Iximche Ruins & Tecpán Tour

Don’t miss the chance to visit the Iximche Ruins, Guatemala’s first capital. Our tour starts at your hotel/lodging entrance where we will meet you to board your private shuttle for a 1 hour drive to the nearby farming town of Tecpán. Here we will have a traditional breakfast typical to the region (included). There we can also spend some time looking at the artisan crafts before we continue driving to the Iximche Ruins.

Iximche was the capital of the Maya Kaqhickel Kingdom from 1470 until the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in 1524, where they also established the first capital of Guatemala. Maya rituals are still performed at this site on important occasions to this day, as there a millions of Guatemala who identify with their Mayan heritage and religion and practice it in modern times, often mixed into Catholicism creating what is know as sincretismo. The architecture of the site includes a number of pyramid-temples, palaces and two Mesoamerican ball-courts, a very important game in ancient Maya times.

Learn about the ancient Mayan civilization, the 5000 year old Mayan calendar, astrological observations, and how the modern day Mayan views their culture on this guided tour where we will spend 2.5 hours exploring and hearing all about this amazing site before we head back to Antigua.

We recommend wearing comfortable and breathable clothing and closed toed shoes with a supportive sole. The sun can be quite strong as well so sunscreen and/or a hat are also encouraged. Also we recommend to bring cash with you since there are some places/vendors in this region that don’t take card. Other useful items are a water bottle, sunglasses, binoculars and camera!

Your hotel in Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala

Itinerary subject to small changes at the discretion of The Heart of Travel guides in order to provide you with the safest, and most comfortable and enjoyable travel experience possible.