Uaxactun Day Tour from Flores
Flores, Guatemala
Trip Type: Day Trips
Duration: 6 hours
Learn about the Mayan culture at Uaxactun, located at the heart of the Mayan world in north-central Guatemala. Tour the archaeological site with a knowledgeable guide and discover its famous observatory, where it is believed the Mayan calendar was developed. You’ll view several architectural complexes and discover how the Mayan system of writing was perfected. Box lunch plus round-trip transport from Flores and Santa Elena Peten hotels, or Mundo Maya International Airport, is included.
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Learn about the Mayan culture at Uaxactun, located at the heart of the Mayan world in north-central Guatemala. Tour the archaeological site with a knowledgeable guide and discover its famous observatory, where it is believed the Mayan calendar was developed. You’ll view several architectural complexes and discover how the Mayan system of writing was perfected. Box lunch plus round-trip transport from Flores and Santa Elena Peten hotels, or Mundo Maya International Airport, is included.
After pickup at the airport or your hotel, you’ll be driven to the archeological site for your guided tour of Uaxactun. Discover the significance behind the ruins of this ancient Mayan city, located in Guatemala’s southern lowlands, just 12 miles (20 km) north of Tikal.
Your guide will enlighten you about the site’s ongoing excavations, which were the first to establish Mayan ceramic styles from approximately 300 BC to the end of the Classic Period (around 900 AD). The artwork at Uaxactún is among the finest in the Mayan world, and a private collection of Mayan ceramics is housed in the onsite museum.
Visit a number of ceremonial buildings, including Temple of the Masks, where giant stucco masks decorate a pyramid with stairways on all four sides. Representing jaguars, turtles, eagles, parrots and other animals sacred to the ancient Maya, the sculptures depict individual rulers and guardians of the region. Admire the impressive stelae carved in the four sides of the stairway, where you’ll also find original red paint.
Also known as an important astronomical site, Uaxactun boasts an observatory in Complex E—built to mark the summer and winter solstices until the city was abandoned in the 10th century. You’ll have plenty of time to explore the ruins, including the ball court, before lunch on site. After your meal, return back to Santa Elena Peten or Flores, with drop-off at your hotel or the airport in the afternoon.
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