Lake Petén Itzá

Lake Petén Itzá

Lake Petén Itzá is the third largest lake in Guatemala, after Lake Izabal and Lake Atitlán, and is located in the northern department of Petén. It has a surface area of 99 km2 and is approximately 32 km in length and 5 km in width, and the maximum depth is 160 meters. Due to the presence of natural resources such as wood, chewing gum, oil, and agricultural and pastoral activities, the surrounding area has a high level of migration. Its archaeological wealth also attracts some 150,000 tourists a year. On an island near the southern shore is the city of Flores, the capital of the department of Petén. There are several streams that flow into Lake Petén Itzá, but it does not have a surface outlet, and although it loses most of its water to evaporation, it is not a salt lake. Surrounding the lake are at least 27 Mayan sites, as well as the remains of T'ayasal, located across the lake on the peninsula near the former Mayan capital of Itza, the last Mesoamerican city conquered in 1697. This lake and its surroundings are home to more than 100 important native species, including cichlid fishes, crocodiles, jaguars, pumas, White-Tailed Deer, Central American Red Brocket, and numerous bird species, among them parrots such as macaws and toucans. On the northeastern bank of the lake is the Cerro Cahui Reserve, a 6.5 square kilometer butterfly sanctuary, home to toucans, Geoffroy's Spider Monkeys, Guatemalan Black Howler Monkeys and numerous other rainforest fauna.