Guatemala Tours

Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. A representative democracy, its capital is Guatemala City. It has fascinating and extensive Mayan ruins. It's importance stretches back to 800BC with recently discovered pre-Colombian ruins that were unexpectedly large. El Mirador was by far the most populated city in pre-Columbian America. Both the El Tigre and Monos pyramids encompass a volume greater than 250,000 cubic meters. Mirador was the first politically organized state in America, with 26 cities all connected by Sacbeob (highways). These roads were several kilometers long, up to 40 meters wide, and two to four meters above the ground paved with stucco - clearly visible from the air. The height of the Maya civilization is represented by countless sites throughout Guatemala, although the largest concentration is in Petén. This period is characterized by heavy city-building, and the development of independent city-states. This lasted until around 900 AD, when the Classic Maya civilization collapsed.