THE COSTUMES OF GUATEMALA The Maya today identify with their villages rather than with their ancestral tribes, although the languages they speak still conform to the pattern of ancient tribal boundaries. Marriages between members of different communities are relatively rare, and village identity is consolidated further by the distinctive clothes worn by the women and…
HABLAS ESPAÑOL? Antigua has more than 50 language schools, catering to all levels, from complete beginners to those in pursuit of total fluency. With highly affordable rates. Antigua’s language schools offer a range of classes and accommodations, including family homestays – with three full meals a day – or guesthouses; prices range from US$170 to…
THE CHURCHES OF ANTIGUA Antigua’s numerous churches, characterized by a unique ‘squat Baroque’ style, are the dazzling jewels in this colonialized city’s crown. Built with immensely thick walls, and supported by colossal foundations and giant buttresses, the churches were developed in a futile effort to resist the perpetual tremors that have plagued the city since…
ANTIGUA: A CATACLYSMIC HISTORY Few cities in the world can claim such a cataclysmic past, founded on disaster and punctuated by periods of glory and seismic destruction. Antigua was actually the third capital of Guatemala and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. The Spanish first settled close to the modern town of Tecpán,…
The Parque Central The heart of Antigua is the Parque Central, the delightful main square, popular night and day with locals and visitors who come to soak up the atmosphere. The park is bounded on all four sides by graceful colonial buildings that represented the epicenter of the Spanish empire in Central America for more…
Tip The Patio de la Paz in the western courtyard of the Palacio Nacional features two large brass hands, which commemorate the 1996 signing of the Guatemalan Peace Accords. The schedule changes, but generally the military guard changes the rose held in the brass hands daily at 11am, and the previous one is tossed to…
GUATEMALA From ancient Maya pyramids and beautifully-preserved colonial architecture to mighty mountains and sparkling lakes, Guatemala is rich in culture and offers everything for a memorable adventure. Main Attractions Guatemala City Antigua Lago de Atitlán Panajachel Chichicastenango Santa Cruz del Quiché Quetzaltenango Cobán The Petén and Tikal Guatemala is both the ancient and modern heart…
Fact Leftist Zapatista rebels have challenged the authorities’ control in Chiapas since 1994, leading to sporadic confrontations and violent incidents, but in recent years the situation has generally been one of a peaceful standoff, and rarely affects travelers to the region. That said, Mexican military checkpoints are quite common on roads in Chiapas, where your…
A CLASSIC TRAVELOGUE John L. Stephens, North American explorer and travel writer, and his colleague, the English artist and architect Frederick Catherwood, came to Central America in 1839, inspired by an edition they had found of Captain del Río’s expedition to Palenque in 1786. This, in Stephens’s blunt prose, had ‘roused our curiosity.’ Over the…
YUCATÁN CENOTES The elusiveness of water has always marked life in the Yucatán. There are no surface rivers anywhere north of Champotón, on the west coast, and the Belize border on the east. Rainwater sinks straight through the rock, and the Yucatán is honeycombed with caves and sinkholes (cenotes), including the longest underwater cave systems…