Guatemala Guide
The Pacific coast
La Democracia
Address: Southeast of Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa
LA DEMOCRACIA is an orderly little town that's of particular interest as the home of a small collection of archeological relics. To the east of town lies the archeological site of Monte Alto; many of the best pieces found there are now spread around the town plaza under a vast ceiba tree. These "fat boys" are massive stone heads with simple, almost childlike faces, grinning with bizarre, Buddha-like contentment. Some are attached to smaller rounded bodies and rolled over on their backs, clutching their swollen stomachs. . The figures are strikingly similar to ancient Olmec sculptures found near Villahermosa in the Gulf of Mexico, and they probably date from the mid-Preclassic period around 500 BC. Also on the plaza, the town museum (Tues– Sun 8am–4pm; US$4) houses carvings, ceremonial yokes worn by ball-game players, pottery, grinding stones, a wonderful jade mask and a few more carved heads.