Information about Guatemala
Guatemala was the heart of the flourishing Maya Indian civilization from 500AD to 900AD. After the collapse of the lowland Maya cities in late 800sAD, the Maya cities of the central highland mountains continued until they were conquered by the Spanish, who first arrived in 1523AD and colonized the area. Guatemala became independent of Spain in 1821. The official language is Spanish, but it is often the second language among some the indigenous population. Several Maya language dialects are still spoken, especially in rural areas. Guatemala's currency is the Quetzal, named for its national bird, the Resplendent Quetzal. Guatemala has a history of revolutions, coups and non-democratic governments. The last guerilla war ended in December 1996 with the signing of the peace accords, which ended 36 years of civil war, leading to successful democratic elections in 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011. The agricultural sector exports, coffee, sugar, and bananas and occupies one half of the labor force. Tourism has now become an important part of the country's income. Except for the coastal areas, Guatemala is mostly mountainous. Most of the cities and population are situated in the southern half of the country.

The name Guatemala, meaning "land of forests," was derived from one of the Mayan dialects spoken by the indigenous people at the time of the Spanish conquest in 1523. It is used today by outsiders, as well as by most citizens, although for many purposes the descendants of the original inhabitants still prefer to identify themselves by the names of their specific language dialects, which reflect political divisions from the sixteenth century. A small group of African–Americans, known as Garifuna, lives on the Atlantic coast, but their culture is more closely related to those found in other Caribbean nations than to the cultures of Guatemala itself. Guatemala is the only Central American country where the indigenous Indian people are in the majority, and their culture is vividly conveyed in their bright, often hand-woven textiles. Before the Spanish Conquest, the Maya civilization was probably the most advanced in the Americas at that time. Actually it began to fall before Columbus arrived, and many of the Maya cities are still being discovered in the thick jungle in the north.

Arriving by air in Guatemala City you’ll see a sprawling metropolis shouldered by three volcanoes: Fuego, Agua and Pacaya. Pacaya is Central America’s most active volcano. This capital city has several museums that offer the visitor an in site to the Maya. The Popol Vuh Archaeological Museum is very good and interesting. The Popol Vuh is the Maya sacred text describing many Maya legends such as the story of the ball-playing twins who fought the lords of the underworld and became the Sun and the Moon. The Ixchel Museum of Indigenous Textiles and Clothing is also interesting. It explains the ancient Maya art of weaving which you will see across the country.

The national culture also was influenced by the arrival of other Europeans, especially Germans, in the second half of the nineteenth century, as well as by the more recent movement of thousands of Guatemalans to and from the United States. There has been increased immigration from China, Japan, Korea, and the Middle East, although those groups, while increasingly visible, have not contributed to the national culture, nor have many of them adopted it as their own. Within Central America the citizens of each country are affectionately known by a nickname of which they are proud, but which is sometimes used disparagingly by others, much like the term "Yankee." The term "Chapín" (plural, "Chapines"), the origin of which is unknown, denotes anyone from Guatemala. When traveling outside of Guatemala, all its citizens define themselves as Guatemalans and/or Chapines.

Geography
Guatemala is the third largest country in Central America and shares borders with Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras and Belize and the Caribbean Sea, and to the south with the Pacific Ocean. The landscape is predominantly mountainous and heavily forested, with narrow coastal plains and tropical, humid lowlands blanketed in rainforests, coffee and banana plantations.

A string of volcanoes rises above the southern highlands along the Pacific, four of which are still active. Within this volcanic area are basins of varying sizes which hold the majority of the country's population. The region is drained by rivers flowing into both the Pacific and the Caribbean; however one basin west of the capital has no river outlet and thus has formed Lake Atitlán, which is ringed by volcanoes. To the northwest, bordering on Belize and Mexico, lies the low undulating tableland of El Petén, 36,300 sq km (14,000 sq miles) of almost inaccessible wilderness covered with dense hardwood forest. This area covers approximately one-third of the national territory, yet contains only 40,000 people.

People
Guatemala has approximately 13 million inhabitants. The western and northwestern highlands have the highest population density, while the lowlands of the Peten department are only sparsely populated. Just over 60 percent of Guatemala's population are of mixed Amerindian-Spanish descent. The remaining 40 percent belong to one of 23 Mayan ethnic groups, making Guatemala one of the countries with the largest indigenous populations in Latin America. 

Traditional Mayan dress is still worn in many parts of the country, particularly in rural areas. The patterns and colors of typical Mayan blouses and skirts vary from region to region and often from town to town. On holidays and special occasions dress is particularly colorful and often includes distinctive headdress. Most typical Mayan fabrics are hand-woven and sold in the local markets or in the streets. Traditional Mayan dress is not as prevalent among men as among women, and it is often combined with western-style hats or shirts.  Drums, flutes and marimbas are the most important traditional Mayan musical instruments. The town of Livingston on Guatemala's Caribbean coast is home to the country's only Garifuna community. Their distinct customs, music and food give Livingston a unique ambiance that can't be found in other Guatemalan towns.

