After having to go find another way to get to Belize (and my reservation in San Ignacio), I found a shared van for $40 through Gekko explorers. It was a long 12 hour ride in a van with a very eclectic group of foreigners. We stopped three times and had plenty of villages to see from the windows when we were not asleep. We were headed to Flores in the Petén region of Guatemala.
The region was inhabited by the Maya civilization in 1000 BCE. The largest of the Mayan cities were Tikal, Uaxactun, and Yaxha. Two of these ruins are tours I am taking. Around the 9th century, many of the population of the Mayan cities were in decline due to many factors such as overpopulation and warfare.
The Maya in Petén resisted Spanish conquest longer than many other regions. The Itza Maya (near modern-day Flores), remained independent until 1697, when Spanish forces finally conquered them. They became part of New Spain and then part of Guatemala after independence.
I found the restaurant, Nativo, which has a great menu I ordered their aguachile with fish and two tamarind margaritas. Delicious and a great place to watch the sunset.
And, of course, lizard watching….
