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Natural History: Hacienda Tijax is located in the middle of the Izabal Lake Valley. The Rio Dulce drains a large watershed which starts in the cloud forest of three mountain ranges. To the south the Sierra de las Minas which divides this valley from that of the Motagua river. To the west the Highlands of the Verapaces where the national bird the Quetzal (Pharomacus Resplendens) nests. To the Northwest is the Santa Clara mountain range which borders the north shore of the Lake. |
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The entire lake basin is a graven (what the geologists call a sunken plate of earth) and the prevailing subsoil is Laterite which is a red clay rich in metals. The rock structure is Karst, which is like a Swiss cheese of limestone. Because of this we have many rivers which run very clear (but hard) waters often in and out of caves, there are also many caves to explore. Most important is that since the lake is actually sunken it is the same level of the Caribbean Sea so that often (during the dry spells) the salt water actually flows upstream into the lake following the bottom of the lake. This particular feature has provoked an enormous biological diversity in the species that inhabit the lake as well as its shores. The entire water system is more than 50 square kilometers full of small creeks and lagoons only a few miles form the ocean. This enormously intricate labyrinth is the ideal place for migratory birds and pelagic fish as a nesting and spawning place. The surrounding mountains are populated with the same flora and fauna found in the Tropical forest of the Peten. The shoreline however has been populated by fishing villages and vacation homes for the Guatemala City dwellers. Up until a few years ago one could hear the howler monkey at dawn only a few yards from the bridge. Now it is rare. There are protected areas in delta of the Polochic River where Monkey and alligator watching is still possible for the adventurous traveler. Here at Tijax we still have world class bird watching. If you are an avid birdwatcher, you will know that some days are better than others, but on the average day one can see a couple of species of birds of prey, parrots, hummingbirds (even hummingbird nests) as well as the migrations of Swainsons Hawks which number in the thousands. On the Hilltop at Tijax one can find fossil trees and corals which is a sure indicator that once the hill was probably an island. We've also found deposits of fine sand of diatomaceous origin. There certainly was seawater all around, it is not clear however whether the land rose or the waters receded. If the continental plate theory is correct then the land has risen. The same type of subsoil is found all through the Yucatan peninsula and onto the bottom of the Caribbean Sea forming the Caribbean Plate. |
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