The biggest country in Central America but relatively small compared to Mexico, Guatemala is the main territory where the Mayan Civilization was located, and it's still rich of civilization and culture which makes it a place very much worth of a visit.
My parents twenty-five years ago had travelled across the states of Yucatan, Campeche and Chiapas in Mexico, ending their trip in Guatemala, so I decided I wanted to follow their steps.
The flag of Guatemala has two light blue stripes on the side of a white center, representing the location of the country in the middle of the two Oceans Pacific and Atlantic. In the center it is set the the Coat of Arms with a Quetzal on it, the beautiful bird that is the symbol of the country (even their money are called Quetzals).
The last city I was in Chiapas was Cristobal de Las Casas, a little tiny pueblo that is still considered magic and mystical for maintaining its original architecture, culture, folklore, and history intact.
From that point, my goal was to enter Guatemala by land, which meant crossing the border with a bus crossing from Ciudad Cuauhtémoc to La Mesilla, which is about four hours away, and then grab another transport to reach Huehuetenango or Quetzaltenango, also known by the Mayan name Xel'a.
There are no direct public trasportation that operates the travel between the two cities, so what I would mostly recommnend is to book the journey through a travel agency in Mexico.
When you arrive in Guatemala, at the border there is a lot of confusion and dicrepancies: make sure that the police office stamps your passport, because to me he didn't and I had troubles later exiting the country
Leaving a 7 o'clock in the morning, I safely reached Huehuetenango at 16:00. And my Guatemala journey begun!
Huehuetenango
Huehuetenango is the first province city close to Mexico. The city itself is pretty small and cute, but the territory around is rich of beautiful landscapes. From here you could go on visiting Chichicastenango, where you will feel like the time has stopped.
It’s known for its open-air craft market and indigenous Maya culture. a village where the ninety-eight of the Population is indigenous Maya and is characterized by traditional and colorful textile markets, or some painting from famous artists that I really appreciated.
Lake Atitlan
This lake is one of the most beautiful places in Guatemala. There are several villages on the shore of the lake where you can go, probably the most popular one is Panajacel. I slept there one night in a perfect hostel called Hostal Dulces Suenos, and the second day I took the boat to reach San Pedro Laguna, where on a horse ride I enjoyed the beauty od the nature on the shore of the lake.
Antigua Guatemala
Antigua Guatemala was the capital of the country from 1543 to 1773 before the new Guatemala City was built to replace it. It is the best place to go in Guatemala after you have been to the Lake Atitlan. The city has a relatively small center made of colorful houses and narrow roads that make it look like a typical Latin American town.
Naturewise, it is surrounded by three main volcanos: Acatenango, Pacaya, and Volcan de Agua. If you walk up until Cerro de La Cruz in the early morning or for a sunset, you will find an amazing view of the city backed up by the amazing shape of the volcano, it is outstanding!
Volcano Pacaya
If you are a low-cost traveler, this excursion will leave you breathtaking and worth the price. Arriving in Antigua Guatemala, go direct in whichever travel agency and book for Pacaya Adventure. For only 10 American Dollars they will pick you up at your hostel and bring you there.
The entrance in the National Park, worth 20 Quetzals (2USD) is not included.After around one hour driving, a guide will lead you by walk towards the edge of an active volcano, that you will be able to see along the path and finally till the lava and on the scorching rocks you will grill Marshmallows.
Did you know that the singer Ricardo Arjona is from Guatemala? You should listen to his song Señorita, it is one of my favourites and a very good start to learn Spanish!
Los martes se llamaba Margarita
Los viernes por la noche ya era Lola
Yo siempre le decia senorita
Usted no tiene porque estar tan sola
On Tuesday she was called Margarita
on Friday night her name was Lola,
i always called her Señorita (Miss),
you don’t deserve to be alone
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