Guatemala 2023
Go Learn

Join Go Learn as we explore the wonders of the Maya!

What an unforgettable 11-day adventure! Come share the color and the beauty of Maya culture, past and present, with Go Learn. We will explore Maya art, architecture, ritual life, and mythology—all in some of the most spectacular places on earth. Your guides are Rick Paine, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Utah, and Valerie Gates. Rick has been introducing UU students to the wonders of Maya archaeology since 1995. He is an experienced Maya scholar and has excavated at several Maya sites, including El Mirador. We'll climb pyramids, search for monkeys and toucans in the Peten rainforest, explore colonial towns, and shop colorful indigenous markets.

Tour Highlights Include:

• Tikal. Pyramids towering above the rainforest canopy, Tikal is considered the greatest of all Classic Maya cities. The Maya Biosphere Reserve is also home to exotic species, including Howler monkeys, spider monkeys, Ocellated turkeys, and Toucans. Tikal was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.
• Yaxha. Off the beaten path and nearly undiscovered by tourists, yet the 3rd largest Maya site in Guatemala, behind El Mirador and Tikal, lakeside Yaxha combines amazing Maya architecture with the beauty of the tropical forest, in a wonderful, tranquil setting.
• A visit to the Quiche Maya town of Chichicastenango on market day. The Chichicastenango market is the greatest handcraft market in the New World. It is famous for its hand-woven textiles and the carved wooden masks used in local festivals. We'll explore the flower market on the church stairs, the vegetable market, and the swine market. We'll also visit the Santo Tomas church, where Maya shamans make offerings in the aisle and on the doorstep as the Catholic priest delivers his sermon from the pulpit, and the cemetery, where we can expect to find Maya shamans performing services for the dead.
• Lake Atitlan. Ringed by volcanoes and picturesque Maya villages, Alexander von Humboldt, the great German naturalist and explorer, called Atitlan "the most beautiful lake in the world." We will travel the lake by boat, and enjoy its fabulous sunsets. We'll also visit the famous naïf painters of Santiago Atitlan, and perhaps leave an offering to Maximón, the drunken, cigar smoking, devilish local Maya saint.
• Antigua. UNESCO calls Antigua, our third World Heritage site, a 'colonial jewel.' The enchanting colonial town is nestled in a valley loomed over by the Agua volcano, and the smoldering Fuego volcano. Antigua is the home of magnificent colonial churches, convents, and arcades, sometimes in ruins, great food, and a bustling marketplace.

Photo courtesy Piers Cañadas