A jungle-shrouded pyramid in Tikal, an ancient Mayan city in Guatemala, languishes quietly against a violet sky. Along with Chichén Itzá in México, Caracol in Belize, and Copán in Honduras, Tikal attracts visitors and inspires imaginations from across the globe. These magnificent city-states have survived centuries of drought, earthquakes, hurricanes and human degradation. The Mayan people, however, never disappeared into outer space, as some claim. Millions of Maya people and their culture remain alive and well, mostly in Guatemala’s Western Highlands. Photograph by Diego Lezama Orezzoli, Getty Images.
Chief Writing Wolf 