Guatemala, also known as the “Place of Many Trees,” is a mountainous carpet of green splashed with the color of ancient culture and years of guarded tradition. Home to three UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the city of Antigua, Guatemala is both simple and complex. Earthy and reverential. Rugged and delicate.
For centuries, Mayan women have kept alive the tradition of weaving that produces some of the most globally recognized textiles. At a glance, it may appear these clothing pieces are fairly similar, but coming to understanding the history and culture of Guatemala and having the opportunity to take a closer look at textiles from several villages, you can glean that these textiles are far more complex and representative of more than you can imagine.
Backdropped by volcanos and sitting almost directly atop tectonic plates, Antigua is compassed and enchanting where everything you see feels like picture inside of picture inside of picture. No more than a simple overlay of grids, this colonial town is easy to navigate and charming enough to be drawn into exploring every nook and cranny. More than anything, I found myself in awe at the natural beauty of Guatemalan people and amazed at reclamation after disaster.
There are at least eleven villages surrounding Lake Atitlán, and you might visit them all for different reasons. I made it to four during my latest trip to Guatemala, and was amazed at how each village could be described as having its very own personality: Panajachel with its familiar vibe, illusory San Juan La Laguna, beguiling San Pedro, and reticent Santiago.
Guatemala is a Central American country just underneath Mexico that is home to Mayan culture, volcanoes, delicious coffee and so much more. It is one of the largest countries in Central America and hosts the most populous urban area, Guatemala City. There is so much to explore in Guatemala, but here are ten things I learned while there that I found most interesting.
Guatemala is fairly simple to navigate, even with limited Spanish. It can be as cheap or as expensive as you’d like depending on how you travel, but it’s important to note that your money can go a long way here. Convenient transportation like tuc tucs and chicken buses or meals at the local market rather than at restaurants are both ways to stretch your money.
Aside from visits to local markets and Mayan villages, taking a Guatemalan cooking class was as cinematic as it sounds. When I think about travel, food is almost synonymous, and it presents a unique opportunity to understand the history and culture of a new place through its best dishes.
Good Hotel is a former private mansion and sustainable property in central city Antigua that began as a charitable organization years ago and evolved into several properties in different countries. While I fell in love with the design of the property, I also knew I wanted to stay because I greatly appreciated that the chain invests in the local community in a number of ways.
If you look up things to do in Guatemala, Chichicastenango Market will undoubtedly come up, as it’s one of the biggest and most beautiful markets in Central America. It has long been a trading post and place of value for the Mayan people and represents a sort of all-encompassing independence from the way they sell their goods to the way they practice a religion that was once punishable to the way that what truly is everyday and mundane for natives seems both requisite and monumental to outsiders.
It’s dynamic. It’s kaleidoscopic. It’s spirited. It’s San Juan La Laguna. From the time I stepped off the boat onto the dock, I could feel the vibration of the village. It appeared that more people were arriving than leaving, and that was both simultaneously a good indication that I would love it but that I also might have an itch to stay.