Guatemala is a country gathering its wits after thirty-odd years of insane civil war. Once part of the great Mayan civilization and later a Spanish colony, Guatemala has been governed by military officers allied with wealthy landowners for most of its post-independence history. It is thought to have the most unequal structure of land ownership and income distribution of all the Latin American countries. To the visitor, it offers Central America in concentrated form: its volcanoes are the highest and most active; its Mayan ruins the most impressive; its earthquakes the most devastating; and its exhausting history of repression among the worst.

Facts at a Glance:

Full country name: Republic of Guatemala
Area: 42,500 sq mi (about the size of Tennessee)
Population: 14.65 million with a 2.57% growth rate (2005 est.)
Capital city: Guatemala City (pop. 2 million)
People: 59.4% Spanish (mestizo/latino) descent, 40.3% Mayan descent, 0.2%indigenous non-Mayan, 0.1% other
Language: Spanish & 23 indigenous languages
Religion: Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Mayan-Catholic fusion
Government: Democracy with 22 administrative divisions
President: Oscar Jose Rafael Berger Perdomo
Independence: September 15, 1821 from Spain
Constitution: Established on May 31, 1985 and effective January 14, 1986 (note – it was suspended May 25,1993 by former President SERRANO; reinstated June 5,1993 following ousting of president, and amended in November 1993)

Location, Land, and Environment:
Guatemala is Central America's westernmost country, bordering Mexico to the north and northwest, Belize to the northeast, and Honduras and El Salvador to the east. Guatemala's volatile topography is mountainous and forested, volcanoes and jungle. The western highlands are home to over 30 volcanoes, which reach heights of up to 12,464 feet and cast a red glow at night. The area experiences frequent earthquake activity. The intensively cultivated Pacific coastline is a vast expanse of mostly black-sand beaches, and the tiny Caribbean coastline also lacks beaches but is culturally rich. The vast jungle lowland of El Petén fills the interior, characterized by a mix of banana plantations and soils rich in dinosaur bones. Guatemala's geography has frequently influenced its history. About two-thirds of the country's total land area is mountainous. The rugged terrain provided refuge that allowed the indigenous peoples to survive the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, while the fertile valleys eventually produced fine coffees and other crops that dominated the nation's economy.

Natural hazards:
There are numerous volcanoes in the mountains, with occasional violent earthquakes and the Caribbean coast subject to hurricanes and other tropical storms. These frequent volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and torrential rains have often brought disaster to the country and made building and maintaining roads and railways very difficult.

Environmental issues:

Current threats are deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; and damage from hurricane Mitch. Much of Guatemala's rich biodiversity is found in its tropical forests. The country is home to a large proportion of endemic species, but many are threatened due to habitat loss. Each year, 2 percent (1990-1996) of the country's forests are disappearing. More than half of the country's labor force works in agriculture, resulting in pressure to clear land for crops and pastures. Forests are also consumed for fuelwood—in 1996 Guatemala's fuelwood production was the highest in Central America. Almost 16.8 percent (1997) of Guatemala's land is protected in parks and other reserves. The Maya Biosphere Reserve, a protected area of tropical rain forest and wetlands in the Petén region, is in danger of encroachment by local settlers, however. This area has suffered extensive deforestation, and many local farmers practice slash-and-burn agriculture. This traditional practice damages soil and allows the land to be farmed for only a limited number of years. Numerous conservation groups, both local and international, are searching for ways to save this precious land before it is entirely deforested.

