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The forgotten touristic site of Mayan archaeology.

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Historical sites in Guatemala

I visited Quiriguá in August 2014, some weeks after my wedding, with my wife and friends who had joined us and for whom I had organised a big <a href="/guatemala/">trip across Guatemala</a>. We had hired a a bus service and we set off towards Quiriguá after visiting Copán (Honduras). As the place had been a designated a UNESCO world heritage site since 1981, I presumed we would easily find a hotel there. Having left Copán very late, there we were stressed out at 11pm, searching for a hotel, but we found nothing. In good humour and general laughter, we ended up choosing to stay...in a motel (one which rented out to lovers for 1 or 2 hours, enough time for them to carry out their business; despite our preconceived perceptions, motels like this are often very clean, hygiene being imperative, I suppose, for an owner). All of this goes to say that if there are maybe only one or two hotels nearby, the best option is to do a day trip from Puerto Barrios. The site of Quiriguá is not very big and the entrance fee is quite expensive. The trip is only worth suggesting, in my opinion, to people who have a genuinely deep and researched interest in Maya archaeology, as the main interest of the place is in its large ornate headstones (the most famous of which, incidentally, features on the 10 centavos coin ). These headstones are less refined than those in the rival city of Copán, which Quirigá was often in conflict with and which therefore provides for interesting "added" value.

Quirigua Holidays

Visit Quirigua

Quirigua: How to get there?

Quirigua: See when to go?

Quirigua: For how long?

Quirigua: What to see nearby?