An Archaeological Study Tour
Guatemala with Copán
March
3 - 17, 2012
Led
by Professor
William Saturno, Boston University
Guatemala is a land of quetzal birds and jaguars, of volcanoes
and waterfalls, and of still trackless rain forests. Most
of all, Guatemala is a land of history. It was the homeland
of the ancient Maya civilization, whose roots lead back
to sites as early as 2000 BCE, and whose climax during
the Classic period (250-900 CE) brought forth such fabled
sites as Copán, Quiriguá and Tikal. Towering
temple-pyramids of classic Maya sites reach dizzyingly
skyward above the carved stone stelae that proclaim the
glories of kings — whose names echo again through
the halls of history now that the ancient script of the
Maya has been deciphered.
In the 16th century, Spanish Conquistadors crushed Maya
civilization and imposed their own art and symbols. The
horrors of the Inquisition and the exploitation of the
past have dimmed, and we are left with reminders that
there was also beauty in the Spanish Colonial art and
architecture. The serene streets of Antigua, first Spanish
capital of Guatemala, and the colonial churches of Guatemala
City are glimpses of this era.
Although ancient Maya civilization perished, Maya culture
persists in the quiet villages of the Guatemalan mountains,
where old customs and costumes still prevail. In the traditional
villages that nestle at the feet of the volcanoes ringing
Lake Atitlán, and in the bustling market at Chichicastenango,
Maya is still the predominant language and life goes on
in ways that have remained unchanged for centuries.
** DESIGNATED UNESCO WORLD
HERITAGE SITES
Saturday, March 3: GUATEMALA CITY: Depart home
city arriving in Guatemala City in the
evening. Transfer to Camino Real Hotel.
Sunday, March 4: GUATEMALA CITY: After an orientation
lecture, we will visit the Museo Nacional de Arqueología
y Etnología, with its immense collection
of Maya treasures. We continue to Kaminaljuyú,
one of the oldest Pre-Classic ceremonial centers in Guatemala.
Excavations here have uncovered beautiful artifacts, which
we will see in the Miraflores Museum.
This evening we will meet for our opening dinner with
Professor Saturno.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Monday, March 5: RÍO HONDO: Touring begins
at the Popul Vuh Museum, named for the
mythical history of the Quiché Maya. This museum
houses extraordinary examples of Maya art and ceramics,
as well as fine religious art dating from the 16th to
18th centuries. We then visit the Museo Ixchel,
renowned for its superb collection of Maya textiles. We
then drive northeast from Guatemala City through a tropical
countryside lush with banana plantations to Río
Hondo to overnight at the Longarone Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Tuesday, March 6: COPÁN: The morning begins
at the Classic Maya site of **Quiriguá,
situated on the banks of the Motagua River. It is noted
for its sculptured monuments, including the tallest known
Maya stelae, and large zoomorphic altars depicting surreal
creatures of the underworld. Crossing the border into
Honduras, we visit **Copán,
one of the greatest Maya cities of the Classic period.
Copán is particularly exciting because ongoing
archaeological research brings new discoveries to light
each year. Touring includes the Great Plaza
and Hieroglyphic Stairway, silhouetted
against the verdant jungle, as well as the Archaeological
Museum. The lovely garden of the Hotel
Marina provides an opportunity to relax at the
end of the day and spot some of the region’s exotic
birds.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Wednesday, March 7: COPÁN: We continue our
touring at the Copán Acropolis
and the Sepulturas section of elite residences.
Preparations have been made for tourists to visit the
tunnels, where excavations have revealed deeply buried
and beautifully preserved architecture from the early
periods.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Thursday, March 8: ANTIGUA: We recross the border
into Guatemala and drive to **Antigua,
resplendent in its 17th- and 18th-century architecture.
Our two nights in this lovely town will be spent at the
charming Hotel Casa Santo Domingo, set
amid the ruins of a 17th-century monastery
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Friday, March 9: ANTIGUA: Today’s touring
takes us to the colonial sites of Antigua, including visits
to the church and monastery of San Francisco,
the Plaza de Las Armas and the church
of La Merced. We will also visit
the small museum housed in our hotel.
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Saturday, March 10: PANAJACHEL: This
morning we drive to Lake Atitlán.
The afternoon will be at leisure to take a boat trip on
the lake or explore the hotel's famous gardens, which
include more than 50 varieties of hibiscus, a rose garden,
English style knot gardens, a tropical heliconia garden,
a wedding garden, a coffee garden and a variety of orchids.
Hotel Atitlán.
Meals:
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Sunday, March 11: GUATEMALA CITY: A beautiful drive
through the mountain and native villages brings us to
Chichicastenango. Indians from the surrounding
villages come to Chichicastenango’s colorful Sunday
market to trade their produce and handicrafts. We will
also witness a strange combination of Maya and Catholic
rites as the local Indians burn incense and present offerings
to their Maya gods outside the church, and then perform
Catholic rituals inside. After free time to explore this
very colorful market, we return to Guatemala City and
the Camino Real Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Monday,
Tuesday, March 12 & 13: TIKAL/FLORES: This morning
an early flight brings us to Flores.
The remainder of the day will be spent exploring the magnificent
ancient city of **Tikal.
One of the largest Maya cities, Tikal has been under excavation
and reconstruction since 1950. Still only a small portion
of the city, which may have covered 40 square miles, has
been explored. Our two-day visit will include steep pyramids,
palaces, ball courts, huge plazas, temples, shrines and
paved causeways. The finds from these vast excavations
are housed in two museums we will visit. There will also
be time to explore the site on our own. Our hotel for
the next four nights is the lovely Camino Real
Tikal.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Wednesday, March 14: TIKAL/FLORES: Our touring
today will take us on an unpaved road into the dense jungle
to Uaxactún. This Pre-Classic
city, dating to 600 BCE, struggled with Tikal for political
and military supremacy until, aided by Teotihuacán,
it was finally conquered by Tikal in 378 CE.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Thursday, March 15: TIKAL/FLORES: Today we drive
to the Río de la Pasión for
a beautiful boat trip through the jungle to the site of
Seibal, which is perched on a high bluff
overlooking the river. We make our way through the vegetation
to the site, where we will see a rare circular temple
as well as several restored temples and intricately carved
stelae. We will retrace our journey back to the Camino
Real Tikal in time for our farewell dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Friday,
March 16: GUATEMALA CITY: After a final visit to Tikal,
we board an afternoon flight back to Guatemala City. Camino
Real Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Saturday, March 17: Transfer to the airport for
our flights to the United States.
Meals: Breakfast
