Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
which was under intense cultivation during Mayan times. You'll pass through it on your
way there. Nakum features the usual assortment of pyramids, plazas, and temples, though
there are some unique arches found here along with stelae dating from A.D. 771-849.
Noted archaeologist Alfred Tozzer passed though here in 1909-1910, working for the Pe-
abody Museum; he recorded his findings in a work titled,
A Preliminary Study of the Pre-
historic Ruins of Nakum, Guatemala.
This vast wilderness area encompasses the ruins of El Mirador, one of the earliest and
largest Mayan cities to emerge from Petén's jungles, as well as several other Preclassic
Mayan sites. It abuts Mexico's Calakmul Biosphere Reserve to the north, which protects
anotherimportantarchaeologicalsiteandalargetractofforestinitsvicinity.Theprotected
status along the southern border of Guatemala's northern neighbor, and the lack of road
access, have allowed this park to remain a largely untrammeled wilderness. Access is dif-
ficult and best attempted during the dry season, as seasonal flooding of swamps known as
bajos
turns forest paths into knee-deep mud for much of the year. The other major Mayan
site giving its name to this park is Río Azul, which lies deep in the jungle near the western
border with Belize.
Archaeologists and environmentalists are lobbying for the creation of the Mirador Basin
National Park and the Guatemalan government has shown interest in preserving this wil-
derness area harboring Mayan ruins of at least equal importance to that of Tikal.
El Mirador
Thismassivecity,rediscoveredin1926andphotographedfromtheairin1930,butonlyre-
cently the focus of ongoing excavations, holds great promise both as a tourism destination
rivaling the magnitude of Tikal and as an important piece in the puzzle concerning the ad-
vancements of Preclassic Maya society. El Mirador flourished between 200 B.C. and A.D.
150(about1,000yearsbeforeTikal),andhasrevealedagreaterlevelofsophisticationthan
once thought concerning early Mayan society. It is thought to have been home to 80,000
people at the height of its occupation. Its sheer size and the earliness of its development
have earned it accolades, such as the “Cradle of Mayan Civilization.”
Thesitesitsonaseriesoflimestone hillsatanaltitude ofjustover240meters(800feet)
and occupies about 16 square kilometers. El Mirador's dominating feature is the presence
of two large pyramid complexes, El Tigre and La Danta, running east to west and facing
each other. The architecture is characterized by triadic structures composed of one large
temple pyramid flanked on either side by two smaller pyramids, a pattern that is repeated
elsewhere in the Preclassic sites of the Mirador basin.
