I visited Quirigua during my trip to Guatemala in November and December 2021. I visited the site on my way from the town of Chiquimula (base for visiting Copán) to my waterfront hostel in Rio Dulce (Castillo de San Felipe de Lara is nearby). The bus from Chiquimula left me directly at the intersection of the main road and the path to the ruins, where I was able to catch a tuk-tuk to the site. I left my luggage at the reception and set off to explore the ruins.

Quirigua is rather small and can be visited quickly (I spent just over an hour there, taking my time and stopping frequently to try to identify the birds singing in the forest). Nevertheless, it contains treasures of Mayan art and culture. If their architecture and grandiose urbanism can be admired elsewhere, there is no better place than Quirigua and Copán to appreciate their stelae, sculptures and statues. The works in Quirigua are all protected by thatched roofs. This is wonderful for their preservation, but it creates shadows and backlighting that are difficult to manage for photos when the sun is shining.

Stela E (photo) rises 8 meters above the ground, weighs 60 tons and is the largest stela in the Maya world. The dozen other stelae are not to be missed, however, as are the gigantic zoomorphic sculptures. A monumental ceiba, the sacred tree of the Maya, stands in the middle of the Gran Plaza. At the far end, there is a rather unremarkable acropolis, neither really impressive nor interesting. It is however guarded by the most striking zoomorphic sculptures. Frogs, turtles, snakes, jaguars and human figures can be seen here.

I thought I would enjoy my visit to Quirigua, but I was expecting to visit a relatively minor site. However, I enjoyed my visit much more than I expected. The weather was perfect, the site almost deserted, the birds numerous, the ruins well presented, and the staff charming. What was supposed to be an anecdotal detour in my itinerary turned out to be a favorite. Since no tuk-tuk was in sight for the return trip, the visit ended with a walk of just over 3 kilometres through the banana plantations to get back to the road. This definitely added to the charm of the experience.