Last Updated on: 27th July 2024, 06:43 pm
Before there was Guatemala City, there was Kaminaljuyu, one of the largest and most prosperous cities in the region – if not the Mayan world as a whole.
Kaminaljuyu is quite old by Mayan standards, having been inhabited from as early as 1000 BC. Though now gone, early settlers were attracted to the area by the Miraflores Lake, which long served as the local water source. Furthermore, the soil was especially fertile due to past volcanic eruptions.
A proper city eventually developed here in the Middle Pre-Classic period (800-300 BC). Eventually, the region would experience a drought around 100 AD which caused the city’s decline, but it would spring back and remain inhabited until around the year 1000.
While originally taking up much of what’s now the western half of Guatemala City, what’s survived of ancient Kaminaljuyu is now confined to a 0.5 square kilometer archaeological zone, in addition to several mounds in other parts of the city.
The best way to visit Kaminaljuyu would be to just take an Uber from wherever you are in Guatemala City. As for tips on where to stay, be sure to check the end of the article.

Exploring Kaminaljuyu
At the time of writing, Kaminaljuyu costs 50Q for foreigners to enter, and the site is open from Mon.-Sat. from 8:00-16:00.
Visitors must be accompanied by a guide, though this is included in the basic entrance fee. And if you’re not fully comfortable with Spanish, some of the guides speak fluent English.

Arriving on a weekday morning, it was just me and the guide in the beginning, and we spoke with each other in English. A few other families then showed up who all happened to be residents of Guatemala City that were visiting Kaminaljuyu for the first time. From that point on, the tour switched to Spanish.
Entering the archaeological zone, you’ll first encounter a large grassy field with unexcavated mounds in all directions. Near the entrance, there’s also an on-site museum that your guide will take you to.
All the pieces here are replicas, and you’ll have to visit other museums throughout the city to see the originals (more below).


Leaving the museum, we walked past more nondescript mounds. While it doesn’t look like much today, Kaminaljuyu amazingly once contained more than 200 buildings, including no less than twelve ball courts.
Less than forty buildings, however, have been preserved. And of those, only eight exist within the official archaeological zone, with the rest scattered throughout the western part of Guatemala City.



Kaminaljuyu is more than just grassy mounds. Its main highlight is the Acropolis, which reveals multiple construction layers, as new sections would gradually be built over the older ones.
At first glance, the structures of the Acropolis clearly look different from your typical Mayan site, as they were built of adobe rather than limestone. That’s also a big reason why Kaminaljuyu lacks towering pyramids.



The earliest structures at Kaminaljuyu were built atop flat clay surfaces and featured roofs made of perishable materials. These date to around 100 BC.
Then, centuries later, from around 500 AD, inhabitants modified them to conform to a talud-tablero style, or alternating tiers of sloped and straight walls.
This is demonstrated by Structure E, the first talud-tablero structure in the area. Note that the holes in the side were not part of the original design but were later dug out by archaeologists.


Notably, this style of architecture originated at Teotihuacan in central Mexico. That mighty metropolis is known to have had contacts with various Mayan cities. And they were likely interested in the jade, cacao and quetzal feathers that originated here.
But Kaminaljuyu would persist beyond Teotihuacan’s downfall, and the final modifications at the Acropolis can be dated to around 800.

The main section of the Acropolis features designated pathways and platforms which overlook the various layers. But there’s also another interesting section on the other side that can only be viewed through a chain link fence.


Next, we were taken to the center of the archaeological site, where locals still come to perform rituals. While many of the rituals are indeed ancient ‘pagan’ customs, our guide explained that Christians – both Catholic and Protestant – come to Kaminaljuyu to say prayers.
While photography of the Mayan ceremonies is prohibited, we were taken to an altar – clearly modern – that wasn’t being used. Ancient ceremonies at Guatemalan archaeology sites are actually fairly common, as I’d previously witnessed at Iximche.

Next, we were taken to the opposite end of the small archaeological zone to view yet another excavated portion of the site known as the Palangana.
On the way there, we passed a stele discovered in the area. But as we’ll cover shortly, it’s not nearly as impressive as those currently on display at the city’s museums.


The Palangana area was inhabited for the duration of Kaminaljuyu’s entire history, with constructions ranging from the Pre-Classic period up until the city’s abandonment around 1000 AD.

Here we can see what appear to be spacious courtyards and more talud-tablero structures. We can also see evidence of Kanialjuyu’s advanced water drainage system.
But with so many different layers built on top of one another, it’s often difficult to tell what’s what.




We finished the tour by ascending a large mound in the center of the archaeological zone that offers a view of the entire area. And from here it became clear how Guatemala City’s urban sprawl has completely wiped out most of ancient Kaminaljuyu.

Some eighty years later, people are still complaining about the restorations of an archaeological site known as Zaculeu, during which the team, assembled by the United Fruit Company, rebuilt some structures without knowing exactly how they originally looked.
While already too late, shouldn’t there have been a much bigger outcry about the permanent destruction of Kaminaljuyu? Perhaps the silence can best be explained by the fact that in this case, there’s no foreign entity to blame.

With the tour over, my guide allowed us to walk around the site freely. Though we’d already seen nearly all of it, there was an additional area with some preserved stelae at the distant edge of the archaeological zone.
As mentioned, the pieces in the city’s museums are much more impressive and shouldn’t be skipped during your time in the city.



