Yaxha

Today was our first day of visiting the Tikal region. Today we would go to Yaxha, an archeological site built around 600 BC, a former ceremonial center of the pre-Columbia Maya civilization. At one point, Yaxha was the third-largest city in the region. Here we would take a boat to ruins that were still being discovered in the jungle. The tall structures hugged by the jungle flora created a serene environment. It was also here that my partner experienced his first monkeys in the wild. 

Yaxha was special because there were hardly any tourists and together with our guide, we were able to explore the grounds and take our time learning about the Maya culture, architecture, and layout of the cities they built. Incredible. Yaxha was our first exposure to the arrangement of the structures and how they aligned with the sun and the stars, introducing us to just a touch of the astronomical genius of the Mayans.

After a day of stunning landscapes and mind-blowing ancient cities, we returned to our hotel for shrimp tacos and margaritas.