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Guatemala
"Land of Eternal Spring"
15º30'N,
90º15'W
(All photographs and
information are the property of Keith M. Bell.)
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Welcome to the travel page for my 2005 sojourn to
Guatemala. I was accompanied by my wife, Reshma, and my co-worker Michelle
Vandiver-Lawrence. We visited Guatemala City, Antigua, Panajachel, and
Flores. Our big stops included a volcano named Pacaya, Lake Atitlan, and
Tikal, one of the largest Mesoamerican cities of the Maya. Enjoy the tour.
All photographs are thumbnails. Just click to
enlarge.
Take this link to see a
QuickTime movie of the site:
Take this link to see a map of the country:
Guatemala Map
Check back again as it is my
intention to include a travelogue description of these places. I
surely have some good stories to tell. |
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Tikal (in Peten Province) |
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On Temple
IV |
Temple I:
Tomb of the Jade Jaguar |
Buttressed
roots of large tree (Reshma and Michelle) |
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Ceiba tree, national tree
of Guatemala |
Bat Palace, a giant ceiba,
and Temple IV (in the background) |
Reshma, with Temple II in
the background |
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Spider monkey
(foreground) and Temple V
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Temple V: Do you see the
face time has tried to wear away? Take this link to see what Templo V
looked like before they cleared away all the jungle vegetation:
http://mayaruins.com/tikal/b3_080.html
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Unearthing more ruins at
the Plaza of the Seven Temples |
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Michelle and I at North
Acropolis (Temple I in the background) |
Chicle tree, tapped for
sap (that goes into Chiclets gum) |
Group F Stelae, where
Mayan history and lore are recorded |
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Temple VI: Temple of the
Inscriptions |
Mundo Perdido ("Plaza
of the Lost
World" with 72
steps) |
Goodbye from Group F
temple |
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Take this hyperlink to
read and listen to an NPR/National Geographic Society story about the
downfall of the Maya Civilization:
Radio Expeditions |
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Guatemala City |
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Statue of Simon Bolivar:
Reshma, Michelle, and a new friend, Gerson |
Minerva Park (Relief
Mappe) |
Catholic Church, which
had lots of Freemason symbolism |
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Guatemalan Taxi service |
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Volcan Pacaya (8,372+
feet above sea level) |
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Volcan Pacaya steaming in
the distance |
Warning!!! |
Reshma and
I on Volcan Pacaya |
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Lave floe |
Ash skiing |
Michelle's shoe full of
cinders |
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Lava floe from an
eruption in AD 2000 |
Evacuation sign,
instructions |
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Lake Atitlan (and
surrounding towns) |
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Volcan San Pedro (before
the clouds totally encircle it) |
Textiles |
Highland
weavers of San Antonio |
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San Antonio |
Atitlan fishermen |
Atitlan Market |
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Maximon (or San Simon),
smoking cigarettes and drinking rum; Hear about Maximon in this
NPR commentary |
Giving toys (a Hello
Kitty doll) to the children of San Pedro Palopo |
Reading and relaxing on
the terrace at Panajachel |
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Cemetery |
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Memory Wall |
Mausoleum |
Cemetery plots |
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Nature
Shots |
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Birds of Paradise |
Green spider |
Cool flowers at the
Coffee Museum at La Azotea |
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Passion fruit flower |
Courtyard flowers |
Leafcutter ants |
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Big, beautiful spider |
Oscillated Turkey |
Grasshopper |
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The Girls (always
stuffing their faces) |
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Drinking a juice |
Drinking coffee |
Eating corn, what
Guatemalans call "maize" |
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Adios, from Guatemala!!! |
