Guatemala a great place to visit 

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Introduction

Guatemala is a nation in Central America adjacent to the northern Pacific Ocean, the gulf on Honduras, Belize, Honduras, Mexico, and El Salvador. It is the largest city in Central America, the country is divided into 22 departments which are also referred to as states. The name” Guatemala” is believed to come from the word Nahuatl (Mexico) word meaning “land of snake eating bird” like the eagle for instance (Stewart, 2002). Its currency is known as quetzal which is estimated exchange rate of 1USD which is equal to Q7.60. Spanish is the national language; however 22 Mayan languages are also spoken especially in rural areas. The population is estimated at 12,800,000 inhabitants. Roughly divided into half Ladinos and half Amerindian/indigenous (Stewart, 2002). The government system is a constitutional democratic republic. The ruler of country and chief of government is the president. Guatemala has a diverse economic structure in which the economy comprises private entities combined with centralised economic planning and government regulation (Stewart, 2002). Guatemala with its volcanoes, mountains, pine forest, steep cornfields, colourful markets, and ancient Mayans sites is one of the most beautiful countries in the world (Stewart, 2002).

The few of many things which would make Guatemala a great place to visit includes;

Mayan history

The Maya civilisation shares many features with other Mesoamerican civilisation because of the great extent of interaction and culture diffusion that characterised the region. The extensive Mayan civilisation had developed a calendar so accurate that only needed to be adjusted once every 52 years. The ancient Maya resided in a large geographical area encompassing parts of present-day Guatemala, Belize, Mexico, and the western parts of Honduras. As opposed to the later Aztecs, the Maya did not possess a central king towering a vast empire (Vidgen & Schechter, 2010). Instead, there existed as many as 20 politically autonomous polities, which were similar to the ancient Greece city states. Guatemala was already home of the Mayan people when Spanish conquerors arrived.

The Mayan writing system, which consists up to 800 pictographic and syllabic glyphs, is thought to be a great achievement of the Americas before the colonization. The texts were chiselled on stones and were written in codices-accordion-folded books made from fig bark which was covered in white lime then bound using jaguar skins. Compilation of Maya history, knowledge, myth and legends are also compiled in the books of the chillum balam and popol vuh, written in early colonial period. The resonance of stone chisels reverberated all through the Maya areas for centuries. Skilled craftsman among the ancient world’s finest built temple pyramids that soared above the forest floor. The inital temple pyramids were reused to create foundations for new grander structures; pyramids often contain royal tombs (Vidgen & Schechter, 2010).

Finally the Mayans worshipped more than 160 deities and viewed the natural world as a continuum between the sky world and the underworld. Leaders pierced ears, tongues, ears, lips and genitals, and then inserted cords embedded with thorns, via the openings. Blood dripped onto bark and was burned. The men and women, and children were drowned in sacred wells called cenotes. Sacrifice was common for captured enemies (Vidgen & Schechter, 2010).

Nature

The ruins of Tikal is a beautiful place with its ruins that are incredible, set in high canopy jungle, the site possesses over 3000 construction including a handful of amazing tall temples that stand tall above the forest such as the jaguar priest temple of the double headed serpent., Tikal is Guatemalans most famous and also most impressive Mayan archaeological site. Tikal was abandoned around the year 900AD (Vidgen & Schechter, 2010). It is a stunning place to tour if you are interested in seeing one of the famous ruined cities of the classic period of the Maya. Then there is the la Antigua which is known for its much elaborated religious celebrations during the Easter and holy week. Cruise ships that dock at Guatemala ports provides excursion to Antigua from both the pacific and Atlantic. It has many convents and beautiful churches; it is very religious town (Vidgen & Schechter, 2010).

There are also beautiful rivers and lakes found in Guatemala. The main rivers are Motagua, Usumacinta, dulce, pochic etc. The Motagua serets and drains the highlands. The river is navigable in its later statage expsciall in the plainss, where it creates the boundary with Honduras just before empoying its wanter into the Caribbean Sea (Stewart, 2002). Lake Atitlan which is the largest of all mentioned above is a beautiful volcanic lake in western highlands of Guatemala. Guatemala has one of the very extensive and varied forests in the Americas. The country is home to 1246 known species of amphibians, birds, mammal, and reptiles and 8681 plants.

Art and crafts

In Guatemala there is basket waving made of natural fibres, such as palm, jarcia, straw and bamboo is a craft handed down from the ancient Maya. Other ornamentals made from fibre include hats, petites and brooms. Their woodwork is distinct and diverse, the artisans devoted to the production of furniture, musical instrument, toys ,masks, etc .Mayans artisans have also being making tinajas (water pitchers) pots, gavels, mixers, griddles etc. They are usually baked once later they are placed in the ashes of open hearths to harden. Other crafts include silver crafts, wrought iron, Guatemalan fabrics, and mayolica ceramics among others (Stewart, 2002).

Conclusion

As I conclude, Guatemala is a land of bright colours, indigenous faces and Mayans ruins plus striking green countryside, erupting volcanoes, soothing, peaceful lakes and many others, which makes Guatemala a place to be whenever.

References

Stewart, I. (2002). The ROUGH guide to Guatemala: Includes Copan and the Honduran Bay Islands. London: Rough Guides.

Vidgen, L., & Schechter, D. C. (2010). Guatemala. Footscray, Vic: Lonely Planet