Pass The Passport

Places / North & Central America

Guatemala

Visited

At a glance

Region
Central America
Capital
Guatemala City
Population
18.7 million (2025)
Area
108,889 km²
Languages
Spanish
Currency
Guatemalan quetzal (GTQ)
Drives on the
right
Calling code
+502
Visited: Guatemala

Country visited City visited Still to go Click a pin or country to read more. Zoom with + and −, a double-click or a pinch.

Before you go

Overview

The Republic of Guatemala is a country situated in Central America. It is the most populous country in Central America.

The country recorded a population of 17.25 million in 2018 and covers an area of 108,888 km2. Its capital, which is also the largest city, is Guatemala City.

Its landmarks include the National Palace of culture and the National Museum of Archeology and Ethnology. Other urban centres are Mixco, Villa Nueva and Quetzaltenango.

The old town of Antigua.

History

It was colonized by Spain in 1524. It became independent from Spain in 1821.

Food & culture

The country’s culture is influenced by Spanish and Mayan cultures.

The major crops grown here include coffee, sugar, bananas, cotton, hemp and cacao.

The most popular dishes are pepian, kak’ik, chiles rellenos, fiambre, hilachas, elote loco and tostadas.

Wildlife

Common wildlife animals include quetzal, iguana, sea turtle, spider monkey, puma, crocodile, snake, howler, stork, ape, tapir, jaguar, deer, ocelot, scarlet macaw and peccary.

Festivals & events

The popular events held in the country include the New Year Festival, National Indigenous Festival, National Folklore Festival of El Paab’anc, Independence Day on September and Dance of the Giants in June.

Things to see

Tikal is a native Mayan citadel located at the rainforests in the northern part of the country.

Semuc Champey is a natural monument located near Qeqchi May town of Lanquin with a 300 m limestone bridge.

Pacaya is an active complex volcano with a height of 2,552 m in the country that has erupted 23 times since its first eruption 23,000 years ago.

Other must-visit sites are Acatenango, Rio Duice and Yaxha.

Interesting facts

The national bird is Quetzal, which is the national symbol of the country and the title of its currency.

The country has the highest population in Central America.

The longest civil war in Latin America is the Guatemalan War that lasted from 1960 to 1996.

City guides

Cities & towns I’ve visited

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Guatemala

2 of 4 visited. See every site I've been to.

My videos from Guatemala

  • Walking up to live lava on Pacaya volcano
    Pacaya volcano, Guatemala

  • Volcán de Fuego erupting, seen from Acatenango
    Acatenango, Guatemala

My photos from Guatemala

From 2 trips, newest first, so you can see which places each set of photos came from.

January 2020 Central America

Acatenango, Flores, Antigua, Lake Atitlán, Panajachel, Antigua Guatemala, Santiago Atitlán, Chichicastenango

Whole trip gallery
  • Volcán de Fuego silhouetted against a deep orange sunset from Acatenango.
  • Sunrise over the volcano-studded horizon from the summit of Acatenango.
  • A trail winding through dense cloud forest above Antigua.
  • Colourful woven textiles for sale at Lake Atitlán.
  • A man crouching on a stone path beside a friendly brown dog.
  • A colourful Peten sign beside a lake with palm trees and greenery.
  • Stone Mayan temple tops rising above dense green jungle canopy under cloudy sky.
  • A cone-shaped volcano with a cap of cloud above the town of Antigua Guatemala.
  • A market stall hung with brightly coloured woven Guatemalan textiles and bags.
  • A large colourful embroidered textile with floral patterns displayed at a market.

November 2009 San Pedro La Laguna and Monterrico

San Pedro La Laguna, Monterrico

Whole trip gallery
  • A man smiling in front of glowing orange lava flowing between black rocks on Pacaya volcano.
  • A man crouching on black lava fields in the mist, holding a piece of volcanic rock.
  • A man sitting on black volcanic rock beside a glowing orange lava flow on Pacaya.
  • Close-up of a man smiling with a stream of red lava visible behind him on Pacaya volcano.
  • The sun low over waves breaking on the black sand beach at Monterrico.

Plan your trip to Guatemala

Some of these are affiliate links: if you book through them I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. More about this.

Neighbours

Bucket List goals in Guatemala