Other Features

• Where

The majority of Maya sites are in El Petén region, in the country’s flat north. The other major grouping is in the southwest, roughly centered on Lago de Atitlán.

• When

The ideal months to visit archaeological sites are outside of the rainy season. In El Petén you want to avoid the heat, while in the highlands seriously cold nighttime temperatures can make travel uncomfortable. Roughly speaking, the better times to visit El Petén are from November to April, while the highlands are best from February to May.

• Opening Hours

Most sites are open from 8am to 4pm daily, but check times ahead of your visit. For the more popular sites, the best time to go is soon after opening time, thereby beating the tour bus crowds and the midday sun.

Maya achievement during this period rivaled anything that was going on in Europe at the time, boasting an advanced writing system, awe-inspiring engineering feats, advanced mathematics and astrology, and stone-working skills that remain impressive to this day.

Many legacies of the Maya have disappeared over time. Archaeological pieces have been carried off either by tomb raiders or foreign governments and much cultural heritage has been lost over the centuries due to government and church campaigns to assimilate the Maya into mainstream Hispanic culture. However, the current use of the revolutionary LIDAR ground survey technique (think radar, but with lasers) is currently revealing thousands of previously unknown Maya structures otherwise hidden by jungle or other vegetation, making today an exciting and radical time for Mayan archaeology.

Outside of Guatemala City’s fantastic selection of museums, the best way to get a feel for the amazing achievements of this unique culture is to visit archaeological sites.

Visiting a Maya ruin can be a powerful experience, a true step back in time. While some sites are little more than a pile of rubble or some grassy mounds, others (such as Tikal and Copán) have been extensively restored, and the temples, plazas and ballcourts give an excellent insight into what life must have been like in these places.

The most famous sites are generally thronged with visitors. Others are hidden away in thick jungle, reachable only by multiday treks or helicopter – for those with a sense of adventure, these can be the most exciting and rewarding to visit.

• Admission to sites costs between nothing (rare) and Q150 (also rare; generally reserved for top sites such as Tikal and Copán). Most sites charge around Q80.
• Protect yourself against the sun and, at jungle sites, mosquitoes.
• Sites such as Tikal and Copán have restaurants, bookstores, toilets and authorized guides.
• Little-visited sites may have no food or water available.
• Guided tours to many sites are usually available from nearby towns, although most (but not all) are accessible independently.
• Explanatory signs may be in Spanish only; Spanish and English; Spanish, English and the local Maya dialect; or completely nonexistent.
• Many sites are still used for traditional Maya religious ceremonies such as burning offerings to the deities. Look for signs indicating sacrificial areas and behave in a respectful manner around them.

• Mesoweb (www.mesoweb.com) A great, diverse resource on ancient Mesoamerican cultures, especially the Maya.
• The Maya by Michael D. Coe and Stephen Houston. Currently the best history and guide to ancient Maya civilization, including the latest scholarship.
• Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America: An Encyclopedia, by Susan Toby Evans and David L Webster. A bit big for a backpack, but this encyclopedia is an essential resource.
• Maya Art and Architecture, by Mary Ellen Miller. Gorgeously illustrated and paints the full picture, from gigantic temples to intricately painted ceramics.

Some sites have their own museums – the ones at Tikal and Copán are well worth the extra admission fee – but there are also important city and regional museums that hold many of the most valuable and impressive pre-Hispanic artifacts.

• Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología, Guatemala City. By far the most impressive collection of ancient Maya artifacts, with pieces from all the important ceremonial areas, including an impressive throne from the Piedras Negras site.
• Museo Popol Vuh Guatemala City. A wealth of smaller pieces, including figurines, wooden masks, textiles and a faithful copy of the Dresden Codex.
• Colección Dr Juan Antonio Valdés, Uaxactún. Housed in the Hotel El Chiclero, this private collection holds a remarkable wealth of Maya pottery from Uaxactún, Yaxhá, and as far away as Oaxaca, Mexico.

• Tikal – Guatemala's most famous – and spectacular – Maya ruins.
• Copán – Across the border in Honduras, one of the most outstanding achievements of the Maya.
• El Mirador – Late-Preclassic metropolis buried in the deepest jungle.
• Ceibal – Memorable river journey to low, ruined temples.
• Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa – Great stone heads carved with grotesque faces and fine relief scenes.