| Lake Petén Itzá | |
|---|---|
| Lake view from the Northeastern shore | |
| Primary inflows | Rio Ixlú, Rio Ixpó |
| Basin countries | Guatemala |
| Surface area | 99 km²[1] |
| Max. depth | 160 m |
| Surface elevation | 110 m |
| Sections/sub-basins | main north basin, shallow south basin |
| References | [1] |
Lake Petén Itzá (Lago Petén Itzá) is a lake in the northern department Petén in Guatemala. It is the second largest lake in Guatemala, the Izabal lake being the largest. It is located around . It has an area of 99 km² some 32 km. long and 5 km wide. Its maximum depth is 160 m. The lake area presents high levels of migration, due to the existence of natural resources such as wood, chewing gum, oil, and agricultural and pasture activities. Because of its archaeological richness, around 150,000 tourists pass through this region yearly.
The city of Flores, the capital of El Petén, lies on an island near its southern shore. There are at least 27 Maya sites around this lake and the remains from Tayasal, the Maya-Itza capital, and the last one to be conquered in Mesoamerica in 1697.
This lake is also a wildlife paradise, with more than 100 important indigenous species such as the red snook fish (Petenia splendida), crocodiles (Crocodylus moreletii and Crocodylus acutus), jaguars (Panthera onca), Pumas (Puma concolor), White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), red brocket (Mazana americana), and several bird species, including parrots, toucans, and macaws. On its northeast shore is the Cerro Cahui Protected Biotope, a natural reserve for butterflies is a 1,600-acre (6.5 km2) reserve is home to toucans, spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi), howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata, Alouatta pigra), and many other rain forest species.