Archaeologists' Abandoned Camp

Within Tikal National Park, you’ll

find the remains of a camp used by University of Pennsylvania archeologists between 1956 and 1969 during the exploration of the Mayan site of Tikal. The 13-year project resulted in the completion of a topographical map of an area of 16 square kilometers of the site of Tikal. When occupied, the camp included a settlement for archaeologists and single workers, and a separate settlement for married workers that featured a sawmill, a school, and a dispensary.

The wooden barracks housing the researchers have long been dismantled. The cars and camp equipment - material traces of the UPenn project - rust quietly in the lush vegetation.