Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Around Finca Ixobel
Sights
Naj Tunich
(
www.rutanajtunich.com
; admission Q25; 8am-6pm)
When they were discovered in 1979, these
caves created a stir in the archaeological world. Measuring 3km long, they're packed with
hieroglyphic texts and Maya murals depicting religious ceremonies, art education, ball
games and even sex scenes - though whether they're of a gay nature is a question that is
still being disputed by anthropologists.
In all, there are 94 images, completed during the Maya Classic period. Scribes and
artists traveled from as far away as Calakmul in Mexico to contribute to the murals.
The caves were closed in 1984, due to vandalism, reopened briefly, then closed per-
manently a decade later for conservation purposes. Fortunately, a superb replica has been
created in a nearby cave. Reproductions of the murals were painted by local artists under
the supervision of archaeological and cultural authorities.
Finca Ixobel (
Click here
)
runs tours to Naj Tunich, traveling by Land Rover to the
nearby community of La Compuerta, then continuing on foot to the cave. Proceeds from
the tour go to development projects in local communities.
CAVE
Museo Regional del Sureste de Petén
( 8am-5pm)
Displaying some of the most significant finds from southern Petén
sites, this museum is the main draw of Dolores (pop 22,203), a town 25km north of Pop-
tún along the CA13. The collection features pottery, arrowheads and stelae dating from
throughout the history of Classic Maya civilization.
MUSEUM
Ixcún
(admission Q30; 8am-5pm)
The second- largest stela in the Maya world can be viewed amid
a protected jungle zone at the remains of a late-Classic Maya kingdom, an hour's walk
north of Dolores. Depicting a ruler wearing a headdress of quetzal feathers, it stands at
one end of a large ceremonial center of three plazas, an unrestored temple and an acropol-
is.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
