29 MARCH 2019
Yaxha National Park is located in Northern Guatemala’s Peten Province within a large forest region often referred to as the Maya Forest, which extends into neighbouring Mexico and Belize. Embedded within the much larger Maya Biosphere Reserve, exceeding two million hectares and contiguous with additional conservation areas, Tikal National Park is one of the few World Heritage properties inscribed according to both natural and cultural criteria for its extraordinary biodiversity and archaeological importance. It comprises 57600 hectares of wetlands, savannah, tropical broadleaf and palm forests with thousands of architectural and artistic remains of the Mayan Civilization from Pre-classic period (600 BC) to the decline and eventual collapse of the urban centre around 900 AD. The diverse ecosystems and habitats harbor a wide spectrum of neo-tropical fauna and flora. Five types of Cats, including Jaguar and Puma, several species of monkeys and anteaters and more than 300 species of birds are among the notable wildlife. The forests comprise more than 200 tree species and over 2000 higher plants and have been recorded across the diverse habitats.
In the morning visit Yaxha, groups A, B and C, 216 Temple, the North Acropolis, the Group Mahler, stunning roads and the unrivaled view of Sacnab-Yaxha lagoons and jungle.
Yaxha was a Maya ceremonial center and city in the northeast of the Peten Basin region. The city was located on a ridge overlooking Lake Yaxha, approximately 30 km southeast of Tikal. Yaxha was the third largest city in the region and experienced its maximum power during the Early Classic period (250 to 600 CE) its power was later eclipsed by neighboring Naranjo. The relative lack of inscribed monuments found at Yaxha has made tracking its history difficult. Yaxha is situated on the north side of a lake of the same name, part of the East Peten Lakes Region, and is set upon a hill-ridge line that rises to a height of about 168 meters. There are over 500 structures, most of them small residential platforms, located within and outward from several compact plazas and architectural groups. These include the pyramids, two ball courts, and numerous altars and set around several plazas. Yaxha Lake with blue green water is a large picturesque site located within the Yaxha-Nakum-Naranjo National Park, a sub-tropical rain forest preserve. It is one of the few sites that retains its original Mayan name reflected in the glyphic inscriptions found at the site.
Later, transferred to Mundo Maya International Airport for flight from Flores to Guatemala city.
GUATEMALA CITY – NEW YORK 19:31 March
On the way back to Mumbai from New York, we stayed 2 days with my nephew who is married and settled in New York.
