GUATEMALA, HONDURAS & BELIZE PYRAMIDS, TEMPLES & TOMBS NOVEMBER 13-28, 2019 TOUR LEADER: DR CHRIS CARTER GUATEMALA, Overview HONDURAS & BELIZE PYRAMIDS, TEMPLES & TOMBS Formed from a loosely connected cultural group, the people who we now know as the Mayans have inhabited Central America for over 3000 years, Tour dates: November 13-28, 2019 influencing future empires and even the world as we know it today. The legacy of these prehistoric populations is evidenced in the ruins of Tour leader: Dr Chris Carter residential and ceremonial complexes of towering pyramids, elaborate palaces and decorated tombs found throughout the region. The Spanish Tour Price: $9,250 per person, twin share colonised this region during the 16th century and despite their best efforts to convert or eradicate the Indigenous populations, several million who Single Supplement: $1,565 for sole use of identify as Mayan live in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and Honduras today. double room This tour will travel through the range of landscapes that were initially Booking deposit: $500 per person occupied by the Indigenous groups - from the Guatemalan highlands, along jungle clad rivers to the Caribbean coast - and explore the ruins of Recommended airline: Qantas or United some of the vast city complexes that were abandoned during the 10th Maximum places: 20 century. We will also and walk the streets of the Colonial towns and villages that remain bustling cultural centres today. Itinerary: Antigua (3 nights), Panajachel (1 night), Flores (2 nights), San Ignacio (2 nights), The tour commences in Antigua, the colonial capital of Guatemala and Belize City (3 nights), Livingston (1 night), from there we visit spectacular Lake Atitlan and the colourful markets of Copán (2 nights), Guatemala City (1 night) Chichicastenango. We fly from the Guatemalan highlands to Flores in the Peter region and visit the magnificent ruins of Tikal before we head east to Date published: January 18, 2019 the former British colony of Belize. We spend some time relaxing on the Caribbean before returning to Guatemala via the jungle fringed Rio Dulce to visit Quirigua and finally heading into Honduras to visit the easternmost Mayan city of Copan. Your tour leader Dr Chris Carter is an archaeologist with over 20 years’ experience leading tours to Central and South America, Spain and Ireland as well as within Australia. He is particularly interested in human interaction within landscapes and the formative period of cultural development. Chris has a BA(Hons), MA and PhD from the Australian National University (ANU). He has worked as a tutor at the ANU and lectured at both the ANU and University of Sydney Centres for Continuing Education. When not leading tours, Chris works as an archaeological consultant and heritage advisor. Chris’ research interests cover both Indigenous and Australian historical archaeology. He is also actively involved in research in the Atacama region of northern Chile and involved in a number of studies investigating the early settlement of this region. He has had a number of academic Enquiries and papers published in international journals. bookings As a teacher, Chris has always declared that archaeology cannot be For further information and to learned in the classroom. Such statements resulted in him taking a group secure a place on this tour to South America in 1995. He has continued to lead several tours a year please contact Jamal ever since. Fairbrother at Academy Travel on 9235 0023 or 1800 Chris was a fantastic tour leader. Always pleasant, very 639 699 (outside Sydney) or knowledgeable and funny – just a delight!” email – Tour participant on Chile, Argentina & Peru, September 2017 [email protected] Tour Highlights COLONIAL ANTIGUA Explore cobblestone streets lined with brightly coloured Spanish baroque-influenced architecture and 16th-century colonial churches in Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage Listed site since 1979. Founded in 1543 as the seat of Spanish power in the region it served as the cultural, religious and economic centre of Guatemala for over 200 years. TIKAL Admire the grand architecture of Tikal’s many temples, palaces and plazas, one of the largest archaeological sites and urban centres of the pre-Colombian civilisation. As one of the most powerful kingdoms of the ancient Mayan world, archaeologists believe that Tikal may have been home to a thriving metropolis of 100,000 inhabitants. ANCIENT CIVILISATION & CULTURE Immerse yourself in thousands of years of Mayan civilisation and culture through the legacy of grand cities and imposing temples rising from the jungle. Uncover a highly sophisticated society conversant in a complex system of hieroglyphics and language and skilled astronomers who interpreted the sky ,devising complex but accurate astronomical calendars. LANDSCAPE & NATURE Discover a world of great biodiversity set amongst lush tropical jungles. Admire the scenic backdrop of Antigua’s volcanoes and sail across the crater that forms Lake Atitlán. Encounter