Tak'alik Ab'aj

About this place

Tak'alik Ab'aj is an archaeological site on Guatemala's Pacific coastal plain, made a World Heritage Site in 2023. Its name means «standing stone» in K'iche'. It is one of the rare sites combining Olmec and Maya features, telling the story of the first flowering of Maya culture more fully than most better known sites. The city flourished from the 9th century BC to at least the 10th century AD as a trading centre linked to Kaminaljuyu and Chocolá, with long routes to the highlands and coast. It has one of the greatest concentrations of Olmec-style sculpture outside the Gulf of Mexico, along with a Maya royal tomb and some of the earliest Maya hieroglyphs. The main buildings cluster in four groups on nine terraces, some natural and some built, surrounded by green forest and farmland. You see low stone pyramids, carved boulders showing animals, round «potbelly» statues and stone pavements under shelters that protect the excavations, some of them still in progress. It is about 13 km in a straight line from Retalhuleu. It opens from 7:00 to 17:00, and a guide is included with the ticket according to a local guide, so bring water and mosquito repellent, as it is hot and humid. Do not touch the carvings, and keep to the paths. Some local people use the site for rituals, so respect them. Carry cash in quetzales, and ask about tours in your language.