What was special about the Itza kingdom?

It was the last independent Maya kingdom

What problem has the lake caused in recent years?

Rising water flooding the shore

Lake Petén Itzá Quiz: Flores Island and the Road to Tikal

This Lake Petén Itzá quiz crosses the causeway to the island town of Flores in northern Guatemala. Play an interactive set of 10 questions on Nojpetén, capital of the Itza Maya, the last independent Maya kingdom, the Spanish conquest of 1697, the causeway, colorful streets, rising lake levels, Petén's rainforest and the drive to Tikal.

Start Lake Petén Itzá Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Country
Which country is Lake Petén Itzá in?
Town
Which island town sits in the lake?
Old
What was the island once?
Last
What was special about the Itza kingdom?
Conquest
When did Spanish forces conquer Nojpetén?
Rank
How does the lake rank in Guatemala by size?
Tikal
Which great Maya city lies about an hour's drive away?
Water
What problem has the lake caused in recent years?
Forest
Which ecosystem surrounds the region?
Look
What are Flores's streets known for?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which country is Lake Petén Itzá in?
Answer: Guatemala
It is in the northern Petén region.
Q2: Which island town sits in the lake?
Answer: Flores
A causeway links it to the shore.
Q3: What was the island once?
Answer: Nojpetén, capital of the Itza Maya
Temples once stood there.
Q4: What was special about the Itza kingdom?
Answer: It was the last independent Maya kingdom
It held out for centuries.
Q5: When did Spanish forces conquer Nojpetén?
Answer: 1697
Long after most of Mesoamerica fell.
Q6: How does the lake rank in Guatemala by size?
Answer: Second largest
Lake Izabal is larger.
Q7: Which great Maya city lies about an hour's drive away?
Answer: Tikal
Flores is its gateway.
Q8: What problem has the lake caused in recent years?
Answer: Rising water flooding the shore
Streets have flooded.
Q9: Which ecosystem surrounds the region?
Answer: Tropical rainforest
It is part of the Maya Forest.
Q10: What are Flores's streets known for?
Answer: Colorful houses on hilly lanes
A church crowns the island.

Flores Island and the Last Maya Kingdom

Lake Petén Itzá lies in the Petén region of northern Guatemala and is the country's second largest lake. On a small island stands Flores, a town of colorful houses on hilly lanes, linked to the shore by a causeway. A church crowns the top of the island.

Flores sits on the site of Nojpetén, the capital of the Itza Maya. Their kingdom was the last independent Maya state, holding out until Spanish forces conquered it in 1697, long after the Aztec and most Maya cities had fallen. The temples of Nojpetén were destroyed, and a colonial town grew in their place.

Today Flores is the main gateway to Tikal, about an hour's drive away through the rainforest of the Maya Forest. In recent years rising lake waters have flooded parts of the shore and island streets. Boats carry visitors to small villages and swimming spots around the lake.

What This Quiz Teaches

History fans will enjoy these questions.

Where the lake is
What Flores was once
When the Itza fell
How it links to Tikal
What challenges it faces

Did You Know?

Sunsets over the lake are a highlight.
Howler monkeys call from nearby forests.
Small museums display Maya artifacts.
Boat taxis cross to San Miguel village.
Ruins of Yaxhá lie in the same region.