Xetulul Theme Park

Xetutul is a theme park in Guatemala. It is located in the Retalhuleu Department in the southwest of the country. Opening in 2002,[1] Xetutul is the third largest amusement park in Latin America, after Beto Carrero World in Penha, Santa Catarina, Brazil and Six Flags México near Mexico City, Mexico.[2] Xetutul is associated with the nearby Xocomil waterpark, 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.[1]

Xetulul Theme Park
view of the Xetulul park in 2003
Location Retalhuleu Department, Guatemala
Operated byIRTRA.
Opened29 June 2002 (2002-06-29)
Previous namesXetulul.
Visitors per annum1,000,000.

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.[1]

Rides
Avalancha roller coaster

Xetutul features three roller coasters; Avalancha, a steel roller coaster with 8 inversions (as of September 2018, one of fifteen roller coasters in the world with 8 or more inversions[3] and Central America's largest roller coaster when it opened[1]); Choconoy, a smaller family roller coaster; and Ratón Feliz, a junior roller coaster built in 2014.[4] Xetutul also features the only double-decker carousel in Central America.[2] Also within the park is the 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge[5] Transcostero train ride built by Severn Lamb.

Architecture and history
Replica of the Tikal Temple of the Great Jaguar

In addition to its amusement rides, Xetulul is also known for its architecture. The park features architectural reproductions of many landmarks from across the world, including the Trevi Fountain, Moulin Rouge, and the Tikal Temple of the Great Jaguar.[1] The park is divided into seven total plazas, which feature architecture from a total of six countries, including France, Germany, Guatemala, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland. Each national architecture style is featured in its own unique plaza.[2]

The name "Xetulul" originates from the K'iche' language, and means "under the sapotes".[2] There are currently plans to expand Xetulul with the addition of a golf course and a convention center.[1]

References
  1. Argueta, Al (2007). Moon Handbooks Guatemala. Avalon Travel. ISBN 978-1-59880-057-9.
  2. Morales, María Gabriela Higueros (2006). Caracterización de la Gastronomía del Departamento de Retalhuleu (PDF) (Business Administration thesis). Universidad del Istmo.
  3. RCDB list of roller coasters by number of inversions
  4. RCDB listing of roller coasters at Xetutúl Archived May 24, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  5. Severn Lamb - Lincoln model Archived February 10, 2014, at the Wayback Machine

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