The Miraflores Museum & Mall
Just a short ride away from the Kaminaljuyu archaeological site is the Miraflores Museum, which is dedicated to artifacts discovered in the area. It’s supposed to be open from Tue.-Sun. from 9:00-19:00.
Despite visiting during opening hours, I was told that the museum was closed for maintenance and that they’d be open the following day.
Unfortunately, I was scheduled to leave Guatemala the next day, so I wasn’t able to make it back. Nevertheless, I was still able to find the mounds situated outside the mall.
That’s right – the museum is situated next to a large shopping mall built right over part of ancient Kaminaljuyu.

The mounds can be a bit tricky to find. While they are outside, they’re surrounded by the mall and not visible or immediately accessible from the street. Furthermore, the Miraflores Mall is massive and it’s easy to get lost walking around.


I’d suggest just using Google Maps’ satellite view to find the precise location. Once there, you’ll encounter restaurants facing the mounds in addition to a playground and juice stands just next to them.
Interestingly, no signage around the mounds gives any indication of what they really are. But if you’d like, you can walk up to the top of some of them via concrete stairways.
Kaminaljuyu Museum Pieces
Kaminaljuyu’s artifacts are arguably more impressive than the surviving structures themselves. And some of Kaminaljuyu’s stelae are considered to be among the earliest of the Mayan world.
Aside from the Miraflores Museum mentioned above, there are two other museums in the city containing artifacts from Kaminaljuyu: the Popol Vuh Museum and the National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology (see map above).
If you could only choose one, visit the latter, as the pieces there are more impressive and entrance is free.
Museo Popol Vuh
The Museo Popol Vuh is open from Mon.-Sat. from 9:00-17:00, except on Saturday, when it closes at 13:00. Entrance costs 45Q at the time of writing.
It features a nice collection of smaller artifacts from Kaminaljuyu, with a special emphasis on ceramics. You’ll also find stone carvings and even altars.



Many of the artifacts date back to the Preclassic period, revealing what a sophisticated culture Kaminaljuyu had so early on in its history.
National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology
The National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology contains many of the most important pieces from throughout the country, including sites like Tikal. But quite a large percentage of the museum’s pieces originate at Kaminaljuyu.
At the time of writing, it’s open Tue.-Sun. from 10:00-19:00.


Fascinatingly, a wide array of mushroom sculptures were discovered at Kaminaljuyu, as well as other sites in the Highlands and South Coast of Guatemala. Being no stranger to Mayan sites and archaeological museums, this was my first time encountering Mayan mushroom sculptures.
Their true meaning is uncertain, but some scholars believe they’re an homage to psilocybin mushrooms ingested by Mayan shamans.



Other significant findings from Kaminaljuyu include a large ball court marker, which was apparently just a boundary marker rather than a hoop used in the game.
In addition to painted vases, you’ll also find expressive sculptures of faces, a style which also appears to be unique in Mayan art.


The real highlights from Kaminaljuyu at the National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology are the various stelae. Of special note is the massive Monument 65 which was carved sometime between 200 BC and 250 AD.
Not only is the art style distinct, but there’s also a noticeable amount of blank space between the characters. Without knowing it was Mayan, I might’ve guessed it was an Olmec or Zapotec piece upon first glance.



Monument 2 is another large Preclassic piece which appear to be just a small fragment of a much larger monument. Despite Kaminaljuyu itself having been built of clay and soft stone, its artisans were clearly adept at working with harder materials.


Also be sure not to miss Stele 11, which is one of Kaminaljuyu’s most detailed and impressive pieces. Carved between 350 BC-250 AD, it was created in more of a typical Mayan art style, but it’s hard to believe how old it is.
It’s possible, therefore, that Kaminaljuyu was largely responsible for what we now recognize as ‘Mayan art.’
Additional Info
As mentioned above, Kaminaljuyu is pretty easy to visit independently by just taking an Uber. But if you have limited time in Guatemala City or are just not that comfortable with Spanish, consider taking this tour which combines the archaeological site with the capital’s highlights.
Guatemala City is a huge, sprawling city with over a million inhabitants. While it’s no Mexico City, it’s surprisingly large considering how few travelers talk about it. The city contains numerous districts, or ‘zones,’ many of which have a distinct look and feel.
Many travelers avoid Guatemala City altogether, partly due to lack of knowledge of what there is to do, but largely due to safety concerns. Whether or not it’s deserved, the Guatemalan capital is often regarded as one of the region’s most dangerous cities.
But much of the danger can be mitigated by doing your research and choosing the right place to stay. And then to get around to various landmarks throughout the city, you can simply take an Uber, which works great here.
While you can find more detailed breakdowns of Guatemalan City’s numerous districts elsewhere online, let’s keep things simple. You’re either going to want to stay in Zone 10 or in Zone 1 (the historical center).
I stayed in Zone 10 which is what I’d recommend to most visitors. It’s a rather posh part of the city full of fancy shopping malls and trendy coffee shops. And even if that’s not normally your scene, the zone feels quite safe, and I walked all over the neighborhood with zero problems.
Zone 10 is also not as pricey as you might think, with an affordable option being Casa Mesa. It’s situated inside a gated community and right across from the peaceful Oakland Park.
Elsewhere in Zone 10 are various other hotels, such as the mid-range Meraki Boutique Hotel. Or, you can splurge on one of the fancier international hotel chains like Marriott.
Aside from Zone 10, the best place to stay is Zone 1, which you’ll surely be visiting at some point for its colonial architecture and museums. While noticeably more rundown than Zone 10, there seems to be a heavy police presence in the area, so you shouldn’t have many problems in the daytime.
Affordable options can be found right near the city’s main park, such as Hotel Centenario or the highly-rated Casa Stella Centro Histórico.