From the highlands that cradle Lake Atitlán to the jungle protecting the ruins of Tikal, this Mayan land offers its treasures to lovers of nature, archaeology, and traditions. Discover Guatemala:
Its original name Nahuatl It is lost in the mists of time. It evokes the "wooded place" or the "land of eagles" for some, the "mountain of spewing water" for others, in reference to the volcanic eruptions that created its high plateaus, the beating heart of Mayan identity. The whims of the earth gave birth to 37 domes, some of which are still very active. The Fuego dome is the easiest to admire, after a climb that offers the spectacle of its incandescent glow piercing the darkness of the night, just a few kilometers from Antigua. Life is good in the country's former capital, a colonial gem listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Immersing yourself in the atmosphere of its colorful streets for a few days will also allow you to taste coffee at its source, in the farms surrounding areas benefit from the rich soils fertilized by volcanoes. Plantations can also be visited not far from Lake Atitlán, nestled between three volcanoes with perfect cones, in a deep caldera carved out by an explosion 84,000 years ago.
An invitation to take the boat to the other side and discover the unspoiled villages, where you will encounter women wearing huipils of an intense red, and where you might even have the chance to participate in a cacao ceremony. Guatemala is indeed the Latin American country that has preserved the most pre-Hispanic traditions, thanks to the Indigenous people who represent nearly half of its population. The exploration continues with the country's largest Indigenous market, in Chichicastenango, and the more adventurous can venture into the stunning, remote mountains of the Ixil Triangle. Other landscapes will remain etched in memory, such as those of Semuc Champey, where turquoise waterfalls cascade into a tropical setting, or the Candelaria Caves, traversed by an underground river. These caverns were sacred to the Maya, whose most fabulous ceremonial centers include Tikal, abandoned at the end of the 9th century.e century. In this "place of echoes", getting up at dawn to witness the awakening of the jungle becomes a mystical experience.