TIKAL THE GREAT PLAZA TIKAL NATIONAL PARK The sun shines through the jungle as a family arrives at Tikal National Park Soon the Great Plaza comes into view Incredible stone temples rise 213 feet 65 meters into the air The kids love the Temple of the Giant Jaguar Its many steps seem to stretch to the sky 4
OTHER TOP SITES LAKE ATITLÁN PACAYA PALACIO NACIONAL NATIONAL PALACE SEMUC CHAMPEY As the day continues the family wanders among Tikal’s ruins They encounter pyramids stone figures and 2,000-year-old carvings made by the Maya people From atop one of the temples the family hears the sounds of toucans They spy spider monkeys leaping from tree to tree Welcome to Guatemala 5
LOCATION Guatemala is located in Central America It covers 42,042 square miles 108,889 square kilometers and is a little smaller than the state of Pennsylvania Guatemala’s capital Guatemala City is in the south-central part of the country To the west and north of Guatemala is the country of Mexico Belize is Guatemala’s eastern neighbor The turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea touch Guatemala on its small eastern coastline Honduras and El Salvador border Guatemala to the southeast The Pacific Ocean washes upon the southern shores 6
BLACK SAND BEACHES Beaches on Guatemala’s Pacific coast have black sand This sand forms when black volcanic rock breaks into smaller pieces BELIZE CARIBBEAN SEA MEXICO GUATEMALA QUETZALTENANGO GUATEMALA CITY MIXCO VILLA NUEVA HONDURAS PACIFIC OCEAN EL SALVADOR 7
