El Mirador, Maya archaeological site in Petén, Guatemala.
El Mirador is an excavated Maya settlement in Petén Department, Guatemala, scattered widely across untouched rainforest. The site consists of numerous temple pyramids, residential platforms, and ceremonial plazas connected by narrow paths through dense vegetation.
This place arose during the preclassic era of Maya civilization and reached its peak several centuries before the better-known lowland cities. Decline set in around the third century when many inhabitants left the region and jungle growth reclaimed the buildings.
The local name comes from the Spanish word for viewpoint, as early explorers could survey wide stretches of rainforest from its tallest structures. Today archaeologists still use the highest ruins as landmarks while working in the dense jungle.
Access is on foot via a multi-day hike requiring visitors to sleep in the jungle with sleeping bags and provisions. An experienced guide is necessary since there are no roads or marked trails leading to the ruins.
Some pyramids remain fully covered in soil and roots and look like natural hills in the forest. Researchers estimate that only a small fraction of the entire complex has been uncovered so far.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
