Riscos de Momostenango, National park with sandstone formations in Totonicapán Department, Guatemala.
Riscos de Momostenango is a protected area of curiously shaped sandstone formations in the municipality of Momostenango, Totonicapán Department, Guatemala. The pale grey and white rock rises as tall, closely packed columns with rounded tops and deep vertical grooves, standing above a base of dark, jagged rock chunks. The formations cover 2.4 km² together with the surrounding forests.
The site was declared a national park by the Guatemalan government in 1955 through Governmental Agreement 26-05-55. This early protection recognized the geological importance of the sandstone formations to the country's conservation efforts.
The park lies in Momostenango, a K'iche' Maya municipality of Totonicapán whose name combines the K'iche' words for "gathered" and "town". The sandstone outcrops stand within communal highland forest, and the protected area of 2.4 km² covers both the formations and the surrounding woods.
The park covers 2.4 km² of sandstone formations and surrounding forest in Momostenango, Totonicapán Department. Access is overland from the town of Momostenango; the formations rise from a dark, rough base beneath a flat upper edge of dark earth and vegetation. Sturdy footwear helps on the uneven, grooved rock.
The formations are sandstone, not volcanic rock, and the park covers 2.4 km² of cliffs plus surrounding forest. The columns are pale grey and white, grooved and fluted, with rounded tops; a thicker flat-capped column stands apart on the left. Dark jagged rock chunks mottled with lighter patches lie at their base.
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