Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Mexico, as well as from the activities of drug smugglers occupying large extensions of the
park to move their product.
Guatemalanauthoritieshavesteppeduptheireffortstoregaincontrolofthisvastwilder-
ness area and it should be noted that not all of the above-mentioned forces are in operation
throughout the park. There are many areas within this vast biosphere reserve that are eas-
ily and safely explored, combining the splendors of some of the Mayan civilization's most
spectacular ruins with the wonders of a largely intact tropical forest all around. In some
cases, these are not so easily accessible, but the rewards for those putting forth the effort to
reach some of Guatemala's least-visited attractions are well worth it.
Among the highlights of the reserve are the
Mirador-Rio Azul National Park,
which
is home to the largest manufactured pre-Columbian structures in the Americas, found at
El
Mirador,
and at least 25 other smaller Mayan sites. Some, such as Wakná, have been dis-
covered only as recently as 1998 and many more undoubtedly await discovery. At the site
of
San Bartolo,
archaeologists uncovered the earliest evidence of Mayan writing in a wall
mural discovered in 2001. The area is also home to the last remaining undisturbed tropical
forests in Guatemala and is being considered for special protection as the
Mirador Basin
National Park.
Much of the western part of the reserve, particularly
Laguna del Tigre National Park,
has unfortunately been lost due to population pressures. Still, the area around the Mayan
site of
Waka'
(also known as El Perú or Waka'-Perú), remains well preserved and is the
home of a biological research station and a project to help conserve Petén's last remaining
populations of scarlet macaws.
In 2006, The Nature Conservancy helped local conservation organization Defensores de
laNaturalezasecurethepurchaseof31,000hectares(77,000acres)ofprivatelyheldlandto
help ensure the preservation of
Sierra del Lacandón National Park,
an area of incredible
biological diversity due to the ruggedness of the terrain, which includes mountains, fresh-
water lakes, savannas, and rainforests running along the magnificent Usumacinta River.
Squatters were evicted from the park soon after (not without much difficulty), and how
this area will be managed and opened to low-impact tourism is yet unknown. Nestled in
the jungles of Sierra del Lacandón are at least two sites worthy of mention and explora-
tion—Piedras Negras and, across the Usumacinta and upstream in Mexico, Yaxchilán.
