Relief Map, Open-air museum in Guatemala City, Guatemala
The Relief Map is a large-scale three-dimensional model of Guatemala that shows mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes, and cities in their actual topographical relationships. Visitors can view the entire display from elevated platforms positioned around the model to see all regions clearly.
Engineers Francisco Vela and Claudio Urrutia completed this model in 1905 after spending 15 years surveying Guatemala by horseback to gather precise measurements. Their fieldwork across mountains and remote areas created the foundation for this accurate geographical representation.
The map displays Guatemala's natural divisions and helps visitors understand the country's physical geography at a glance. Schools and families visit to learn about how mountains, valleys, and water systems shape the different regions.
The model is located in Parque Minerva in Zone 2 and can be viewed easily from elevated observation platforms. Plan enough time to walk around the full perimeter and see different regions from various angles for a complete understanding of the geography.
The creators used a specialized measuring technique called the Mira Urrutia, invented specifically for this project, to achieve extremely accurate surveying of the landscape. This custom tool allowed them to capture the terrain with a level of precision that was exceptional for the early 1900s.
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