Guatemala

Guatemala has all the ingredients that the whole of Central America is a concoction of. The flavour is just more intense and refined. Its volcanoes are the highest and most active, its Mayan ruins the most impressive, its population the largest, its culture the most interesting and its earthquakes the most destructive. Guatemala is one of the countries in Latin America where authentic indigenous culture is most evident and the contrast between the ancient Mayan traditions of the central highlands and the modern Western lifestyle that dominates the capital is very strong. The population of Guatemala is 12.5 million, of which approximately 55 per cent are of Spanish origin and 45 per cent are descendants of the Mayans. The societal divisions are quite clear, but the Mayan people today are proud of their ancestral heritage, which they honour by stubbornly holding on to the traditions and way of life of the past. The religion is predominantly Catholicism, though mixed with the indigenous Mayan religion. The hand-woven Mayan costumes are unique and a true explosion of bright colours and fantastic patterns. Today, the Mayans are mainly employed as farmers and labourers. At the other end of the social ladder are the elite in business, administration and the military. They are mainly Guatemalans with European blood in their veins. The middle class are the so-called ladinos, which is a generic term for the part of the population with mixed blood. They have distanced themselves from Mayan traditions and instead embraced the Spanish way of life. Guatemala covers an area of lO9,OOO square kilometres, which is about 2 1/2 times the size of Denmark. The country still has large uncultivated areas, especially in the north. In the western part of the highlands there are more than 30 volcanoes reaching heights of up to 3,800 metres. Some are still active and characterise life in the surrounding towns with their menacing smoke. There is also regular earthquake activity in the area. The Pacific coastline is cultivated with mainly coffee, cocoa and sugar plantations. Beaches are few and black sandy. The lowlands of El Petén are primarily covered in tropical rainforest. Deep in this jungle are the ruins of the Mayan cities of Tikal and Uaxactún.