Color Me Flores – PHOTO OP by Susan Ives

Intent on reaching the famous ruins, day visitors to Tikal might overlook nearby Flores,
yet the island city has an allure of its own.

The island and environs were the last stronghold of the Itzá-Maya and later served as a
Spanish outpost. Both indigenous and colonial influences remain.

The surrounding Lake Petén Itzá offers a blue backdrop for the island’s curving, narrow streets
and alleyways; lively malecón; and brightly painted houses.