An American tourist goes missing while visiting an ancient Mayan city

An American tourist visiting the ancient city of Tikal has disappeared from the Maya civilization.

Guatemalan authorities said Raymond Vincent Ashcroft was visiting the temple ruins on February 3 when he suddenly disappeared. The park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located in a remote jungle in the Petén Department of northern Guatemala.

Ashcroft’s disappearance was reported to authorities at 2 pm, authorities said, and a search party consisting of police, agents from the Civil Tourism Authority and soldiers was dispatched to search for the 66-year-old tourist.

His wife told Fan Vuong local media Her husband of 40 years was on vacation with a birdwatching group when he decided to head back to their hotel room. She stayed behind to take pictures of a crocodile and birds before returning to look for her husband.

Ashcroft has been missing for seven weeks. Guatemalan authorities notified Interpol, which facilitates cross-border law enforcement cooperation, which issued a Yellow Notice. Yellow Notices are issued to help locate missing persons, often minors, or to help locate persons unable to be identified.

Tikal, one of the most important Mayan archaeological complexes, was inhabited from the sixth century BC to the tenth century AD and is located in a protected area of ​​57,600 hectares, according to UNESCO. According to World Heritage Forecasts, 200,000 people annually visit the remains of the temple and palace.

In 2022, German tourist Stefan Petz, 53, found dead In the garden. His body was recovered two days after his disappearance. Local media reportedand died of heatstroke.