Quiriguá

Quiriguá is modest in size and enormous in ambition. Under the ruler known as Cauac Sky, who defeated and captured the king of Copán in 738, the city raised a series of stelae carved from single blocks of sandstone, the tallest of which stands over ten metres and weighs many tonnes, making them the largest freestanding carved monuments in the pre-Columbian Americas. The carving is deep and dense, with rulers in elaborate headdresses on the faces and long hieroglyphic texts down the sides recording dates and events with precision. Alongside them are zoomorphs, boulder-sized sculptures carved into hybrid creatures. The site sits in a small park surrounded by banana plantations, and thatched shelters protect the monuments from the rain.

What you actually see

• Stela E - the tallest stela the Maya ever raised, over ten metres.
• The hieroglyphic texts - long dated inscriptions down the sides of the stelae.
• The zoomorphs - boulder sculptures carved as composite creatures.
• The acropolis - the modest ceremonial structures behind the plaza.

When to go

November to April is drier; this is a hot, humid lowland site and rain is heavy in season. Early morning is coolest and the shelters mean the monuments can be seen in any weather.

Honest expectations

The site is small and can be walked in an hour, and the surrounding architecture is minor next to Tikal or Copán; the stelae are the entire reason to stop. The protective shelters, while necessary, make photography awkward. Mosquitoes and humidity are constant, and there is little else nearby.

Nearby

Río Dulce and Livingston lie east; Copán across the Honduran border is a common pairing.