Government
The capital of Guatemala is Guatemala City. The Republic of Guatemala (conventional name of Guatemala) is a federal republic divided into Executive, Legislative and Judicial branch. The country is split into 22 departments. The Guatemalan Republic was found on September 15, 1821 and the Guatemaltecos celebrate that day in September as their National holiday.

Climate
Instead of winter and summer, Guatemala has a dry and rainy season. The rainy season extends from May to October, but has some short dry periods in July and August. The rainy season doesn't mean days of continuous rain; the sun still shines for part of the day, often raining in the afternoon. Guatemala, however, rarely experiences heavy tropical storms. The dry period stretches from March to the early part of May when the country may go weeks without rain. Guatemala has a few surprises in its climate. Because the country is in Central America, most people assume it has a tropical climate; however, despite the tropical location, Guatemala's mountains alter the weather. While parts of the country have a climate typical of a tropical country, other areas actually see temperatures below freezing. Meteorologists divide Guatemala into three climate zones, which include temperate, tropical and cool zones.

Temperate Zone
Many of the popular tourist destinations in Guatemala, such as Antigua and Guatemala City, are in the country's temperate zone. This zone includes any areas 3,300 feet above sea level to 6,600 feet above sea level. Temperatures are much more comfortable than the tropical zone, with daytime temperatures reaching a high of 85 F. Nighttime temperatures are cool, but never below freezing. This zone's warmest month is April, and the coolest month is January.

Tropical Zone
Guatemala has a long coastal plain along the Pacific Ocean, while the eastern side of the country has a shorter coastline along the Caribbean Sea. These coastal plains and lowlands have a distinctly tropical climate. The temperatures range from highs of 100 Fahrenheit and lows of 70 F at night. The tropical zone stretches from each coastline, both east and west, inland to an altitude of 3,300 feet. Travelers to the tropical zone can expect high humidity and hot temperatures year-round.

Cool Zone
Most of Guatemala is rural and mountainous, and Guatemala's cool zone includes these mountainous regions that sit above 6,600 feet. In stark contrast to the tropical zone, nighttime temperatures are cold; on occasion, nighttime temperatures even fall below freezing. Daytime temperatures average around 70 F. The cool zone is a rural region with a single major city, Quetzaltenango, not often visited by tourists.

Safety in Guatemala

When out and about
Taking a few simple precautions when traveling in Guatemala is usually enough to avoid being a target. Use common sense as you would in any larger city, hire only yellow or green taxis or better ask hotels or restaurants to order you a cab. Don't wear anything that looks or is valuable. Pickpockets are the most common threat in Guatemala. They typically work in pairs or in threes. Crowded markets or street corners are hot spots for this. Try to keep your cash and credit cards in different places, so that if one gets stolen you can fall back on the other. Do not display signs of affluence, especially in airports. Avoid travelling alone (especially late at night) and ensure that your personal belongings, passports and other travel documents are locked up at the hotel. Carry only a copy of the identification page of your passport and sufficient funds for the day. Use automated banking machines (ATMs) at hotels. If you become a victim of crime in Guatemala, you should first call the police at 110 or 120 and 122 or 123 for the fire department and ambulance services (the local equivalents of 911), or contact the closest police station.

Desease prevention / Vaccines
Many travel-related diseases are spread by infected insects such as mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, or flies. To minimize your risk of catching a travel related disease in tropical zones (especially in the Tikal area) you should always take protective measures to avoid insect bites. Wear light-colored, long-sleeved, loose fitting, tucked-in shirts, long pants, shoes or boots (not sandals), and a hat. Use insect repellent on exposed skin! Make sure you are up-to-date on routine vaccines before every trip. These vaccines include measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine, varicella (chickenpox) vaccine and polio vaccine.

Currency
You can change most currencies into Quetzales (GTQ) at the reception of your hotel or at the many local banks. Please be prepared to show your passport when you change money at a bank.

Tipping
Every restaurant bill includes a service charge and tax, so you are not obliged to "tip" as such. But if you have a friendly server which takes good care of you, then you can tip him/her a little bit, such as leaving the (coin) change or as much as 10% of the total. With Taxicab drivers pretty much the same: if friendly and helpful add "a little". Bellmen we recommend US$1 per bag. Concierges should be tipped if they got you something which would have been impossible for you to get without their assistance.

Revue Magazine
Revue is Guatemala’s English-language Magazine and distributed all over Guatemala. Get excited about your upcoming vacation and learn interesting details about Guatemala including food, history, agriculture, wildlife conservation and much more.

Major cities: Guatemala City, Mixco, Villa Nueva, Petapa, San Juan Sacatepequez, Quetzaltenango (Xela), Escuintla

Bordering countries: Belize (to the North), Mexico (to the West), El Salvador (to the South), Honduras (to the East)

Religions: Mestizo (mixed Amerindian-Spanish) 60 %, K'iche 9.1%, Kaqchikel 8.4%, Mam 7.9%, Q'eqchi 6.3%, other Mayan 8.6%, indigenous non-Mayan 0.2%, other 0.1%