Another great UNESCO card, this one from Guatemala, my 2nd card from this country, sent by David. The Archaeological Park and Ruins of Quirigua were added to the WHS list in 1981.
Quiriguá is an
ancient Maya archaeological site in the department of Izabal in south-eastern
Guatemala.
Quiriguá is
one of the smaller Mayan sites, but also one of the most notable due to the
artistry of its stelae, which Mayan rulers during the Classic Period
commissioned to commemorate important political and dynastic events. Nowadays,
the temples and palaces lie in ruins around the pleasant green park that once
was the great plaza of Quirigua and archaeologists are only now piecing them
back together.
© Photo by Marino Cattelan
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Quirigua features a total of 22 carved
stelae and zoomorphs (large boulders carved to represent animals and covered
with figures and glyphs), which are among the finest examples of classic Mayan
stone carvings. Unlike other Mayan cities, which for the most part used
limestone, monuments in Quirigua are made of sandstone, which has survived the
millennium since the end of the Classic Period surprisingly well. Even though
the Maya did not have any metal tools and only used stone chisels driven by
other stones or wooden mallets, they still achieved a remarkable degree of
naturalism and refined detail. - in: http://www.sailing-diving-guatemala.com/guatemala/quirigua.php
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