Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Any bus heading from Retalhuleu toward Quetzaltenango will drop you at Xocomil,
Xetulul or the Hostales.
Vuelo Extremo
Continuing towards Quetzaltenango from Retalhuleu, right by the roadside, you'll find
this
zip line park
( 5908-8193;
www.vueloextremo.com
; Carretera a Retalhuleu, Km 198; 3/4/11 cables Q75/100/
150; 6am-6pm)
. If you're into the whole zip line/canopy tour thing, this is one of the
better-value ones in the country. It starts and ends with a terrifying 300m-long, 29m-high
zip across the valley over the highway and then follows a circuit zigzagging down the hill
on the other side. For the fainter of heart there are some nice walking trails (Q25), cross-
ing swinging bridges and passing by small waterfalls.
Parque Arqueológico Takalik Abaj
About 25km northwest of Retalhuleu is the
Parque Arqueológico Takalik Abaj
(admission Q50;
7am-5pm)
, a fascinating archaeological site set on land now occupied by coffee, rubber and
sugarcane plantations. Takalik Abaj was an important trading center in the late Preclassic
era, before AD 250, and forms a historical link between Mesoamerica's first civilization,
the Olmecs, and the Maya. The Olmecs flourished from about 1200 to 600 BC on Mex-
ico's southern Gulf coast, but their influence extended far and wide, and numerous
Olmec-style sculptures have been found at Takalik Abaj.
The entire 6.5-sq-km site spreads over nine natural terraces, which were adapted by its
ancient inhabitants. Archaeological work is continuing outside the kernel of the site,
which is the Grupo Central on terrace No 2, where the most important ceremonial and
civic buildings were located. Classic-era baths and multicolored floors were discovered
here in late 2005. The largest and tallest building is Estructura 5, a pyramid 16m high and
115m square on terrace No 3, above No 2. This may have formed one side of a ball court.
Estructura 7, east of Estructura 5, is thought to have been an observatory. What's most im-
pressive as you move around the park-like grounds, with temple mounds, ball courts and
flights of steps paved with rounded river stones, is the quantity of stone sculpture dotted
about, including numerous representations of animals and aquatic creatures (some in a
curious pot-bellied style known as
barrigón
), miniature versions of the characteristic Ol-
mec colossal heads, and early Maya-style monuments depicting finely adorned personages
carrying out religious ceremonies.
