Birdwatching inTikal National Park

Tikal National Park

Over 352 bird species have been spotted, including 30 birds of prey and 60 migratory species (Balas, 2002). Due to the rarity and number of species of fauna, Tikal is considered an important area in Guatemala.

Rare species found nesting in Tikal include the Orange-Breasted Falcon (Falco deiroleucus) and the Guiana Crested Eagle (Morphus guianensis), which makes Tikal one of the few nesting areas in Central America for this species. One can easily spot species such as the ocellated turkey.

All Saints Day in Guatemala

On November 1st. we celebrate All-Saints Day in Guatemala. This activity represents different and colorful manifestations, which have become a cultural and tourist attraction through time.

There are special manifestations such as the one celebrated in the Municipality of Santiago Sacatepequez, which according to the oral tradition is approximately 105 years old, but this can not be verified. Nevertheless, we can find bibliography that places its beginnings between the years 1930 and 1940 (Tradiciones de Guatemala No. 8, Centro de Estudios Folclóricos, Universidad de San Carlos, 1977).

According to anthropologist Guillermo Vásquez, the kites represent two aspects within different periods: the first goes from 1900 to 1991 and is considered a ritual conception; the second goes from 1992 to this date and is a conception of the Maya identity. It is with this last one where the kites of Santiago take more symbolic characters which responds to the conservation of their customs and traditions.

These colorful and gigantic kites are assembled and exhibited in the town’s cemetery and do not have the capacity to fly. There are smaller ones –between 6 to 8 meters in diameter- that are capable of flying and represent an amazing show.

Besides Santiago Sacatepequez, this celebration also takes place in San Agustín Sumpango in the Department of Chimaltenango.

Do not miss it and come to enjoy Guatemala’s cultural richness.

Remember that the celebration is on November 1st. where we will take you to a great exhibition of the colorful cultural palette of the “Country of Eternal Spring”. And this is not it, we will also take you through time in a journey through the Guatemalan Highlands, visiting the incomparable Antigua Guatemala, Chichicastenango which is considered the most colorful indigenous market in Latin America, Panajachel and the most beautiful lake in the world: Lake Atitlán, finishing with an incredible adventure in the forest of the wonderful Tikal National Park.

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