Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1930s. In 1981 Unesco declared the ruins a World Heritage Site, one of only three in
Guatemala (the others are Tikal and Antigua).
Sights
The beautiful parklike
archaeological site
(admission Q80; 8am-4:30pm)
has a small
tienda
near
the entrance selling cold drinks and snacks, but you'll be better off bringing your own pic-
nic. A small
museum
just past the entrance has a few information displays and a model of
how the site (much of it unexcavated) would have looked in its heyday.
Despite the sticky heat and (sometimes) bothersome mosquitoes, Quiriguá is a wonder-
ful place. The giant stelae on the
Gran Plaza
(Great Plaza) are all much more worn than
those at Copán. To impede further deterioration, each has been covered by a thatched roof.
The roofs cast shadows that make it difficult to examine the carving closely and almost
impossible to get a good photograph, but somehow this does little to inhibit one's sense of
awe.
Seven of the stelae, designated A, C, D, E, F, H and J, were built during the reign of
Cauac Sky and carved with his image.
Stela E
is the largest Maya stela known, standing
some 8m above ground, with another 3m or so buried in the earth. It weighs almost
60,000kg. Note the exuberant, elaborate headdresses; the beards on some of the figures
(an oddity in Maya art and life); the staffs of office held in the kings' hands; and the
glyphs on the sides of the stela.
At the far end of the plaza is the
Acrópolis
, far less impressive than the one at Copán. At
its base are several
zoomorphs
, blocks of stone carved to resemble real and mythic
creatures. Frogs, tortoises, jaguars and serpents were favorite subjects. The low
zoomorphs can't compete with the towering stelae in impressiveness, but as works of art,
imagination and mythic significance, the zoomorphs are superb.
Getting There & Around
Buses running Guatemala City-Puerto Barrios, Guatemala City-Flores, Esquipu-
las-Flores or Chiquimula-Flores will drop you off or pick you up here. If you're heading
for the hotel, make sure you get dropped at the
pasarela de Quiriguá
(the pedestrian over-
pass). They'll also drop you at the turnoff to the archaeological site if you ask.
