Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the parking lot, then another 1km to the visitor center, where you can walk or tube through
the
Venado Seco cave
. The small
ecolodge
(dm Q85)
here has bunk beds and shower facilities.
Another couple of caves can be visited nearby at the
Cuevas de Candelaria Camposanto
(Km
309.5; tubing or walking tours Q75; 8am-4pm)
. Guides can be organized at the roadside
tienda
(store) for the short walk to the caves. With a couple of days notice, they will put on a
Maya ceremony (Q35 per person) for visitors.
For more information about Muchilba' and Candelaria Camposanto, you can contact
Puerta al Mundo Maya (
Click here
)
in Chisec.
Any bus running between Chisec and Raxruhá can drop you at any of these three
places.
Cancuén
This large
Maya site
(admission Q75; 8am-4pm)
hit the papers when it was 'discovered' in
2000, even though it had already been 'discovered' back in 1907. Excavations are still un-
der way, but estimates say that Cancuén may rival Tikal for size.
It's thought that Cancuén was a trading center rather than a religious center, and the
usual temples and pyramids are absent. In their place is a grand palace boasting more than
150 rooms set around 11 courtyards. Carvings here are impressive, particularly the grand
palace, but also along the ball courts and the two altars that have been excavated to date.
Cancuén's importance seems to stem from its geographical/tactical position. Hiero-
glyphics attest to alliances with Calakmul (Mexico) and Tikal, and its relative proximity
to the southern Highlands would have given it access to pyrite and obsidian, prized miner-
als of the Maya.
Artisans certainly worked here - their bodies have been discovered dressed, unusually,
in royal finery. Several workshops have also been uncovered, one containing a 17kg piece
of jade.
Casual visitors will need about an hour to see the main, partially excavated, sections of
the site and another hour or two to see the rest.
You can camp here and eat in the
comedor
at Cancuén, but if you're planning on doing
either, contact the community tourism office Puerta al Mundo Maya (
Click here
)
in Chi-
sec a few days beforehand to let them know your plans.
Cobán tour companies make day trips to Cancuén. To get here independently, catch a
pickup (leaving hourly) from Raxruhá to La Unión (Q10, 40 minutes), from where you
