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Guatemala
Guatemala is a nation rich in history, famed for its friendly people, native arts and crafts, natural beauty and vast diversity of wild life. A journey in Guatemala takes the visitor in a few minutes from the lush vegetation of the warm low lands zone to the cold of the pine forests providing a unique opportunity to combine explorations of the nation’s famed Maya ruins with natural history tours through incredible rain forests and jungles that abound in birds and other wildlife as well as unique tropical flora.
In this small country of only 70,000 square miles, the ancient Maya civilization had its heyday in the first millennium of our calendar. In 1523, the Spaniard Pedro de Alvarado, sent by Hernán Cortés, launched the conquest of Guatemala and with the cruel destruction and subjugation of the Quiche, Kakchikel and Tzutujil lords, the colonial era opened. The restored pyramids and temples pay silent tribute to the Maya civilization which first appeared more than 3,000 years ago and the complex Maya society is evident in the impressive structures and ruins left everywhere in the country.
COUNTRY INFORMATION - More information on all regions of Guatemala.
Suggested Guatemala Discoveries
- CLASSIC TOURS - Guatemala is a country rich in culture and nature. As such, Guatemala offers many possibilities for great discoveries, adventure programs and cultural visits. The visitor can see and admire traditional rituals and ceremonies, pre-Hispanic and Colonial monuments, landscape and nature parks. Here you will also find some of the most impressive ancient Mayan architecture and beautiful old Spanish colonial towns in Central America. After the Maya abandoned the larger cities in El Peten, they migrated to the temperate climate of the highlands with their fertile soils. Their traditions, handicrafts and stories are the legacy of the ancient Maya.
- CUSTOMIZED PROGRAMS - As specialists on this destination, we can prepare “the” specific itinerary you desire with the exact services you need. If you would like to have “your own” itinerary, contact us and advise us of all your requirements
