About Guatemala

Guatemala is the populous city in Central America with the capital city being Guatemala City. In 1821 Guatemala gained independence from Spain. Its currency is the Guatemalan Quetzal. The country has three major regions: highlands where the mountains are located; Pacific coast and the Peten region. Below are Guatemala Travel Guides from my travels. Guatemala underwent a turbulent Civil War from 1960 to 1996 between the government and leftist rebel groups. The government afflicted human rights violations and genocide of the Mayan people. Thankfully, this ended almost 30 years ago and Guatemala is restoring to a more safe and peaceful country.

Guatemala is home to 37 volcanoes, four of them being active: Fuego, Pacaya, Santiaguito and Tacana. Fuego is the most active volcano, exploding 5-9 times per hour with huge ash plumes. Its last big eruption was in June 2018. Guatemala’s highlands lie along the Motagua Fault, part of the boundary between the Caribbean and North American tectonic plates. This fault has been responsible for several major earthquakes, including a 7.5 magnitude tremor in 1976 which killed more than 25,000 people.

The ancient Mayan Culture mostly settled in Guatemala.  These Mesoamerican people became known for their sophisticated temples, glyphs, mathematics, calendar and astronomical system. The Maya script is the most highly developed writing system in the Pre-Columbian Americas. In the middle of a Guatemalan rainforest the archeological treasure of the ancient city became discovered. This is now Tikal National Park and also a World Heritage Site. Tikal was one of the most powerful kingdoms of the Mayan civilization. Antigua is a popular tourist destination. This ancient city became designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its exquisite Spanish baroque architecture, churches and ruins. Guatemala is also known for being one of the best places in the world to learn Spanish because they have a neutral accent.

Guatemala Travel Guides