Zaculeu

Mike's aunt and cousin came to visit us for about ten days, as did another couple. Zaculeu was one of the places we tried to visit when the four of them were with us. Unfortunately after the big travel day of Semana Santa (Easter Week) there were no buses out of town. Everyone was busy celebrating. Our adventure to the ruins of Zaculeu had to wait until life and transportation schedules were back to normal. Sadly, this was after Auntie Ruthie and Cousin Noreen had left for Utah. Ivan and Rachel, however, accompanied us for a toasty tour of some amazing post-classic stone and cement creations. After a couple hours and several bus trips, we arrived in the Zaculeu national park in the department Huehuetenango. From the road you can see many of the structures. It was not quite the set up I was expecting. After paying the entrance fee (Q5 for Guatemalans, Q25 for foreigners) we were free to roam as we pleased. There were no lines, no restrictions, no supervision (besides the ranger who took our money). Being accustomed to a "see with your eyes, not with your hands" approach to national history, it was fun to be able to explore and make discoveries on our own. Unfortunately, the lack of regulations for park visitors has led to some defacing of parts of the ruins. With a few breaks to rest in the shade of nearby trees to prevent our flesh from melting off our bones, we climbed around the pyramids and grand buildings. We were amazed that such large structures could be built back in the 7th and 8th centuries. There weren't many other visitors when we were there, so it was easy to take the pictures we wanted. See the pictures here!