Guatemala Guide
Guatemala City
The ruins of Kaminaljuyú
Address: Zona 7
Opening time: Daily 9am–4pm
Price: US$7
Way out on the western edge of the city, the modest ruins of Kaminaljuyú are all that's left of a city that once housed around fifty thousand people, three hundred mounds and thirteen ball courts. Unlike the massive temples of the lowlands, these structures were built of adobe, and most of them have been lost to erosion and urban sprawl. Today the archeological site, incorporating only a tiny fraction of the original city, is little more than a series of earth-covered mounds and a favourite spot for footballers and romantic couples. A couple of sections have been cut into by archeologists, and by peering through the fence you can get some idea of what lies beneath the grassy exterior, but it's virtually impossible to get any impression of Kaminaljuyú's former scale and splendour – for that you'll have to visit the new Museo Miraflores (Tues– Fri 9am–4pm, Sat & Sun 9am– noon & 1.30–4pm; www.museomiraflores.org) which is a ten-minute walk south of the ruins, beside the very upmarket Miraflores shopping mall on Calzada Roosevelt (the main route to Antigua). The history of the city and its importance as a trading centre are explained in detail, and exhibits highlight striking stone sculptures and stelae pieces, ceramics, impressive jade jewellery and obsidian flints. The scale model of Kaminaljuyú allows you to grasp an idea of just how large the city once was, and the museum grounds also encompass several temple mounds. To get to the ruins, take bus #35 from 4 Avenida in Zona 1.