Best Guatemalan Antigua Colonial, Tikal Maya Ruins, Lake Atitlán, Chichicastenango, Semuc Champey and Guatemala Deep Maya Heritage Tour Destinations
Browse more guides: Guatemala travel | Americas destinations Best Guatemalan Antigua Colonial (UNESCO 1979), Tikal Maya Ruins (UNESCO 1979), Lake Atitlán, Chichicastenango, Semuc Champey and Quiriguá (UNESCO 1981) Deep Maya Heritage Tour Destinations TL;DR I have walked Guatemala on three separate trips, and the country still does not behave like its tourism brochures suggest. It is louder, more layered, more volcanic, and far more indigenous than most travellers prepare for. About 40% of the 17.6 million population identifies as Maya, and 21 distinct Maya languages are still spoken in daily life alongside Spanish. There are 37 volcanoes inside the borders, of which 4 remain active, and Volcán de Fuego (3,763 m) erupts on a near-daily cadence visible from the rim of Volcán Acatenango (3,976 m). Three UNESCO sites anchor any serious itinerary: Antigua Guatemala (inscribed 1979), Tikal National Park (inscribed 1979 as a rare mixed cultural and natural property), and Quiriguá Archaeo...