If unusual maps are your thing, then the Mapa en Relieve (Relief map) in Guatemala City won’t disappoint you. This enormous outdoor relief map of Guatemala, in Parque Minerva on the outskirts of the capital, dates back to the early years of the 20th century, and is still one of the world’s largest maps.

The concrete and masonry map covers more than 1,800 square meters (19,500 square feet) and shows the whole country, including Belize, which Guatemalans claim was stolen from them by the British.

It uses a horizontal scale of 1:10,000 and a vertical scale of 1:2,000 to exaggerate the rugged topography. This dual scale produces steep-sided valleys and spindly mountain ranges with peaks that look like inverted ice-cream cones.

Small signs mark cities, towns and prominent physical features. Railway lines and roads are also clearly shown. A special hydraulic system simulates Guatemala’s water bodies by pumping water through lead pipes into the map’s rivers, lakes and oceans.

Skirting the edges of the multicolored structure is an ornate stone railing embellished with classical motif and a wide pathway, allowing close-up inspection of Guatemala’s geography. In addition, two strategically placed wooden observation towers – one on the map’s west side and the other on its east side – provide bird’s-eye views of the volcano-studded highlands, narrow coastal lowlands, and undulating limestone plateaus.

From the viewing towers’ covered decks, you can get a sense of both the enormous size of the undertaking and of Guatemala’s remarkable physical diversity.

Guatemalan engineer and cartographer Francisco Vela built the map at the request of the president and dictator Manuel Estrada Cabrera. Vela was born in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala’s second largest city, on July 23, 1859. He left his hometown at 16 for Guatemala City, where he studied at the Polytechnical School and later served in the army, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Vela eventually became director of the Polytechnical School and then Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of San Carlos, Guatemala’s oldest and most prestigious university.

He wrote numerous books on mathematics, geography and topography, but the Mapa en Relieve is considered his greatest work. He reportedly traveled through Guatemala’s mountainous terrain on foot and by mule for five years gathering topographic information. Construction of the map began in 1903, and the mammoth project took almost two years to complete.

Vela’s main collaborators were a fellow engineer named Claudio Urrutia, a former military cadet Ismael Penedo, a construction foreman Francisco Zaldana, plus groups of farm workers and bricklayers who did the painstaking labor of sculpting the convoluted landscape.

After the map was finished, Vela worked for the Guatemalan military, carrying out a study on the boundaries between Guatemala and Honduras. This pursuit was cut short by his untimely death from malaria in 1909 when he was only 50.

The Mapa en Relieve was inaugurated on Oct. 29, 1905. It has survived many natural and manmade disasters over the past century, including hurricanes, devastating earthquakes and civil war. A museum next to it displays historic black and white photographs of the map during and after its construction, along with photos of the Templo de Minerva, which once stood nearby. The Parthenon-like temple, dedicated to the Roman goddess of wisdom and the arts, had to be demolished after being severely damaged by powerful earthquakes in 1971.

The map was totally restored and repainted in late 1999. The Mapa en Relieve has been declared a national historic monument by the Guatemalan government and is a popular attraction for both Guatemalans and visitors from around the globe.

GETTING THERE:

The Mapa en Relieve is located in Parque Minerva, a short bus or taxi ride from downtown Guatemala City. Opening hours are 9 am to 5 pm daily.

Admission is about $2

John Mitchell is a writer and photographer based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.