Izabal: About 60km east of Estanzuela you'll enter the department of Izabal, which holds the marvelous Mayan stelae and zoomorphs at Quirigua; beautiful Lago de Izabal, the country's largest lake; the jungle waterway of Rio Dulce; and Guatemala's only stretch of Caribbean coastline. QUIRIGUA - (pronounced kitty-gua): Quirigua's archaeological zone is famed for its intricately carved stelae -gigantic sandstone monoliths up to l0.5m tall -that rise like ancient sentinels in a quiet tropical park. Visiting the ruins is easy if you have your own transportation but more difficult if you're traveling by bus. From Rio Hondo junction it's 67km along the Carretera al Atlantico to the village of Los Amates, which has a couple of hotels, a restaurant and a bank. The village of Quirigua is 1.5km east of Los Amates, and the turnoff to the ruins is 1.5km farther east. Following the access road south from the Carretera al Atlantico, it's 3.4km through banana groves to the archaeological site. History: Quirigua's history parallels that of Copan, of which it was a dependency during much of the Classic period. The location lent itself to the carving of giant stelae. Beds of brown sandstone in the nearby Rio Motagua had cleavage planes suitable for cutting large pieces. Though soft when first cut, the sandstone dried hard in the air. With Copan's expert artisans nearby for guidance, Quirigua's stone carvers were ready for greatness. All they needed was an eminent leader to inspire them -and to pay for the carving of the huge stelae. That leader was Cauac Sky (725-84), who decided that Quirigua should no longer be under the control of Copan. In a war with his former suzerain, Cauac Sky took Copan's King 18 Rabbit prisoner in 737 and later had him beheaded. Independent at last, Cauac Sky commissioned his stonecutters to go to work; for the next 38 years they turned out giant stelae and zoomorphs dedicated to the glory of King Cauac Sky. In the early 1900s all the land around Quirigua was sold off to the United Fruit Company and turned into banana groves. The company is gone, but the bananas and Quirigua remain. In 1981, UNESCO declared Quirigua a World Heritage Site.

The normal route for tours of Quirigua is to go to Antigua Guatemala and then to take a R�o Dulce river tour making a stop at the Quirigu� archeological site. When doing the river tour you will usually see the San Felipe Castle, Natural Reserve Choc�n Machacas, and Livingston. It is also an overnight in a hotel. We suggest getting a hotel in Guatemala and then letting them arrange either a car or a tour of Guatemala. We prefer Clark Tours, who have been in business for over 80 years. If you call the hotels Concierge Services ahead of your arrival, all of this can be pre-arranged for you. We do this all the time, when traveling in Guatemala. It is safe and it works!!! We have never experienced a problem doing it this way! La Aurora International Airport (IATA: GUA, ICAO: MGGT) serves Guatemala City, Guatemala. It is located 6 km south of Guatemala City's center and 25 km from Antigua. It is administered by the Direccion General de Aeronautica Civil. You can take a taxi from the airport to Antigua but we highly recommend that you contact the hotel/villa where you are staying and have them arrange for a shuttle to pick you up from the airport and take you to Antigua. The cost is about $30 including tip. You can do the same on your way back to the airport. Therefore, we have placed a link to Priceline.Com on this page so you can arrange your flights into and out of Guatemala; as well as your hotel, when visiting this area.