Kaminaljuyu

Kaminaljuyu was one of the largest and most important centres in the Maya highlands, occupied from well before the common era into the Classic period, with hundreds of mounds, elaborate tombs, carved stelae and clear connections to Teotihuacan in central Mexico. Almost all of it is gone: the city of Guatemala grew over the site through the twentieth century and the mounds were levelled for housing, roads and a shopping centre. What survives is an archaeological park of a few hectares in Zone 7 with a group of earth mounds, excavation shelters and a small museum, surrounded by the modern city. It is a lesson in what urban growth does to archaeology.

What you actually see

• Surviving earth mounds - the fragment kept as a park.
• Excavation shelters - the protected trenches within the site.
• Connections to Teotihuacan - the evidence of contact with central Mexico.
• The city built over the rest - the modern surroundings of the park.

When to go

November through April, when it is driest. Two hours. The park keeps set hours and closes on some days; check before going.

Honest expectations

Almost nothing remains and the park is a small fragment of what was there. Structures are grass mounds with little to see. Interpretation is thin. The surrounding area needs the usual city precautions and a taxi is the sensible way to arrive and leave.

Nearby

The archaeology museum is in Zone 13; the historic centre lies east.