{"id":852,"date":"2023-01-06T19:23:05","date_gmt":"2023-01-07T01:23:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.antonioboschgutierrez.com\/?p=852"},"modified":"2023-02-13T00:10:17","modified_gmt":"2023-02-13T06:10:17","slug":"why-visit-the-archaeological-park-of-quirigua","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antonioboschgutierrez.com\/en\/centroamerica\/why-visit-the-archaeological-park-of-quirigua\/","title":{"rendered":"Why visit the archaeological park of Quirigu\u00e1"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Quirigu\u00e1 Ruins are an archaeological site<\/strong> belonging to the ancient Mayan civilization. They are located in the municipality of Amates, in Izabal, northeastern Guatemala. This location was one of the greatest testimonies of the Mayan culture and is currently considered a World Heritage Site.<\/p>\n

To learn more about this wonderful place, we will tell you a little about its history and curious facts that might interest and amaze you.<\/p>\n

History of the Ruins of Quirigu\u00e1, Izabal<\/h2>\n

The site was occupied since 200 A.D. and it is believed that the Mayas came from the great city of Tikal. The construction of the Acropolis began around 550 AD.<\/p>\n

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You may also be interested in:\u00a0Lake Atitl\u00e1n and its charming surrodings<\/a><\/p>\n

Quirigu\u00e1 was subordinate to the city of Cop\u00e1n and they had conflicts over the dominance of trade routes on the Motagua River.<\/p>\n

In 738 the king of Quirigu\u00e1, K’ak’ Tiliw Chan Yopaat captured the king of Cop\u00e1n, Uaxaclajuun Ub’aah K’awiil and sacrificed him in a public ritual. With this, he secured the independence of Quirigu\u00e1 and control of the trade routes. It was proclaimed as the new capital of the southeastern Maya region.<\/p>\n

Quirigu\u00e1 continued to develop until the beginning of the IX century. During this time, the city demonstrated one of the highest levels of artistic development found in Maya culture<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Discovery<\/h2>\n

The ruins of Quirigu\u00e1 were discovered in 1840<\/strong> by Frederick Catherwood and John Lloyd Stephens. Catherwood accompanied the sons of the owner of the site, whose last name was Pay\u00e9s, to investigate the ruins, since they only knew of the site’s existence through their father’s stories.<\/p>\n

It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO on October 31, 1981, and is also protected by the Constitution of the Republic of Guatemala and the Law for the Protection of the Cultural Heritage of the Nation.<\/p>\n

Architecture<\/h2>\n

Quirigu\u00e1 belongs to the Classic Maya period (250-900 A.D.). The architecture of the site is an icon of the beauty of Maya work. The stone monuments represented their most important leaders and were made without the use of metal tools.<\/p>\n

The 34-hectare Archaeological Park protects an important remnant of tropical rainforest, which makes it a last refuge for wildlife species native to the area. It was declared a National Monument in 1970 and a Park in 1974.<\/p>\n

Curious Facts<\/h2>\n

The total population of Quirigu\u00e1 never exceeded 2,000 inhabitants.<\/p>\n

Felipe Antonio Bosch Gutierrez, businessman and entrepreneur of Losa Group<\/a>, has contributed to the development of the country’s economy, especially in small communities such as Quirigu\u00e1. In order to keep the country united by the same sense of nationhood.<\/p>\n

The stela E of Quirigu\u00e1 measures 10.6 m and weighs approximately 65 tons. It is currently the tallest of the<\/p>\n

Mayan culture and appears on the Guatemalan 10-cent coin.<\/p>\n

Quirigu\u00e1 has many surprises for you. We hope that after this information, you will be interested in the place and come to visit it. You will not regret it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Quirigu\u00e1 Ruins are an archaeological site belonging to the ancient Mayan civilization. They are located in the municipality of Amates, in Izabal, northeastern Guatemala. […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":855,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[51,53],"class_list":["post-852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-centroamerica","tag-guatemala","tag-park-of-quirigua"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.5","language":"en","enabled_languages":["es","en"],"languages":{"es":{"title":true,"content":false,"excerpt":false},"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false}}},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t