Elevation extremes:
Lowest point: sea level.
Highest point: Mount Tajumulco, 4,223 m (13,854 ft)

Weather/Climate:
In general, the climate of Guatemala varies according to elevation, from hot coastal plains to cold mountain heights. The overall climate of Guatemala is tropical: hot and humid in the lowlands, and cooler in the highlands. The Pacific coast is tropically sweltering, with temperatures often hovering around 100°F. The high humidity fluctuates little in the dry season (October through May). The highlands are freezing at night, damp and chilly during the rainy season, and warm and delightful in the dry season, which is somewhat different from the rest of the country's December-to-April parched period. Most of the population lives between 3,000 and 8,000 ft above sea level, where there are warm days and cool nights with average annual temperatures of 68°F. The coastal regions are hot and humid, with average annual temperatures of 83°F. A rainy season, from May through October, is sometimes called “winter” because it brings cloudy afternoons and lower temperatures, and November to April is “summer”. Yet May is the hottest month, with average lows of 61°F and highs of 84°F; the coldest month is December, when low temperatures average 54°F and highs are 73°F.

History at a Glance:
Guatemala was freed of Spanish colonial rule in 1821. During the second half of the 20th century, it experienced a variety of military and civilian governments as well as a 36-year guerrilla war. In 1996, the government signed a peace agreement formally ending the conflict, which had led to the death of more than 100,000 people and had created some 1 million refugees.

In-Depth History:
The fishing and farming villages which emerged on Guatemala's Pacific coast as early as 2000 BC were the forerunners of the great Maya civilization which dominated Central America for centuries, leaving its enigmatic legacy of hilltop ruins. By 250 AD, the Early Classic Period, great temple cities were beginning to be built in the Guatemalan highlands, but by the Late Classic Period (600 to 900 AD) the center of power had moved to the El Petén lowlands. Following the mysterious collapse of the Maya civilization, the Itzaes also settled in El Petén, particularly around the present-day site of the town of Flores.

When Pedro de Alvarado came to conquer Guatemala for the king of Spain in 1523, he found the faded remnants of the Maya civilization and an assortment of warring tribes. The remaining highland kingdoms of the Quiché and Cakchiquel Maya were soon crushed by Alvarado's armies, their lands carved up into large estates and their people ruthlessly exploited by the new landowners. The subsequent arrivals of Dominican, Franciscan and Augustinian friars could not halt this exploitation, and their religious imperialism caused valuable traces of Mayan culture to be destroyed.

Independence from Spain came in 1821, bringing new prosperity to those of Spanish blood (Creoles) and worsened conditions for those of Mayan descent. The Spanish Crown's few liberal safeguards were now abandoned, and huge tracts of Mayan land were stolen for the cultivation of tobacco and sugar cane, and the Maya were further enslaved to work that land. The country's politics since independence have been tainted by continued rivalry between the forces of the left and right - neither of which have ever made it a priority to improve the position of the Maya.
Few exceptional leaders have graced Guatemala's political podium. Alternating waves of dictators and economics-driven Liberals were briefly brightened by Juan José Arévalo, who established the nation's social security and health systems and a government bureau to look after Mayan concerns. In power from 1945 to 1951, Arévalo's liberal regime experienced 25 coup attempts by conservative military forces. Arévalo was followed by Colonel Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán, who continued to implement liberal policies and instituted an agrarian reform law to break up the large estates and foster highly productive, individually owned small farms. The expropriation of lands controlled by foreign companies, a move supported by the country's Communist Party, was the signal for the CIA to step in. With their help a successful military coup was organized in 1954, Arbenz Guzmán fled to Cuba and the land reform never eventuated.

A succession of military presidents followed, and as both protest and repression became more violent, civil war eventuated. Booming industrialization in the 1960s and '70s helped the rich get richer, while the cities became increasingly squalid as the rural dispossessed fled the countryside to find urban employment. The military's violent suppression of antigovernment elements (which meant the majority of landless peasants) finally led the USA to cut off military assistance, leading in turn to the 1985 election of the civilian Christian Democrat Marco Vinicio Cerezo Arévalo.

