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A GLIMPSE ON
GUATEMALA
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Guatemala is a small
Central American nation. Its 42,000 square miles comprise a rich and varied topography.
The high Sierra Madre mountains are the backbone of the country, interspersed with
temperate high plateaus filled with lakes, rivers and 33 volcanoes. From the Sierra Madre
other mountain ranges reach towards the national borders and meet the tropical plains.
These, in turn, stretch towards the sea and join the mangrove forests on the Pacific and
the Caribbean Coasts to the south and the east, while the lowland jungles of the Peten
-which contain the second largest continuous stretch of forest in the American Continent-
lie to the north. Its neighbors are: Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to
the south, El Salvador and Honduras to the southeast and Belize and the Caribbean Ocean to
the northeast. |
Guatemala has 14 different ecosystems and a rich biodiversity. Among a list of 25
countries with the most plant species in the world, Guatemala rates only second to another
Central American nation: Panama. Guatemala's lifeforms are the result of a merger between
the Neartic and the Neotropic plant and animal species. Temperatures may
vary from one region to another. However, the Guatemalan highlands have gained the country
the reputation of being bestowed with one of the best climates on Earth, with an average
high temperature of 77ºF and an average low of about 55º. |
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Guatemala is a hybrid
of ancient traditions and a religion and culture introduced by the Spanish Conquistadors
around the year 1500 A.D., both of which -combined- give Guatemala its unique personality.
Guatemala boasts some of the most impressive Maya archaeological sites in the Maya
World, such as Tikal. Although the official language is Spanish, Guatemala is mostly
composed of an indigenous rural population dedicated to agriculture and other traditional
occupations such as weaving, carpentry and handicrafts. Twenty different ethnic groups
make up Guatemala’s cultural and ethnic weave, of a strong Mayan heritage, alongside
a powerful white minority of European descent. Two other ethnic groups may be added to the
not modest list of residents: the Garifuna, who live in Livingston, a mix between Arawak
Indians from South America and black slaves brought from West Africa to the Americas by
colonials and the "Ladinos", a widespread urban centered ethnic group- mostly
characterized by Latin machismo- which appeared after the Conquest, a mix between
Spaniards and Indians. |
Guatemala has some of the most colorful and impressive holidays among which we may mention
November 1st, or All Saints Day, celebrated with huge kites in the villages of
Sumpango and Santiago Sacatepequez or with a horse race in Todos Santos Cuchumatan. The
Chichicastenango Fair, celebrated between December 14th and 21st, is
one of the few occasions in which visitors may appreciate the Palo Volador, where
locals dressed in monkey attire will sore through the town’s plaza tied to a rope...
All in all, each town has its own fiesta and special celebrations. However, week after
week, each village -however small- holds its market day. Just strolling through a market
will seem like the most uncommon celebration to. Traditional fiestas are indeed one of the
great excitements you may experience on a trip to Guatemala! |
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