abundant birdlife and exotic plants cruising the Rio Dulce, snorkel in crystal clear blue-green waters at Caye Caulker and explore Mayan ceremonial caves by canoe. MAYAN MONUMENTS Uncover monumental cities ranging across the vast Mayan Kingdom of Mesoamerica. See the expert craftmanship and brilliant engineering involved in the construction of temple pyramids, palace complexes, alters and stone carvings at the ancient cities of Yaxha, Caracal, Lamanai, Copan and Quiriguá, each different and diverse in their own way. Detailed itinerary Included meals are shown with the symbols B, L and D. Tour start & finish time The tour begins at 9.00pm on13 November, at Guatemala Int’l Airport with a group transfer to the hotel in Antigua. The tour ends after breakfast in Guatemala City on Thursday 28 November Wednesday 13 November Arrival and Orientation Chris Carter will meet the group at La Aurora International Airport, Guatemala City, about one hour’s drive from our hotel in Antigua. Overnight Antigua Thursday 14 November Touring Antigua This morning we embark on a walking tour of Antigua, the original colonial capital of Guatemala until the Spanish Crown ordered Guatemala City become the new capital following a devastating earthquake. In 1979 UNESCO declared the colonial city of La Antigua as a World Cultural Heritage Site – recognising it as a location of exceptional value. We explore the cobblestone streets and monumental buildings including the Municipal Palace, the Convent of Las Capuchinas, the Cathedral and the Escuela de Cristo. Overnight Antigua (B, D) Friday 15 November Coffee and music Today we travel a short distance through the beautiful Guatemalan countryside to visit some of the local villages and visit one of the oldest and most established coffee estates in Guatemala. Coffee production began to develop in Guatemala in the 1850’s and forms a vitally important part of the economy in the form of export revenue. The Antigua region’s rich volcanic soils and cool nights result in the best coffee in the country. We visit a plantation and follow the path of the coffee bean from the nursery to the cup including an educational tasting session. We return to Antigua after lunch and visit one of the most unique and interesting museums in Guatemala, Casa K’ojom (K’ojom is the Mayan word for music.) The private museum and education centre is dedicated to the research, preservation and dissemination of the traditional music and instruments of the Mayan people of Guatemala. Overnight Antigua (B, L, D) Images left: Volcán de Fuego looms over the Spanish colonial town of Antigua; coffee production is an integral part of the Guatemalan economy; Antigua Cathedral is decorated for Holy Week Saturday 16 November Lake Atitlán We depart by coach for Panajachel on the spectacular Lago Atitlán, one of the world’s most beautiful settings, in the Guatemalan Highlands and spend several hours touring around the lake. After lunch in one of the many well regraded local restaurants, we board a boat and cross the lake to visit the village of Santiago de Atitlán. Santiago Atitlán was the site of considerable violence during the civil war - two of the most notable incidents during the war were the assassination of a Roman Catholic priest by right-wing death squads in July 1981, and the massacre of 14 people (and wounding of 21 others) when the army opened fire on a crowd of unarmed civilians on 2 December 1990. On arrival at our hotel, surrounded by Botanical gardens, there is time to relax and take in the stunning views of the Lake and surrounding volcanoes. Overnight Panajachel (B, L) Sunday 17 November Chichicastenango Today we travel further into the countryside to Chichicastenango. Surrounded by valleys and mountains, it remains one of the most traditional places in Guatemala. The town’s isolation has helped to conserve its indigenous authenticity. The people of Chichicastenango, known as Masheños, are known for their adherence to pre-Christian beliefs and ceremonies and still practise religious rituals and hold processions in observance of their saints around the church of Santo Tomás almost on a daily basis. The markets, where you can find every type of handicrafts, fruits and vegetables, flowers, pottery and many other goods are held on Thursdays and Sundays and are famous throughout Central America. This afternoon we return to Guatemala City and fly to Flores where we spend the next two nights. Overnight Flores (B, D) Monday 18 November Tikal We spend today exploring Tikal. An important ceremonial, cultural, and commercial centre during the 8th century the city became the greatest in the Mayan world. The central part of the ancient city has around 3,000 structures including temples, terraces, ceremonial platforms, tombs and plazas. All of these structures were connected with an aqueduct system that filtered the water and fed a city of at least 90,000 people. Recent investigations have suggested that the surrounding area contains the remains of over 60,000 structures and more are being discovered all the time.