Arévalo's five years of inconclusive government were followed by Jorge Serrano Elías, who won the presidency for the conservative Solidarity Action Movement. His attempts to end the decades-long civil war failed, and as his popularity declined he came to rely increasingly on military support. On 25 May 1993, following a series of public protests, Serrano carried out an auto-coup. Lacking popular support, Serrano fled the country, and an outspoken critic of the army, Ramiro de León Carpio, was elected by Congress. Carpio's law-and-order mantle has recently been taken up by new president, Alvaro Arzú, who is attempting to heal his feuding and crime-ridden country. In December 1996, the government signed a series of peace accords with leftist guerrillas and the army agreed to reduce its role in domestic security matters. The greatest challenge to a lasting peace stems from great inequities in the basic social and economic power structure of Guatemalan society.

Guatemala swore in a new government January 14, 2000, under its recently elected right-wing president, Alfonso Portillo. An admitted murderer, Portillo won by claiming that if he could defend himself, he could defend his people. His main campaign promise is to shake up the country's armed forces.

People:

About half of Guatemala's population is mestizo (known in Guatemala as ladino), people of mixed European and indigenous ancestry. Ladino culture is dominant in urban areas and is heavily influenced by European and North American trends. But unlike many Latin American countries, Guatemala still has a large indigenous population, the Maya, that has retained a distinct identity. Deeply rooted in the rural highlands of Guatemala, many indigenous people speak a Mayan language, follow traditional religious and village customs, and continue a rich tradition in textiles and other crafts. The two cultures have made Guatemala a complex society that is deeply divided between rich and poor. This division has produced much of the tension and violence that have marked Guatemala's history.

Social Statistics:

Population distribution: 40% urban, 60% rural (1995 est.)
Annual growth: 2.57%
Infant mortality rate: 35.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.53 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 65.14 years (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS- Adult prevalence rate: 1.1% (2003 est.)
People living with HIV/AIDS: 78,000
Population below poverty line: 75% (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate: 7.5% (2003 est)
Literacy: 63.6% (age 15+ that can read and write)
Education: years compulsory – 6; attendance - 41%

Culture:

Guatemala's many Mayan ruins and colonial buildings are its most impressive architectural attributes. One of the most intriguing cultural aspects is the infinite and exotic variety of the handmade, traditional clothing of Guatemala's Maya population. The design of the women's colorfully embroidered tunics, capes and skirts dates back to pre-colonial days. Certain details of garment and design identify the wearer's group and village, and can also have multiple religious or magical meanings. Music and traditional dance also feature in many Mayan religious festivals.

Religion:

Roman Catholicism is the principal religion. Evangelical and Pentecostal Christian denominations are prominent as well. The Maya have preserved aspects of their traditional religions, often blended with Catholicism. Semana Santa (Holy Week) is Guatemala's biggest festival, featuring processions and celebrations throughout the country

Language:

Spanish is the most commonly spoken language in Guatemala. Many Indian dialects are spoken as well, including: Cakchiquel, Quiche, and Tzutuhil.

Food:

Guatemalan cuisine is not quite as distinctive as that of Mexico, although standard Mexican foods are served, such as, tortillas and tacos. Common Guatemalan dishes would be tough grilled or fried meat along with beans and rice. Coffee is available everywhere - sometimes spectacularly good, but the best beans are typically exported.

Economy:

Guatemala's economy traditionally has been based on exports of coffee, bananas, sugar, and other tropical crops. This focus on export agriculture has enriched the country's small wealthy class, but a large segment of the population remains very poor, especially the native people who supply much of the agricultural labor. Since Guatemala gained independence from Spain in 1821, its politics have often been dominated by military dictatorships. Social and economic inequities, compounded by government repression, led to a civil war beginning in 1960. The late 1980s saw movement toward more democratic, civilian rule. In December 1996 a peace accord was signed to end the 36-year conflict, the longest civil war in the region, in which more than 200,000 Guatemalans were killed or disappeared. The economy remains predominantly agricultural, although manufacturing has developed significantly since World War II, and by the 1960s Guatemala was the most industrialized of the Central American countries. The country has a chronic balance-of-payments deficit.

