Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Within the larger national park is the Biotopo Laguna del Tigre Río-Escondido, which
has two biological stations open to researchers. It has been badly fragmented by seasonal
forest fires and the encroachment of communities illegally settled inside park boundaries.
Sights
UnlikeotherpartsofPetén,LagunadelTigrehasnotbeenwidelyexploredforthepresence
of archaeological sites or in terms of its biological diversity. Among the few archaeolo-
gical discoveries is the site of Waka'-Perú, now being excavated by archaeologists from
Southern Methodist University under the direction of David Freidel and Héctor Escobedo.
Waka'-Perú has yielded some amazing finds, including the 2004 discovery of the royal
burial tomb of a queen dating to about A.D. 620. The find is especially significant because
there are only a handful of known tombs pertaining to women in the entire Mayan World.
The location of yet another royal tomb was announced in May 2006.
Waka'-Perú is thought to have been an important commercial and political center be-
cause of its location on a tributary of the Río San Pedro, giving it direct access to the sites
of Central Petén, the Southern Highlands, and Mexico. It flourished between A.D. 400 and
800, apparently coming under the dominion of Calakmul in its protracted power struggle
with Tikal. It was later invaded by a resurgent Tikal in A.D. 743. There are several well-
preserved stelae here, including Stela 16, which tells of the visit of a Tikal-bound Teoti-
huacán warrior in A.D. 378.
See LOST AND FOUND: THE MYSTERY OF SITE Q
Nearby, the rediscovery of La Corona has solved the decades-old mystery of the loca-
tion of a long-sought Mayan city. The limited amount of exploration in this part of Petén
inevitably leads you to wonder what else may be lying undiscovered in this vast park of
wetlands and jungle.
The park enjoys on-site protection by armed guards that are part of a joint task force in-
volving the Civilian National Police (PNC) and SEPRONA, a specially trained unit of the
military created to guard and protect nature preserves. You will see the guards at the site's
ranger station, about a 25-minute walk from the riverbank. You are welcome to camp here.
Las Guacamayas Biological Research Station
Las Guacamayas Biological Research Station (tel. 7926-1370, www.propeten.org ) is
owned by ProPetén and welcomes visitors. The biological station sits amid verdant jungle
ontheshoresoftheRíoSanPedro,a20-minuteboatridefromthevillageofPasoCaballos.
It is one of the best places in Petén to combine wildlife-viewing and rainforest trekking
while staying in relative comfort, offering easy access to the ruins of Waka'-Perú and the
surrounding forests. The current facility is the second incarnation of the biological station;
the first was burned to the ground by angry villagers from Paso Caballos in the 1990s.
 
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