Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
power over a large area through politics and economic clout, rather than warfare, at a time
when most Mayan city-states had begun their decline.
The peaceful prosperity would be short-lived, however, as recent finds reveal a wide-
scalemassacreofatleast31noblesandseveralothersatthehandsofinvadingarmiesfrom
Machaquilá and Ceibal sometime around A.D. 800. This marked the beginning of the end
for Cancuén, and the city was abandoned shortly thereafter.
Excavations and restoration work at the site are ongoing, and it is certainly thrilling to
walk around the site and see the work in progress. The jungle around the site is thick with
vegetation and mosquitoes are there in droves. Bring plenty of bug spray and wear long
pants. There is a recently opened visitors center with informative displays and a camp-
ground, as well as restrooms and showers.
Accommodations and Food
YoucancampatLaUniónfor$3.50.Mealsareavailablefromlocalfamilieswithpriorno-
tice ($3.50-5.50). At the Cancuén visitors center, camping and tent rental for two costs $7,
oryoucancampinyourowntentfor$3.Mealsarealsoavailable ($3-5).Bookinadvance.
Getting There
Pickups leave about every hour from Raxrujá to the village of La Unién, 16 kilometers to
the north, where there is a visitors center. From there, boatmen take you on the 30-minute
boat ride up the Río La Pasión ($40 for 1-12 people) to the site. You can also book a tour
via one of the Cobán travel outfitters.
CANDELARIA CAVES NATIONAL PARK
From Sebol, the dirt road branches west to Raxrujá, from where a paved road continues
west to San Antonio Las Cuevas. The road from Petén also connects to San Antonio Las
Cuevasfromthe“CrucedelPato”Junction.Themainattractionalongthiscorridorisavis-
ittothefantasticCandelariacaves,recentlyawardednationalparkstatus.Thecavesystem,
discovered in 1974 by Frenchman Daniel Dreux, is composed of seven separate caves in-
terconnected bytheRíoCandelaria andspanningabout22kilometers. Thecavesare20-30
meters wide in places with ceilings typically 10-60 meters high.
Caves were sacred to the Mayans and it is thought that nearby cities such as Cancuén
lackedthesubstantialtemplepyramidsfoundelsewhereintheMayanworldbecauseofthe
proximityoftheCandelariacaves,whichwereusedasacenterforworship.InMayanlore,
caves are thought to be entrances to the underworld, known as Xibalba. The Candelaria
caves areonepossible location forthemythical Xibalba; theChiquibul caves runningeast-
west from the northern Petén department into Belize are another.
