Lake Petexbatun, Ceibal and Aguateca Travel Guide
Travel to Lake Petexbatun, Ceibal and Aguateca - Important Mayan archaeological sites near a beautiful highland lake
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Located 60km south of Flores, Petexbatun is a small lake formed by the river of the same name that splits from La Pasion river in Sayaxche. This impressive lake is fringed with dense forest and contains plentiful supplies of snook, bass, alligator and freshwater turtle. Its shores are full of wildlife and a huge number of Maya remains, three of which are Aguateca, Dos Pilas and Ceibal.
The group of cities located around the Petexbatun lake area, during the Classic period of the Maya Civilization, were called the Petexbatun State and they included Ceibal, Itzán, Dos Pilas, Aguateca, Cancuen, Tamarindito, Punta de Chimino, Nacimiento, amongst others.
This state was the first to be abandoned in the Late Classic, during the collapse of the Classic Maya civilization and archaeological findings here have given a lot of information about why this collapse took place.
Attractions in Lake Petexbatun, Ceibal and Aguateca
The site of Aguateca, perched at the southern tip of the lake is the most accessible of the three sites. It has a superb view of the lake and is dotted with temples, plazas and well-preserved stelae.
Dos Pilas is an unrestored site, a little further into the jungle, west of the lake. Its central plaza has some tremendous stelae, altars and four hieroglyphic stairways decorated with glyphs and figures.
Ceibal lies on a hill overlooking the La Pasion river. The site is renowned for the ceramics found there which depict painted figures of men and women and are of very high quality.
Activities in Lake Petexbatun, Ceibal and Aguateca
Take a whole day to visit all three sites and enjoy the spectacular setting of the lake.
Relaxing
Take a break at the beautiful Petexbatun lagoon and see if you can spot any of the lake’s wildlife.
Getting Around
A 45-minute speedboat trip will take you from Sayaxche to the northern tip of Petexbatun lake. From here a walk through the jungle will take you to the sites.
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