El Ceibal ~ Maya Archeological Site

El Ceibal lies on a hill overlooking the Río de la Pasión in Guatemala. The Mayan city was once an important Mayan trading center dating to pre-Classic times. Inscriptions found at the site indicate that El Ceibal flourished and reached its peak during the end of the 9th Century, while other Mayan sites such as Tikal and Copán were already well into their decline.

Much of the city remains unreconstructed, however there's a fine plaza and a number of interesting stelae, an astronomy platform and many noisy howler monkeys.

The intricately carved stelae, depicting priests, ball players and others, are well preserved and are among the finest and best preserved sculptures of the late Classic Period. Because of the hardness of the local stone, which has withstood centuries of rain, root penetration, and falling trees, it’s often called the "Mayan Art Gallery".

One of its most important structures is a round stone, which is considered very rare in the Mesoamerican area. Another important feature is a stairway decorated with many glyphs and numerous stelae. Structures are relatively low and do not use the corbel arch typical of Mayan structures elsewhere. The last inscribed date at the site is the equivalent of 889 AD.

Along the deeply, shaded pathways are where a number of the stelae are located, their intricate carvings still in excellent condition.

The journey to Ceibal is a trip highlight.
The boat ride is a one half journey upstream on the Rio de la Pasión. Along the way you will pass a number of small indigenous farms and schools, as well as tropical jungle landscape. Crocodile spotting's are common as well as families of turtles basking on fallen tree trunks, You can also expect to see a variety of aquatic birds.

After landing at the primitive dock, its a fairly strenuous 30 minute climb up a narrow rocky path beneath very large ceiba trees and typical jungle foliage to reach the archeological zone.

From Flores, its 1.5 hours by road to the river town of Sayaxche, then board a boat for a trip up the Río de la Pasión for the rest of the journey. Though Ceibal can be reached via a dirt road, that floods during the rainy season, its is best accessed by boat on the Rio de la Pasión, followed by a half hour ascent through the jungle. It takes about 2 hours to explore the site. Easiest way to visit Yaxhá is to arrange a tour from Flores.

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