Argueta - Moon handbooks. Guatemala

This guidebook would not have been possible without the help and inspiration of several folks to whom I owe my gratitude. First, Id like to thank Hashem for his omnipresent love and inspiration, which are always available to help, comfort, strengthen, and encourage. Id also like to thank my parents for their support, for planting in me a love for both Guatemala and the United States, and allowing me to experience the best of both worlds.

In Austin, Id like to thank Shanna Offutt for providing much needed encouragement, and lots of love, along the way. My friends and former housemates Ryan Bowers and Micah Behrens Id like to thank for their constant support and enthusiasm.

At INGUAT my thanks go to Vivian Jurez for providing logistical support. Sandra Muralles also went out of her way to make sure my travel plans went as smoothly as possible. A special shout-out goes to my drivers Yosaray Ramrez, Mara del Carmen Ponce, Jamil de la Cruz, and Abel Samayoa. Incidentally, if you ever need a guide in the Verapaces, give Mara del Carmen a call (tel. 5897-6305). She and her assistant, Jamil, amazed me with their level of professionalism.

Id like to thank my family in Guatemala City for putting me up and providing a home away from home. My aunt, Alba Luz de Moya, selflessly gave up her office for a month so that I could put together this updated manuscript.

Also in Guatemala City, Id like to thank Billy Bickford and Oscar Cuellar. I always have a great time at their lakeside retreat, Casa Palop, and they are a wealth of information.

In Antigua, thanks go to John Heaton and Catherine Docter, with whom Im glad to have been able to keep in touch via Facebook. They are an invaluable source of information on all things Guatemala. Id also like to thank Gg Godard for helping me out with a great last-minute photo from her trip to El Mirador.

Id like to thank all the Moon Guatemala Facebook fans and all those who have written in with their comments and suggestions for future editions.

Finally, Id like to thank the staff at Avalon Travel, especially my editor, Elizabeth Hansen, and production coordinator, Elizabeth Jang, for all their hard work and help in making this book read and look its best.

Guatemala is the third-largest country in Central America. It occupies 42,042 square miles, making it about the size of Tennessee. The country shares borders with Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador. Within Guatemalas relatively small area are 14 distinct ecosystems found at elevations varying from sea level to higher than 4,200 meters (14,000 feet). Many people think of Guatemala as a sweltering tropical country, which is only partially true. While it does feature warm tropical coastal environments and hot lowland jungles, a rugged spine of mountains and volcanoes runs through the countrys center. In the tropics, elevation mostly determines climate and this is certainly the case in Guatemala. Temperatures drop dramatically the higher you go in elevation and precipitation varies greatly depending on what side of a mountain chain youre on. All of this translates into a dizzying array of landscapes, making Guatemala a delight to explore.

The country divides rather neatly into various geographical zones. The volcanic highlands run through the countrys center going west to east from Mexico to El Salvador. Elevation tends to get lower closer to the Salvadoran border. The eastern areas of Alta and Baja Verapaz are largely mountainous but also largely composed of limestone. A curious feature of this area, found in its northern limits, is the presence of small, forested limestone hills much like those found in parts of China. East from Guatemala City toward Honduras, the terrain is largely dominated by semiarid flatlands covered in cactus.

Closer to the Caribbean coast in the department of Izabal, the terrain once again becomes lush and largely filled with banana plantations. A small sliver of Caribbean coastline runs between the Honduran border and Belize but features white-sand beaches, swamplands, and some impressive tropical rainforests. Small mountains are interspersed throughout parts of the Caribbean coastal region.

Running roughly parallel to the highlands, to the south, are the Pacific Coast flatlands. This is a rich agricultural area once covered in tropical forest but now home to vast sugarcane and coffee plantations, the latter being on the slopes of the highland zones as they descend into the coastal plain. The Pacific Coast is also home to wetlands, mangrove swamps, and beaches of curiously dark color because of their proximity to the countrys volcanic chain.

The northern third of Guatemala is a vast Ohio-sized limestone flatland known as Petn. Once covered entirely in tropical forests, it has increasingly become deforested in its southern parts with only the northern third retaining large unbroken swaths of forest.

Here is a brief discussion of some of Guatemalas outstanding geographic features and why they might be of interest to the visitor.

The highest of Guatemalas mountains are actually volcanic peaks. There are 33 of them in total with a handful now active. Volcn Tajumulco, at 4,220 meters (13,845 feet), is the highest point in all of Central America, followed closely by nearby Volcn Tacan, at 4,110 meters (13,484 feet). The most frequently climbed volcanoes include the active Pacaya, near Guatemala City, the three volcanoes on the shores of Lake Atitln, Agua, and Acatenango near Antigua. Some volcanoes, such as Chicabal and Ipala, feature turquoise lagoons, which fill their craters. Other active volcanoes include Fuego and Santiaguito.

Among the nonvolcanic mountains, the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, near the border with Mexico, is Guatemalas, and Central Americas, highest mountain chain. It stands 3,837 meters (12,588 feet) at its highest point. Its smooth, rounded peaks attest to years of erosion from being glaciated thousands of years ago. Other noteworthy mountain chains include the Sierra de Las Minas, in the eastern part of the country. Protected as a private forest reserve, it still contains large stands of virgin cloud forest. Farther east near the Caribbean Coast are the Cerro San Gil and Montaas del Mico, which are still covered in dense tropical rainforest. Petn has relatively few mountains, but the foothills of the Maya Mountains of neighboring Belize run into the departments southeastern corner with an elevation of over 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) at Petns highest point. Petns other noteworthy mountain range is the remote and mostly forested Sierra del Lacandn, at the far western edge of the department bordering Mexico and exceeding 600 meters (2,000 feet) at its highest point.

San Pedro Volcano and Lake Atitln

Guatemalas mountain scenery comes largely as a product of its geographic location at the intersection of the North American, Cocos, and Caribbean plates, making it one of the most seismically and volcanically active places in the world. Indeed, Guatemala is no stranger to earthquakes. Among the many fault lines running through the country are the parallel Chixoy-Polochic and Motagua faults. The latter is responsible for the most recent major earthquake to rock Guatemala, a magnitude-7.5 whopper in February 1976 killing thousands and wiping entire villages off the face of the map. A series of massive earthquakes in 1776 resulted in the relocation of the Guatemalan capital from the Panchoy Valley (Antigua Guatemala) to the Valley of the Hermitage, where it remains today, better known as Guatemala City.