Guatemala - The Painted Murals of San Bartolo

San Bartolo is located within the biological corridor of the Ixcan River Basin, northeast of the Department of Petén, and 42 kilometers north of Uaxactun. It has the most beautiful, polychrome murals of all of the archaeological sites found in Guatemala, making it a proposed candidate for Cultural Heritage status for its unique value on an artistic level. The archaeological site covers an area of 4 kilometers², has several areas that contain monumental architecture, highlighting the groups formed by the main square, including the Pyramid of the Paintings, the Saraguate Group, which functioned as astronomical complex, and the Jabalí Group which has funeral connotations. The area also lies within the Maya Biosphere Reserve, surrounded by a forest concession called the Árbol Verde Community, which is comprised of nine communities: El Caoba, el Remate, Socotzal, El Porvenir, Las Viñas, Ixlu, Macanché, Naranjo and Jobompich.