Destinations in Guatemala
About Guatemala
If you want to dig deep into the ancient history of the Americas, Guatemala is the place for you!
To simply say that Guatemala has a long history would be a vast understatement. As the recognized cultural center of the Pre-Columbian Mayan world, the territory was home to farming and fishing villages from as far back as 2000 B.C. These populations then flourished into what would come to be dubbed the most advanced ancient civilizations of the New World- peaking between 600 and 900 A.D.
The vast majority of the country's more than 11 million inhabitants are of latino and indigenous descent. Due to this intriguing facet of Guatemala's culture, the Mayan Indians have managed to preserve some of the continent's richest traditions and folklore.
Even so, the effects of Spain's colonialism centuries ago are still very much present, which you can see in colonial cities like Guatemala's capital, Antigua. Guatemalans weave together ancient Mayan rituals with Catholicism, not to mention the mixing of Spanish with over 20 native languages and dialects!
