GUATEMALA WITH ALDPAR
The Pacific Slope
The beaches on Guatemala’s Pacific coast are black volcanic sand. These beaches have many popular resorts for people who love surf and sunsets as well as the nature of the sea.
The beaches on Guatemala’s Pacific coast are black volcanic sand. These beaches have many popular resorts for people who love surf and sunsets as well as the nature of the sea.
Monterrico is one example of many places along this coast which offers a special beach experience and truly spectacular sunsets. Guatemala is increasingly attracting discerning surfers who relish their unspoiled and un-crowded ambiance. As you drive along the coast, you cannot help but marvel at the string of volcanoes, many of which are still active, which rise from the sea to the heights of the western highlands. The slopes of the volcanoes provide the country with much of its most fertile farmland and this is the heart of Guatemala’s sugar cane industry. The Pacific slope also has many of Guatemala’s oldest Maya ruins. Abaj Takalik, near Retalhuleu, is the most significant example which is still revealing insights into the earliest life in Guatemala. The wonderful and distinctive stone heads at La Democracia attest to the diversity and richness of life here thousands of years ago.
Chichicastenango
Chichicastenango, a town located high in the mountains of Quiche,has, for centuries been an important trading centre for the Highland Maya. Today, it is an intensely Maya city whose Sunday and Thursday markets have to rank as the most colourful in the world. As well as the market, Chichicastenango has other places well worth visiting. The wonderful Church of Santo Tomas was built on the site of the original Maya Temple and its front stairs are those of the original temple. The Church offers a fascinating demonstration of synergy between Maya and Catholic traditions.
Chichicastenango, a town located high in the mountains of Quiche,has, for centuries been an important trading centre for the Highland Maya. Today, it is an intensely Maya city whose Sunday and Thursday markets have to rank as the most colourful in the world. As well as the market, Chichicastenango has other places well worth visiting. The wonderful Church of Santo Tomas was built on the site of the original Maya Temple and its front stairs are those of the original temple. The Church offers a fascinating demonstration of synergy between Maya and Catholic traditions.
On a hill above the town is the Abaj Pasqual a stone altar the Maya have been continuously using for sacrifices and worship for centuries before the Spanish conquest.
Lake Atitlan
Aldous Huxley called his magnificent lake, surrounded by three volcanoes and filling the cauldera of a fourth, the most beautiful lake in the world. While this superlative will be subject to many challenges from many other competing claimants, there is no denying that this is a strikingly beautiful lake. The most important town on the lake is Panajachel.
Aldous Huxley called his magnificent lake, surrounded by three volcanoes and filling the cauldera of a fourth, the most beautiful lake in the world. While this superlative will be subject to many challenges from many other competing claimants, there is no denying that this is a strikingly beautiful lake. The most important town on the lake is Panajachel.
A boat tour of some of the villages on the lake,each named after one of the twelve apostles, offers a traveller a special perspective on the unique Maya culture that defines the issues and the culture of of this very special place. The drive from Panajachel to San Lucas Toliman is as spectacular a mountain drive as any in the world. All around the shores of this lake, in Panajachel, Santiago Atitlan, San Lucas Toliman, to name a few, are tranquil retreat resorts where visitors can have a special experience of this gorgeous lake.
