The Future of Petén

My trip to Guatemala began with an uncomfortable bus ride from San Ignacio Cayo, Belize through Melchor to Santa Elena where I tried rather unsuccessfully to communicate with the people around me in terribly broken spanish. Nonetheless, as I waited for my brain to wake up enough to remember how to conjugate the imperative [...]

http://flickr.com/photos/futureofpeten/sets/72157606083284821/
The biodiversity of the Petén rainforest would take a lifetime to learn but even with just three days there I was able to see Machacas (lantern bugs), scorpions, snakes, cicadas with red eyes and so much more.

We have had the incredible privilege and fortune to walk into working archaeological sites where real investigations are going on before our eyes. Now this is not Indiana Jones-style archeology. There are no shoot outs, the only fedora is being worn by Kara

It’s the end of our first full day in the ancient Mayan city of El Mirador. We slogged fifty or so miles on foot to get here, over two days. The hike in took us through the muddy lowland bajos or swamp areas, then up on an ancient Mayan causeway until we reached El Mirador. [...]

Our first day of trekking 25 kilometers into Mirador was a hellacious experience involving mud, a nine-hour walk with mud up to our knees, a few lost trekkers and a lovely night hike with sloshing mud. Death march anyone?

Rio Paso Caballos
After three hours of sleep and a massive repacking job we head out from Flores bound for Carmelita where the road ends and our journey begins. We are embedded journalists now living out the intimate journey of Guatemalan archaeologists working at one of the rawest experiences in exploring Mesoamerican history. The past is [...]

Five-seventeen in the morning and I open my eyes. Body is a bit twisted but otherwise fine from a night spent in a hammock. The roosters have begun their morning calls. Outside the soft light of the early morning sky is reflected in the water of the lake. Within minutes we have all moved. Kara [...]

On our way to Flores
We are headed to Flores with the FARES archaeologists. They are a happy and knowledgeable group that knows this trek to Mirador well. It’s going to take us all day to do this drive north and already we have arrived at the bad jokes. Oh boy.
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Finally I am ready to board the plane for Guatemala. Anticipation is high, fatigue is present but I’m excited. Been feeling left out as Kara, Nadia and Michael have been on the ground a few days now.
Next post from Flores! See you then!

We’ve been in Guatemala City for four days, running around nonstop. I slept for 45 minutes after our redeye Tuesday night and managed to motor through the following day. We spent Wednesday through Friday interviewing a variety of experts and government officials. During that time, we managed to hook up with a group of archaeologists [...]