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WILDLIFE IN THE PETÉN Despite illegal logging and environmental damage, vast areas of the Petén forest remain intact, and this is still one of the best places in Central America to see some spectacular wildlife. A number of national parks and preserves have been established (and combined as the Maya Biosphere Reserve) to protect the…
THE UNITED FRUIT COMPANY One of the most impressive ancient sites in Mesoamerica is Copán (for more information, click here), featuring some of the Mayan world’s greatest treasures. This restored Mayan city sits on the banks of the Río Copán, only 12km (8 miles) into Honduras from the Guatemalan border town of El Florido. An…
Fact Boat cruises around El Golfete (usually departing from Livingston) often stop at the hot springs that empty into the lagoon, so you can take a dip in the warm, sulfurous water. It is an idyllic spot, shaded by overhanging trees and surrounded by lush jungle vegetation. Puerto Barrios Puerto Barrios # [map] , in…
Where Orchid lovers, take note: Orquigonia (www.orquigonia.blogspot.com; Mon–Sat 9am–noon, 2–4.30pm, Sun 9am–noon) is a specialist nursery where thousands of plants, including more than 600 species of orchid, are grown. Orquigonia hosts a variety of activities, including tours and workshops, and they rent out cabins. El Oriente El Oriente unfolds south of the Carretera al Atlántico….
FIESTA DE TODOS SANTOS Guatemala is the land of festivals, but there’s one that tops them all: the Fiesta de Todos Santos. At the end of every October, Todosanteros (men from Todos Santos Cuchumatán) return to the village from all over Guatemala to celebrate the festival of All Saints (Todos Santos), the most famous in…
Fact Momostenango means ‘Citadel of the Altars,’ after the many altars found around the town and surrounding hills and reflecting the longstanding religious devotion of many of the townspeople. Unfortunately, Zaculeu was insensitively rebuilt in 1947, the temples covered in a bland stucco finish, lacking any decorative detail. Despite this, it is still worth a…
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,…