If you are currently in Guatemala or if you are planning to visit, you must schedule enough time in your itinerary or travel agenda to take a walk through its capital city, the largest, most modern and cosmopolitan in Central America.
This important metropolis, known by the name of ‘Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción’, is strategically located in the center-south of the country at an altitude of 5,000 feet above sea level. This privileged location and its unique topographic characteristics, -surrounded by volcanoes, mountains and forests-, combine harmoniously to produce a favorable and pleasant temperate climate, ideal to be enjoyed all year round.
According to data from the latest national census - carried out in 2018 - this metropolis counts on 5.1 million inhabitants, which positions it as the demographically largest and most extensive city in Central America. This rapid population increase, accompanied by sustained growth in its infrastructure, make this captivating city the administrative, industrial and economic center of the entire country.
In addition, these unbeatable conditions, this city offers you an attractive and diverse entertainment offer, perfect for carrying out a large number of unique and diverse activities, from cultural, social, artistic and historical, to commercial, gastronomic, religious and entertainment. From this moment on, I extend a friendly invitation to you to visit this unique city and experience its various facets:
• Historic: Guatemala City, known until a few years ago as ‘La Tacita de Plata’ was founded in the year 1,776 based on a plateau known as Valle de la Ermita or the Virgen de la Asunción. The original design of its urban layout has the shape of a chessboard where its avenues are oriented from north to south and its streets from east to west. The surface of this metropolis is divided into districts numbered from 1 to 25, which are distributed in the form of a spiral, starting in the sector belonging to zone 1, popularly known as the ‘Historic Center’. When visiting this place, you are immediately transported to the Guatemala of yesterday, unequivocally represented by its folkloric neighborhoods, its picturesque houses, its popular markets, its traditional walk along the 6th. avenue and its buildings of different architectural styles, such as: the National Palace of Culture, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Lux Theater, the Post Office and Telegraph Building and the University Auditorium. It is of special mention in this Historical Guatemala, the archaeological site Kaminal Juyú, located in zone 7 of this city, is one of the oldest Mayan sites with more than 3,000 years of existence. This flourishing Mayan city stood out for being part of an important trade route between the southern coast and the highlands, becoming at that time one of the cities with the longest occupation in Mesoamerica.
• Cultural: This important city is home to more than 30 public and private museums whose locations are distributed among its different areas. These safeguards of heritage, knowledge and national traditions, present to the visiting public, different types of collections and unique pieces that evidence and record, the magnificent legacy of our ancient Mayan culture, as well as the history, traditions, art and folklore that they have flourished in this region.
• Religious: The majority of the population in Guatemala devoutly profess the Christian faith, predominantly represented by the Catholic and Evangelical religions. From this account, during your visit to the capital city, especially when visiting the Historic Center, you will be able to know and contemplate more than thirty (30) religious temples, with a magnificent neoclassical and independentist structure and design. The religious fervor of this city, is constantly manifested in its various celebrations and commemorations, distributed throughout the year according to the saints, being the time of Holy Week the peak of the same, when in this blessed city, they go through the main streets, the magnificent and crowded processions commemorating the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• Ecological: If you identify and love green and natural environments, you should know the beautiful public ecological parks and private reserves that are located in the surroundings and some areas of this city. By touring these extensive spaces full of vegetation, you will be transported to an ideal environment to relax, get out of the routine, relieve yourself of stress, rest and enjoy the fresh and pure air. In addition, in this peaceful environment, you can delight your eyes with the diversity offered by the existing flora and fauna. This beautiful city offers you more than 300 neighborhood parks and squares, in addition to a large number of squared kilometers of natural areas. For this and much more, Guatemala City was declared by the Union of Ibero-American Capital Cities -UCCI- as ‘Ibero-American Green Capital 2019’.
• Modern: The 21st century has witnessed the dizzying transformation and growth of this metropolis. This accelerated transition to modernity, the product of considerable investment in infrastructure, communications and technology, is eloquently manifested in different areas of the city. As you travel through this imposing city, you will witness the growing emergence of business, commercial, industrial and residential buildings, the construction of new overpasses, bicycle paths and pedestrian paths, as well as the emergence of enterprises that introduce and promote innovative products and services for the region.
• Commercial: The most exclusive areas of this metropolis include within its infrastructure, a large number of modern and busy commercial complexes. When touring and visiting these complexes, you will see that they are made up of various types of establishments, which in addition to giving you a great experience when visiting them, offer exclusive products of national and foreign brands, a wide variety of business options, entertainment, culture, sport and fun for the whole family; and a select range of cafes and restaurants with exquisite dishes and bars with exotic drinks for all tastes.
• Nightlife: As in large cities, this busy capital invites you to enjoy and share a pleasant atmosphere of nighttime fun. This wide range of entertainment is represented by a wide selection of modern and cultural cinema halls and theaters. Also, during your visit, you cannot miss excellent bars, cafes, bingo halls, restaurants and nightclubs. All this atmosphere of amenity and celebration is strategically distributed in the most exclusive districts, streets and shopping centers of this capital.
All these facets and many more that this important metropolis offers you, possessing a great variety of attractions and resources, ready to be visited. Guatemala City is the starting point to tour this beautiful country and live an unbeatable experience.
Give yourself the opportunity stroll along Guatemala City.