Economic Statistics:

GDP: US$59.47 billion (2004 est.)
Annual growth rate: 2.6% (2004 est.)
GDP per capita: $4,200 (2004 est.)
Inflation: 7.2% (2004 est.)
Work force: 50% of the population engages in some form of agriculture, often at the subsistence level outside the monetized economy. Salaried work force breakdown: agriculture - 50%; industry & commerce - 15%; services - 35%; construction, mining, utilities - 4%. (1999)
Major industries: Coffee, sugar, bananas, textiles and clothing, furniture, chemicals, petroleum, metals, natural rubber, flowers, cardamom, tourism
Agricultural products: Coffee , sugar, bananas, cardamom, vegetables, flowers and plants, timber, rice, rubber.
Manufacturing types: Prepared food, clothing and textiles, construction materials, tires, pharmaceuticals.
Major trading partners: USA, El Salvador, Mexico, Venezuela, China, South Korea

Facts for the Traveler:
Visas: Visa regulations changed in 1996 and citizens of most countries no longer need either a visa or a tourist card. Stays are limited to 30 or 90 days.
Currency: quetzal
Exchange rate: US$1 = 7.95 quetzales (2004 est.)
Time: EST minus one hour (GMT/UTC minus 6 hours)
Electricity: 115V to 125V, 60Hz
Tourism: Approximately 540,000 visitors annually

Major Cities and Attractions:

Guatemala City
Guatemala City is the largest urban city in Central America. It sprawls across a range of flattened, ravine-scored mountains, covering an entire mountain plain and tumbling into the surrounding valleys. With its rickety chicken buses and chaotic marketplaces, its fast-driving bus drivers and bounty of armed, uniformed personnel, the city's Latin character is abundantly obvious. Like all Guatemalan towns, a strict grid system has been imposed on the city's layout: avenidas run north-south; calles run east-west. The huge city has been divided into 15 zones, each with its own version of this grid system. Few colonial buildings can be seen in the city, and most of the ruins have been engulfed in urban expansion. Guatemala City is visited for its role as the nation's administrative and transport hub, not for tourist sights.

Few colonial buildings grace the city, and it is visited more for its role as the nation's administrative and transport hub than as a must-see tourist site. In Zona 1, Plaza Mayor is a classic example of the standard Spanish colonial town-planning scheme, and is the city's ceremonial center, with the retail district nearby. It's best visited on a Sunday, when it's thronged with thousands of locals who come to stroll, eat ice cream, smooch on a bench, listen to boom-box salsa music and ignore the hundreds of trinket vendors. The square is lined by the imposing Palacio Nacional, currently being restored to house a national history museum, and the twin-towered Catedral Metropolitana. An earthquake destroyed the original market building adjacent to the square in 1976, and today the hugely chaotic Mercado Central specializes in tourist-oriented crafts.

Antigua
Antigua was the nation's capital from 1543 until the devastating earthquake of 1773, when the capital was moved 28 miles to the east to the present site of Guatemala City. Antigua is among the oldest and most beautiful cities in the Americas. Set amidst three magnificent volcanoes - Agua, Fuego and Acatenango - its superb yet sturdy colonial buildings have weathered 16 earthquakes and numerous floods and fires. Antigua is especially beautiful during Semana Santa, when the streets are carpeted with elaborate decorations of colored sawdust and flower petals. The city's churches have lost much of their Baroque splendor, the post-earthquake repair and restoration leaving them stripped of embellishment and elegance. However, many remain impressive, in particular La Merced, the Iglesia de San Francisco and the Convento de las Capucinas (now a museum). Casa K'ojom is a fascinating museum of Mayan music and ceremonies and related artifacts. On Sundays, visitors and locals alike gather to assess the goods for sale at the bustling market held in Parque Central.

Information adapted from the Lonely Planet website, the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, Human Development Report 1999 & the World Factbook.
(updated 10/04)

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