PARQUE ARQUEOLÓGICO QUIRIGUÁ

It is located 2 kilometers from the village of the same name, in the middle of banana plantations. Famous for its magnificent stone steles - each weighing between 50 and 70 tons - the highest in the Mayan world - the largest of which reaches almost 11 meters -, it constitutes an invaluable historical and artistic value. For this reason, Unesco included it in the Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 1981. In addition, Quiriguá is a vast archaeological and botanical park very well maintained. To fully enjoy the walk, small benches have been arranged in the shade of large trees. There are 19 steles, including zoomorphic ones, which were extracted from the Motagua River and carved with simple wooden mallets and stone chisels. Almost all of them date from the end of the 8th century.

"Fun fact: the entrance to the park is still blocked by the old railroad that connected the United Fruit plantations to Puerto Barrios, via the Atlantic line. From the entrance to the site, a path winds through the shade of imposing cheese trees, fir trees and cedars, and leads to the large square of Quiriguá, a vast expanse of grass surrounded by a thick tropical forest dotted with straw huts that protect the steles from the ravages of time. A small and very educational museum has opened its doors. There are many panels explaining the history of the Mayan civilization and, above all, the meaning of the motifs on the steles of the site. Ceramics are also exposed.