Guatemala

The most populous country in Central America, Guatemala encapsulates many of the defining environments of this culturally rich land-bridge: big and edgy cities, Spanish-flavored old towns, monolithic volcanoes looming over vast rainforests, great stone pyramids and plazas from regal pre-Columbian kingdoms. Once the heartland of the Maya civilization, Guatemala’s suffered in the more recent past from oppressive regimes, civil war, and the ugly siblings of crime and poverty. But things are looking up in this beautiful nation, and more and more tourists are quietly having their minds blown by some of Latin America’s most striking sights.

Guatemala’s history is long, tumultuous, and many-phased; and tapping into at least some of that complexity is a rewarding endeavor. There’s no more captivating chapter than that of the Mayan golden age, which roughly lasted from the 3rd to the 10th centuries. This mighty Mesoamerican civilization, which sprawled from southern Mexico to El Salvador, still grips the spirit with its relic temples and pyramids, the best-known Guatemalan examples of which can be found in Tikal National Park. Tikal was one of the most glorious of Mayan cities, its competition with the rival city-state of Calakmul (in present-day southeastern Mexico) one of the defining geopolitical threads of the civilization.

If the Spanish colonial period somewhat lacks the allure of rainforest-wrapped pre-Columbian ruins, it nonetheless left behind some handsome architecture. History buffs will enjoy the Baroque churches, monasteries, and government buildings of Antigua Guatemala, which have endured a number of shattering temblors—including a 1773 quake that finally convinced the colonial government to move its capital to Guatemala City. That great metropolis, meanwhile—which has suffered its own share of devastating earthquakes—has an era-straddling spread of well-known landmarks, including the National Palace of Culture.

The tropical forest encircling Tikal provides a fine introduction to the tremendous natural heritage Guatemala enjoys. Part of the global Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot, the country has a splendid share of Neotropical wildlife (jaguars, harpy eagles, spider monkeys, etc.), especially in the lightly peopled—and archaeologically rich—Yucatan rainforest of Petén. The country’s geological landmarks are no less impressive: Guatemala has Central America’s highest peak (13,845-foot Volcán Tajumulco in the southwest) and deepest lake, Atitlán, famed for its volcano-backdropped beauty and the Mayan villages on its shores.

Whether you’re here to summit a tropical volcano, walk in the footsteps of Mayan kings, or lounge about on a Pacific beach—or, better yet, all of the above—Guatemala fascinates around every corner. There's poverty here, no question, and the fighting, ethnic strife, and austerity of the 20th century have cast long shadows. But everywhere here you'll encounter an infectious spirit that draws its power from the country's rich indigenous foundation and its dynamic intermix of cultures.