La Ruta Maya in Guatemala

The Maya were, along with the Aztecs, one of Central America’s great civilisations. Today, their legacy across the Guatemala and the Yucatán Peninsula is a huge draw for travellers, as impressive structures are being recovered from the jungle and information about this highly advanced culture continues to be discovered.

The Mayans’ impressive achievements included a calendar system, knowledge of astronomy, the creation of agricultural terraces and intricate metalwork, including gold, silver and copper. Curiously, despite these skills, they never invented the wheel or used animals for transportation or load bearing, preferring instead to travel by canoe or simply to walk. Many of the largest Mayan sites appear to have been abandoned by around 150 AD; while the cause is unknown, archaeologists have speculated that their advanced agricultural systems and love of stucco plastering could have resulted in their demise. The deforestation and “paving” over of lowland swamps with clay altered water courses and degraded the soil to such an extent that crops failed and large cities were no longer viable.

Following the collapse of the larger cities, smaller kingdoms were established, particularly in the southern lowlands. This so-called “Classical Period” lasted for almost eight centuries. Tikal was the centre of one such kingdom, as were Copán and Calakmul in the Petén Basin. But once again, in the 9th century AD, the Maya abandoned their cities, possibly moving into the Yucatán Peninsula and up into the highlands. As before, no one knows the true reason for their departure, but environmental degradation, persistent drought and ongoing conflicts between these small kingdoms may have been to blame.

The Central American jungle all but swallowed the remains of these great kingdoms, but many have now been partially uncovered, and impressive details such as carved glyphs and mighty stelae remain virtually intact. Just as interestingly, Mayan people still make up the majority of Guatemala’s population, so visitors can learn about the links between past and present, understanding both the ancient and modern Mayan cultures all the better as they explore.

There are estimated to be up to around 4,000 Mayan sites in Mesoamerica, giving a sense of the vast scale of this civilisation, and the extended period of time that they dominated this region.

One of the most powerful Mayan kingdoms, Tikal was founded in the 4th century BCE, with most of its most iconic structures being built during the Classic Period from around 200-900 AD, after which the city’s inhabitants mysteriously disappeared. Tikal is one of the largest – and consequently most popular – Mayan sites, with some 3,000 structures in an area of around 16km². These once housed a huge population; some estimates suggest up to 90,000 people. Some of the best examples of Mayan architecture can be found here, with temple remains towering up to 70m above the surrounding rainforest, vast palaces and stelae displaying examples of complex Mayan glyphs, most of which have been deciphered by archaeologists, offering a unique glimpse into this ancient world.

While much less famous than many other sites along the Ruta Maya, Yaxha was the third largest city with over 40,000 inhabitants. Although it has been suggested that this region was inhabited for some 1,600 years, Yaxha was at the height of its power from 250-600 AD, during the Early Classic period. Yaxha means “blue-green water”, and references its position beside Lake Yaxha, in the Yaxhá-Nakum-Naranjo National Park. There are around 500 structures here, including the remains of a royal palace, an acropolis, an astronomical complex and nine pyramids; these are all connected by paved walkways.