Tikal and Flores

Crossing into Guatemala just a few hours west of Nabitunich is Tikal, the largest of the ancient ruins of the Maya civilization (also a UNESCO World Heritage Site). Tikal is stunning, not just its size but its complexity. Situated in the middle of lowland rainforest we walked through the massive canopy of ceiba, mahogany and cedar, some as big around as five of us could reach. We spotted two species of monkeys and were told of the five species of cats and over 400 species of bird that inhabit the park. Then there was the site. Gigantic ruins dotted the landscape like the spots on a jaguar. Many of them poked through the forest canopy and climbing to the top one could see a dozen others on the horizon. On one of the highest ruins we had a race to the top. Those stairs are much steeper than they look! Tikal is an incredible place for an imagination to wander – what happened here, what did the forest look like, what did the people look like, what happened to the Maya, why did the civilization collapse? Most of these questions we try to answer throughout the semester, but being there it shows the vastness and intricacy of the Maya empire.



Leaving Tikal we headed to Flores, a town on an island on Lake Peten Itza. We jumped on a boat and headed for our accommodations, a beautiful spot owned by local friends of ours with incredible views of the lake. It was here in Flores that the students had their first real taste of colorful Guatemala, the people, cloths, food, and culture of this unique land. We had a discussion with Rolando about Guatemalan history and the 30-year civil war that left over 200,000 dead. That’s the “official” number – many consider it to be closer to 1,000,000. Many poeple, mostly indigenous, "disapperaed", thousands were slughtered, and children were siezed by the military for training. This is considered the 5th largest genocide (ethnocide) in history. We discussed the involvement the US has had in the politics of Guatemala –the CIA’s overthrow of the democratically elected government in ’54 and the politically-motivated economic imperialism played out by companies such as the United Fruit Company (all so we can have cheap bananas). It’s a messy world and our trip to Guatemala exemplifies the lack of shalom God so desires of us. The students will consider this as most of them will spend their holiday in Guatemala this week. The others came back to Belize to relax and dive out at the cayes.