Discover fascinating things about this incredible country
Guatemala has over 30 volcanoes, with 3 currently active: Fuego, Pacaya, and Santiaguito. Volcán de Fuego erupts approximately every 15-30 minutes, making it one of the world's most consistently active volcanoes. You can watch its eruptions from Acatenango volcano!
Guatemala's highest point is Volcán Tajumulco at 4,220 meters (13,845 feet), making it the highest peak in all of Central America. It's also a volcano, though it's dormant.
To the ancient Maya, jade was more precious than gold. Guatemala has rich jade deposits, and Maya rulers wore elaborate jade jewelry. The deepest green jade, known as "imperial jade," was reserved for the most powerful kings.
Guatemala's national bird is the beautiful Resplendent Quetzal, which also gives its name to the country's currency. The ancient Maya considered the quetzal sacred, and it was a symbol of freedom - they believed the bird would die in captivity (though this is actually a myth).
Guatemala has coastlines on both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, with stunning beaches on both coasts. However, the country is only about 250 miles (400 km) wide at its widest point.
Despite being only slightly larger than Ohio, Guatemala has 14 different ecosystems, ranging from cloud forests to mangrove swamps, coral reefs to volcanic peaks. It's home to over 600 bird species and 8,000 plant species!
The ancient Maya independently invented the concept of zero, one of only a few civilizations to do so. They used it in their sophisticated mathematical system as early as the 4th century AD, centuries before it appeared in Europe.
The Maya calendar was incredibly accurate. Their calculations were so precise that their year (365.2420 days) was closer to the actual solar year than the Gregorian calendar we use today. The famous "2012 end of the world" was simply the end of a 5,125-year cycle in their Long Count calendar.
While Tikal is famous, El Mirador in northern Guatemala is actually larger and older. La Danta pyramid at El Mirador is one of the largest pyramids in the world by volume - even bigger than Egypt's Great Pyramid! It's so remote that it can only be reached by helicopter or a 5-day jungle trek.
Maya hieroglyphic writing is the only fully developed writing system from the pre-Columbian Americas. They had over 800 glyphs and could write anything they could say. Most Maya books (codices) were burned by Spanish conquistadors, with only 4 surviving today.
The Maya tracked Venus so accurately that their calculations were within 2 hours of our modern measurements over a 500-year period! They built observatories and could predict eclipses. Some temples, like Group E at Uaxactun, are aligned with solstices and equinoxes.
Guatemala has the largest Maya population in the world. About 40-42% of Guatemalans are indigenous Maya, representing 23 different Maya ethnic groups, each with their own language, traditions, and colorful traditional clothing (traje).
Traditional Maya clothing (huipiles and cortes) is so distinctive that you can identify which village someone is from just by looking at their outfit. Each community has its own unique patterns, colors, and weaving techniques passed down through generations.
In addition to Spanish, Guatemala recognizes 23 indigenous Maya languages as national languages. K'iche', Q'eqchi', Kaqchikel, and Mam are the most widely spoken. Many Maya people are bilingual or trilingual.
Every November 1st (Day of the Dead), the town of Sumpango holds a festival where locals fly enormous colorful kites - some over 40 feet in diameter! They believe the kites help communicate with deceased loved ones and ward off evil spirits.
On December 7th at 6 PM, Guatemalans participate in "La Quema del Diablo" (Burning of the Devil). People light bonfires in front of their houses and burn effigies of the devil to cleanse their homes of evil before Christmas. The tradition dates back to colonial times.
Maximón (or San Simón) is a unique folk saint worshipped in Guatemala, combining Maya and Catholic traditions. He's represented as a wooden figure dressed in Western clothes, and offerings to him include cigarettes, alcohol, and money. He's particularly venerated in Santiago Atitlán.
The cemetery in Chichicastenango is painted in bright, vibrant colors - blues, yellows, pinks, and greens. Local Maya families believe different colors have different meanings and paint tombs based on their family traditions and the personality of the deceased.
The ancient Maya were among the first to cultivate cacao and create chocolate drinks over 2,600 years ago. The word "chocolate" comes from the Maya word "xocolatl." Cacao beans were so valuable they were used as currency!
Avocados were first domesticated in southern Mexico and Guatemala around 5,000 BC. The word "avocado" comes from the Aztec word "ahuacatl." Guatemala produces some of the world's best avocados, particularly the Hass variety.
Guatemalan coffee is considered among the world's finest. The volcanic soil, high altitude, and climate create perfect growing conditions. Antigua coffee is particularly prized for its distinctive flavor with hints of chocolate and spice.
Guatemala grows more than 150 varieties of corn (maize), ranging in color from white to yellow, red, blue, and even black. Corn is sacred to the Maya - according to the Popol Vuh (Maya creation story), humans were created from corn dough!
Guatemala is the world's largest producer and exporter of cardamom, despite it being native to India. The spice was introduced by German coffee plantation owners in the early 1900s and thrived in the highland climate.
Guatemala City is the largest and most populous city in all of Central America, with a metropolitan population of over 3 million people. It's also the highest capital city in Central America at 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) above sea level.
Lake Atitlán is the deepest lake in Central America, reaching depths of 340 meters (1,115 feet). It was formed about 85,000 years ago when a massive volcano erupted and collapsed, creating the caldera that filled with water. Aldous Huxley called it "the most beautiful lake in the world."
The Popol Vuh, the Maya creation myth written in K'iche' Maya in the 16th century, is considered one of the most important works of indigenous American literature. It tells the story of Maya creation, including the Hero Twins and the creation of humans from corn.
Rigoberta Menchú, a K'iche' Maya woman from Guatemala, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992 for her work in indigenous rights and social justice. She was just 33 years old, making her one of the youngest Nobel laureates ever.
Guatemala has 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Antigua Guatemala (colonial city), Tikal National Park (Maya ruins and biodiversity), and the Archaeological Park of Quiriguá (famous for its giant carved stelae).
Tikal's Temple IV (the tallest structure at 65 meters) was featured in the original Star Wars movie (1977) as the Rebel Base on the planet Yavin 4. The rebels launched their attack on the Death Star from the top of this ancient Maya pyramid!
The distinctive blue color of denim jeans comes from indigo dye. Guatemala was a major producer of indigo during the colonial period, and Guatemalan indigo was highly prized in Europe for making the blue dye used in denim and other fabrics.
Santa Catarina Palopó is one of the most colorful towns in the world! In 2016, a community art project transformed over 850 houses with vibrant traditional Maya patterns. The result is a stunning rainbow of blues, greens, pinks, and purples that cascade down the hillside to Lake Atitlán.
Near Flores, there's a small island in Lake Petén Itzá that's supposedly haunted. While not as famous as Mexico's Island of the Dolls, local legends tell of Maya spirits that inhabit the island, and some tour guides refuse to visit after dark!
The marimba, a wooden percussion instrument similar to a xylophone, is Guatemala's national instrument. While its exact origins are debated (possibly African or indigenous), the marimba is central to Guatemalan music and some can be over 8 feet long!
The name "Guatemala" comes from the Nahuatl (Aztec) word "Cuauhtēmallān," which means "place of many trees." This name was used by the indigenous Mexican warriors who accompanied Pedro de Alvarado during the Spanish conquest.
Guatemala's iconic "chicken buses" (camionetas) are recycled American school buses that get a colorful makeover. Owners paint them in wild colors, add chrome, religious icons, and powerful sound systems. They're called chicken buses because people often transport live chickens and other animals on them!