Xetutul is a

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

. It is located in the

Retalhuleu Department Retalhuleu () is a department located in the south-west of Guatemala, extending from the mountains to the Pacific Ocean coast. It has an area of 1856 km2. In 2018 the population of the Department of Retalhuleu was 326,828. Its capital, Re ...

in the southwest of the country. Opening in 2002, Xetutul is the third largest amusement park in

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

, after

Beto Carrero World Beto Carrero World theme park located in Penha, Brazil. This park is part of Santa Catarina's signature amusement parks. It is the largest theme park in Latin America occupying divided into 7 different theme areas. History Beto Carrero Worl ...

Penha Penha may refer to: Places *Penha, Santa Catarina, a municipality in Santa Catarina, Brazil *Penha, Rio de Janeiro, a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil *Penha Circular, a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil *Subprefecture of Penha, São Pau ...

, Santa Catarina,

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and

Six Flags México Six Flags México is a amusement park located in the Tlalpan forest and borough, on the southern edge of Mexico City, Mexico. It is owned and operated by Six Flags, and is the most visited theme park in Latin America with 2.8 million annual visi ...

near

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. Xetutul is associated with the nearby

Xocomil Xocomil is a water park in Guatemala. It is located in the Retalhuleu Department Retalhuleu () is a department located in the south-west of Guatemala, extending from the mountains to the Pacific Ocean coast. It has an area of 1856 km ...

waterpark A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other baref ...

, which opened in 1997, and together the two parks receive over one million visitors every year, making the parks the most popular tourist attraction in the country. Xetulul and Xocomil are operated by the Institute for the Recreation of Guatemalan Private Industry Workers ( IRTRA)—a private company that operates several other parks in Guatemala, as well as nearby hotels and restaurants.

Rides

Xetutul features three

roller coaster A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are o ...

s; Avalancha, a

steel roller coaster A steel roller coaster is a roller coaster that is defined by having a track made of steel. Steel coasters have earned immense popularity in the past 50 years throughout the world. Incorporating tubular steel track and polyurethane-coated whee ...

with 8 inversions (as of September 2018, one of fifteen roller coasters in the world with 8 or more inversionsRCDB list of roller coasters by number of inversions
/ref> and Central America's largest roller coaster when it opened); Choconoy, a smaller family roller coaster; and

Ratón Feliz Ratón ("Mouse" in English) (April 2001 – 24 March 2013) was a Spanish fighting bull that was nicknamed ''el toro asesino'' (the killer bull), ''el sangriento toro Raton'' (the bloody bull 'Raton') and ''el terrible Ratón'' (the terrible Mous ...

, a junior roller coaster built in 2014.RCDB listing of roller coasters at Xetutúl
Xetutul also features the only double-decker

carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (List of sovereign states, international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in South Australia, SA) is a type of amusement ...

in Central America. Also within the park is the

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

Severn Lamb - Lincoln model
Transcostero train ride built by

Severn Lamb Severn Lamb, sometimes known as Severn-Lamb, are manufacturers of various forms of transport systems and equipment, principally aimed at the leisure market. They are based at Alcester in the England, English county of Warwickshire, but sell thei ...

Architecture and history

In addition to its

amusement rides Amusement rides, sometimes called carnival rides, are mechanical devices or structures that move people especially kids to create fun and enjoyment. Rides are often perceived by many as being scary or more dangerous than they actually are. This ...

, Xetulul is also known for its architecture. The park features architectural reproductions of many landmarks from across the world, including the

Trevi Fountain The Trevi Fountain ( it, Fontana di Trevi) is an 18th-century fountain in the Trevi district in Rome, Italy, designed by Italian architect Nicola Salvi and completed by Giuseppe Pannini and several others. Standing high and wide, it is the larg ...

Moulin Rouge Moulin Rouge (, ; ) is a cabaret in Paris, on Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection of, and terminus of Rue Blanche. In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was co-founded by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Olympia (P ...

, and the

Tikal Tikal () (''Tik’al'' in modern Mayan orthography) is the ruin of an ancient city, which was likely to have been called Yax Mutal, found in a rainforest in Guatemala. It is one of the largest archeological sites and urban centers of the pre-Co ...

Temple of the Great Jaguar. The park is divided into seven total plazas, which feature architecture from a total of six countries, including

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, and

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. Each national architecture style is featured in its own unique plaza. The name "Xetulul" originates from the

Kʼicheʼ language Kʼicheʼ (, also known as among its speakers), or Quiché (), is a Mayan language of Guatemala, spoken by the Kʼicheʼ people of the central highlands. With over a million speakers (some 7% of Guatemala's population), Kʼicheʼ is the secon ...

, and means "under the

sapote Sapote (from Nahuatl ''tzapotl'') is a term for a soft, edible fruit. The word is incorporated into the common names of several unrelated fruit-bearing plants native to southern Mexico, Central America and northern parts of South America. It is al ...

s". There are currently plans to expand Xetulul with the addition of a

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

and a convention center.

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Xetutul Theme Park Amusement parks in Guatemala 2002 establishments in Guatemala Retalhuleu Department Amusement parks opened in 2002