It all started with a little bit of rain, wonderful guides, falling off kayaks, and lots of “Cruce de Fauna” (meaning careful! animals can be crossing the street. But not just any animals…) signs…
Puma 
Dart Frog 
Koati (family fav) 
Tapir 
LOTS of snakes
When we landed in Flores and took the shuttle to the hotel, rented a kayak and rowed on the lake, we had a vague idea of what we would see in the Mayan cities of Yaxhá and Tikál. The next day, we took a shuttle to Yaxhá, and here is some information about it, and below information about Tikál, which we also visited.
Yaxhá (meaning ”Green Water”)
We arrived in this recently discovered Mayan site, excited to see what sights we would see today. The guide said we would in total cover the whole site (because it was small), which made us even more excited. We walked, and Elmer (the guide) found a marvellous place with a beautiful view of quite a few of the numerous pyramids for a snack. We then moved on to climb the North Acropolis where we caught a beautiful sunset 🌅 with a great view of the lake!
Some history…
After the sudden abandonment of present day El Mirador in 300 AD due to overuse of the earth, causing the earth to run down to the river which contained the water the Mayans depended on (the rivers became swamps and the water became undrinkable) the Mayans moved to the El Petén region, where present day Tikál and Yaxhá, and many more Mayan sites still lay.
Questions and answers (Qs and As)
Q: Why are the pyramids the Mayans built so high?
A: The Mayans wanted to be as close as possible to Heaven (the upper world, or Xibalba). Also, each Mayan king wanted to show that he was more superior than his predecessor, and to show that he destroyed the face of his father on the stela, and built another “layer”of pyramid over his father’s pyramid to pass the message, ” I am stronger than my father because I have built a higher pyramid than him.”
Q: What are the stelas?
A: After each important event (like a battle they’ve won against another city), the Mayans celebrated this and graved it into a stela. The stela usually represents the king in all his glory, with his most beautiful clothing, and his sceptre, symbol of royalty, in his bleeding hand, cut on purpose to show that he was brave because he didn’t cry, whine or wail aloud. The Mayans believed that the king was a descendant of the gods, so they wanted to give the gods blood of their descendants along with the offering to thank the gods for this victory (or any other positive events). The king was also often represented standing on the enemy that was to be sacrificed to the gods along with the offering.
Q: Why did the Mayans abandon El Péten region and when?
A: In 900 AD, a horrible drought arrived. The king, (considered a descendant of the gods by his people), was asked numerous times to ask the gods to make it rain again. Of course, as he was actually not a descendant of the gods, he failed. His people then realised that he wasn’t a descendant of the gods at all, because he failed to make rain appear, so they started to rebel against the king. It was the total chaos. They then left the region because of the drought and were never led by a king again.
Tikál (meaning ”At the Waterhole”)
We stayed at one of the hotels inside the National Park, and leaving, we knew approximately what to expect, but Tikál went far over our expectations. We climbed lots of pyramids, and had a beautiful view from the highest pyramid, Temple IV (212 feet or 64.5 meters).
Some history…
Historians discovered that the Mayans actually called Tikál “Yax Mutal”. Tikál was the most powerful Mayan city after the abandonment of El Mirador, especially when the wealthiest king decided to trade with other Mayan cities.
Questions and answers (Qs and As)
Q: How many steps did the Mayan pyramids have?
A: The Mayan pyramids’s number of steps were always a multiple of 13 (ex. 39) because in Mayan mythology the numbers 9 and 13 were very sacred numbers indeed! The number 9 is sacred because it is the number of steps of the underworld (Xibalba) for the Mayans. Number 13 is sacred for the Mayans because it is the number of steps of the upperworld, the house of many of the gods for the Mayans.
Q: What is the difference in between the Mayans, the Aztecs, and the Incas?
A: There are two differences:
Difference 1: The time. The Mayans came first in 2 600 BC, then came the Aztecs in 1428, and the Incas in 1438.
Difference 2: The territory. The Mayans were in Mexico and in Central America (and still make up the biggest part of the population in Guatemala), the Aztecs only in Mexico, and the Incas in Peru.
Stelas 
View on the Jaguar Temple 