Although there is a great deal more to Guatemala than its ruins, Tikal was a must stop for us.  We were not disappointed.  The Maya may well have been at their peak when they built it.  It is thought to have had a population of over 100,000 people around 750 A.D.  We were there between Thanksgiving and Christmas 1975.

To get to Tikal, we had to cross a lake just north of Flores.  Here, as the day dawns, the mist rises and clears.
 
 

Even though we were a long way from home that Christmas, we managed to meet up with the people with whom we had shared Thanksgiving in Palenque (along with some other world travellers) for a great Christmas dinner.

The view of Lago Atitlan from the place where we gathered was spectacular.  We were a happy group as we kept each other company so far from our homes.  And it was Christmas, 1975.