The fog partially covers the sky and through the airplane's window our eyes cannot contemplate all that the forest hides. It is only eight o'clock in the morning and we descend from the airplane to pick up our luggage.

Outside, the forests of Peten lie ahead, wanting to show us all its splendor and bewitching us with its magic. So, after breathing that intense air for a little while, we start on the road to Sayaxché, where the river La Pasión passes by.

After buying the necessary provisions, water, bug repellent and batteries in La Selecta, the only supermarket in the region, we start on a journey of approximately one hour, going through Santa Elena and San Benito de Palermo. The road is surrounded by other communities, like San Francisco and La Libertad. And while our eyes only see the green of the trees and savannah, we become anxious even before arriving to the ferry and the boat that await.

The exuberant vegetation starts reflecting in the water of the river and during the 45 minutes of journey we found herons, crocodiles, turtles and falcons everywhere. While the motor of the boat sounds, the sunrays start penetrating our skin and make us feel as Carazamba in the imagination of Virgilio Rodríguez Macal. Tones of green, brown, violet and yellow decorate the place, and some roots insist on floating in that river that centuries ago served as exchange route for our ancestors.

As the boat advances the guide points us the endemic species of the region playing on that emerald color water. Since of the 26 crocodile existing species of Latin America, the river La Pasión hosts two of them that can measure from three to six meters long and that sadly are in danger of extinction due to the Mexican hunters that use their skin to manufacture shoes and belts.

The shadow of the birds that eat snails can be seen in the water, 27 species flap in the sky while seven turtle species slid fast, in spite of its fame, through the currents of the river. Knowing about them is fascinating, cause even though they live in fresh waters, these turtles and many fish that cohabit in the river originally came from salted waters. This is because the river La Pasión has its source in the river Cebol, which at the same time communicates with the river Salinas and then the river Usumacinta, which connects with the river Grijalva, which falls in the Gulf of Mexico.

The river La Pasión holds more than 357 fish species, of which 45 are endemic in the region. And if this isn't enough, the fauna richness of Peten accumulates 600 species of birds, 300 endemic in the region. While the river's uproar continues fighting against the boat's motor we found the branch of the river San Martín where some inhabitants amuse themselves while fishing, which is not only delicious but also constitutes a source of income for the people who live in the margins of the river.

But the fauna is not the only exaggerated thing in this wonderful land. The flora has more than 150 species of medicinal plants in the river's basin, as well as timber-yielding trees, who hide the secrets of the great Mesoamerican civilization: the Mayas.

This is the most important of the 32 archeological sites located in the area of Sayaxché. This Maya settlement of the Late Classic Period is located over a lime stone slope, about 100 meters over the river La Pasión level. It possesses a ceremonial center of almost one square kilometer, over three hills separated by big depressions.

In this way, while structures and stele stand over the vegetation, the guttural sound of the howling monkeys and the birds invite you to continue over a path, planted with ceibas, sacred tree of the Mayas who marks the cardinal points with its roots and on its treetop holds the blue heaven. This tree is very important for the Mayan architects, who used to plant them twenty years before they started building a temple cause it served as guide for the construction. Besides, they said that its shade hosted the thirteen souls of the gods from the supreme world and on its roots the nine deities of the underworld.

Even though the expedition is planned for a couple of hours, you need approximately three days to meet the 22 kilometers, which is the whole extension of the park. We still haven't arrived to the first structure when a hollow sound calls our attention. It's a woodpecker with a red bright head and blue feathers who is looking for food among the tree trunks. Arriving to one of the two clear structures we found a world figure that was originally supported by four monkeys, before three of them disappear on hands of the predators.

On our way back from Ceibal, taking the divergence of the stream Caribe, surrounded by vegetation and the whispers of birds, we found Posada Caribe (inn), a precious space where you can rest and enjoy the nature.

The next day, we take a new boat in the direction of Aguateca. The beauty of the lagoon Petexbatœn, that through the river of the same name floods into La Pasión, conducts the boat towards that hidden archeological site. Due to the season the boat slides avoiding stones and tree trunks that stand out just a few centimeters of the ground. Fourteen kilometers later and leaving behind Dos Pilas, Punta de Chimino and other historical places, we descend on a road filled with wild coriander.

This region was inhabited on the Late Pre-Classic Period, 200 years B.C. up to 150 A.C. An architecture built on top of vast and plain foundations which are named by the archeologists as platforms. Afterwards, it was abandoned for almost four centuries and later rehabilitated in the Late Classic Period, 600 to 850 A.C. The most impressive of this site is the enormous geological failure that served as retaining wall of the city.

Together with Topoxté, Aguateca is the only archeological site which presents cylindrical foundations. It also possesses huge observatories that allow you to contemplate the magnitude of a jungle that insists on safekeeping the echoes of wisdom and greatness.

In the northeast of Peten you will find one of the most beautiful manifestations of nature, the Lagoon of Yaxhá. This region belongs to the system of lakes of Central Petén and is characterized by a row of lagoons oriented from east to west and scattered in an area of more than 100 kilometers. The Lagoon of Yaxhá is one of the water bodies that is found all the way to the east of this system of lakes. The archeological site of Yaxhá is located in the north riverside of the lagoon with the same name and extends over the hill for about three kilometers.

The natural landscape is shaped by steep relieves of lime stone close to the shore of the lagoon. The group is formed by more or less 500 edifications, of which only a few have been cleared, some ball game fields and a series of stele and ceramics that reflect the way of life of its inhabitants.

Nothing better than to contemplate the sunset from temple 216, from where you can also watch the astronomic observatory with an extension of 180 meters. At nights you can go for a boat trip and with the help of a lantern you can get to see some of the alligators that lie on the placid waters of the lagoon. Resting is not an obstacle in Yaxhá, since the Ecolodge El Sombrero offers a different vision of what lodging can be and transports the visitors into the old life of our ancestors, with a mixture of comfort and nature.