Yaxha was occupied from around 600BC to 900AD. It is famed
for its organized street structure mentioned above, which is unique to the Mayan world. Yaxha is not as
well known as Tikal, so there were far fewer tourists here, making it a rather peaceful place to visit.
View of part of the Yaxha site through the trees
A beautiful step pyramid
Lois, from our tour group, in front of the step pyramid
Another group shot
Looking down after reaching a flat area near the top of a step pyramid we were climbing, Temple 116.
View from the top of Temple 116 of the lakes
Pat near the top of the pyramid
Relaxing after the steep climb up and enjoying the view
Back down at ground level
One of the stela in Yaxha. You can make out the form
of the ruler that this stela was dedicated to.
A residential area of ancient Yaxha
A representation of what the residential area would have looked like in ancient Yaxha. The reflection of one
member of our tour group can also be seen.
Another mound under which there are unexcavated ruins. Ceiba
tree in the middle.
Walking path in Yaxha
Heading toward the North Acropolis area of Yaxha
Link to Page 13 - Yaxha continued
Link to Page One of Route of the Maya
Pat's Home Page