Antigua, the former capital of Guatemala, has frequently been hit by earthquakes, but especially the earthquake in 1773 left severe damages, and up to today, dozens of ruins of churches and convents can be seen throughout the city.
No matter how well you know a place, there is always so much more to discover. Though Jess lived here for two years, the 10 wonderful weeks we spent in Guatemala in 2010 led to some of our most magnificent discoveries and experiences of our travels so far. Read on for a list of 33 things, in no particular order, we absolutely love about Guatemala.
300 days on the road… almost exactly 10 months of backpacking! Looking back on Day 1 arriving in Las Vegas back in April to where we are now, we still can not believe how much life, experience, adventure – and work! – we have been able to squeeze into these 300 days.
In 300 days of travel, we have had some amazing ups and disappointing downs, and share with you here our top & flop moments, travel mishaps, favorite experiences and travel recommendations.
Visiting one of Guatemala’s colorful cemeteries is a learning experience like no other.
This weekly series focuses on budget accommodation gems we discover while on the road. This week: Hotel El Amanecer Sak’cari in San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala.
We had no idea about our three hour layover in Guatemala last Monday, but this incredible landscape made us realize that we need to come back for another visit.
Maximón is one of Guatemala’s most popular Mayan folk saints, worshipped in the Western Highlands of Guatemala. Some believe Maximón, also known as San Simón, to be an incarnation of the Mayan god of sexuality, while others think he was a Spanish priest. An effigy of Maximón in the town of Santiago Atitán is celebrated year round.
Located in the Central Highlands of Guatemala is the beautiful Lake Atitlán. At 320m, Lake Atitlán, formedby the collapse of a volcano cone, is the deepest lake in Central America. The lake is surrounded by mountains and three volcanoes, and several villages dot its shores. The villages are inhabited by Maya, mainly Tz’utujil and Kaqchikel, who still dress in their traditional costumes and share their villages with the tourists who come for the stunning scenery and atmosphere of the lake.
It is amazing how much life you can squeeze into 100 days. It seems like forever ago that we wrote our first 100 days on the road post from Mazunte, on the Pacific coast of Mexico. Between then and where we are now, in San Salvador, we have visited four countries, explored caves with Mayan skeletons, climbed volcanoes, swam with sharks and sting rays in the Caribbean, lived for a month in a beach front apartment in Playa del Carmen, had two fairly major illnesses, almost got robbed, traveled to places almost completely off the beaten path, met loads of people, worked full time, even took on extra work, blogged more, and we are nearly finished with a globetrottergirls.com website redesign.