Sights in Guatemala City
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Palacio Nacional de la Cultura
The imposing Palacio Nacional de la Cultura lies on the north side of the Parque Central. It was built as a presidential palace between 1936 and 1943 during the dictatorial rule of General Jorge Ubico at enormous cost to the lives of the prisoners who were forced to labor here. It's the third palace to stand on the site.
Despite its tragic background, architecturally the palace is one of the country's most interesting constructions, a mélange of multiple earlier styles from Spanish Renaissance to neoclassical. Today, most government offices have been removed from here and it's open as a museum and for a few ceremonial events. Visits are by guided tour (available in Engli…
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Parque Arqueológico Kaminaljuyú
The Parque Arqueológico Kaminaljuyú, with remnants of one of the first important cities in the Mayan region, is just west of 23a Av and is some 4km west of the city center. At its peak, from about 400 BC to AD 100, ancient Kaminaljuyú had thousands of inhabitants and scores of temples built on earth mounds, and probably dominated much of highland Guatemala.
Large-scale carvings found here were the forerunners of Classic Mayan carving, and Kaminaljuyú had a literate elite before anywhere else in the Mayan world.
The city fell into ruin before being reoccupied around AD 400 by invaders from Teotihuacán in central Mexico, who rebuilt it in Teotihuacán's talud-tablero st…
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Parque Central
The Parque Central, officially the Plaza de la Constitución, is an excellent starting point to begin your journey onto other sights, which are grouped around here. The standard colonial urban-planning scheme required every town in the New World to have a large plaza for military exercises and ceremonies. On the north side of the plaza was usually the palacio de gobierno (colonial government headquarters). On another side, preferably the east, would be a church (or cathedral).
On the other sides of the square there could be additional civic buildings or the imposing mansions of wealthy citizens. Guatemala City's Parque Central is a classic example of the plan.The Parque …
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Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología
The Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología has the country's biggest collection of ancient Mayan artifacts, but explanatory information is very sparse. There's a great wealth of monumental stone sculpture, including Classic-period stelae from Tikal, Uaxactún and Piedras Negras, a superb throne from Piedras Negras and animal representations from preclassic Kaminaljuyú.
Also here are rare wooden lintels from temples at Tikal and El Zotz, and a room of beautiful jade necklaces and masks. Don't miss the large-scale model of Tikal. The ethnology section has displays on the languages, costumes, dances, masks and homes of Guatemala's indigenous peoples.
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Museo Miraflores
Museo Miraflores is an excellent, modern museum inauspiciously jammed between two shopping malls a few kilometers out of town. Downstairs focuses on objects found at Kaminaljuyú, with fascinating trade route maps showing the site's importance.
Upstairs there are displays on textiles and indigenous clothing, separated by region, from around the country. Signs are in Spanish and (mostly) English. Out back is a pleasant grassy area with paths and seating - a good place to take a breather. To get there, catch any bus from the center going to Tikal Futura and get off there. The museum is 250m down the road between it and the Miraflores shopping center.
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Mapa en Relieve
It's worth venturing along to Parque Minerva to see the Mapa en Relieve, a huge open-air map of Guatemala showing the country at a scale of 1:10,000. The vertical scale is exaggerated to 1:2000 to make the volcanoes and mountains appear dramatically higher and steeper than they really are. Constructed in 1905 under the direction of Francisco Vela, the Mapa was fully restored and repainted in 1999. Viewing towers afford a panoramic view.
This is an odd but fun place, and it's curious to observe that Belize is still represented as part of Guatemala. To get there take bus V-21 northbound on 7a Av just north or south of the Parque Central.
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Museo Ixchel
The Museo Ixchel is named for the Mayan goddess of the moon, women, reproduction and, of course, textiles. Photographs and exhibits of indigenous costumes and other crafts show the incredible richness of traditional arts in Guatemala's highland towns. If you enjoy Guatemalan textiles at all, you must visit this museum. It has disabled access, a section for children, a café, a shop and a library, and guided tours are available in English or Spanish.
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Railway Museum
The Railway Museum is one of the city's more intriguing museums (and the only one with a Domino's Pizza attached). Documented here are the glory days of the troubled Guatemalan rail system, along with some quirky artifacts, like hand-drawn diagrams of derailments and a kitchen set up with items used in dining cars. You can go climbing around the passenger carriages, but not the locomotives. It's between 9a and 10a Avs.
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Catedral Metropolitana
The Catedral Metropolitana, facing Parque Central, was constructed between 1782 and 1815 (the towers were finished in 1867). It has survived earthquake and fire well, though the quake of 1917 did substantial damage and the one in 1976 did even more. Its heavy proportions and sparse ornamentation don't make for a particularly beautiful building, but it does have a certain stateliness, and the altars are worth a look.
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Museo Popol Vuh
Museo Popol Vuh has well-displayed pre-Hispanic figurines, incense burners and burial urns, plus carved wooden masks and traditional textiles, fill several rooms. Other rooms hold colonial paintings and gilded wood and silver artifacts. A faithful copy of the Dresden Codex, one of the precious 'painted books' of the Maya, is among the most interesting pieces, and there's a colorful display of animals in Mayan art.
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Mercado Central
Until the quake of 1976, Mercado Central, behind the cathedral, was where locals shopped for food and other necessities. Reconstructed after the earthquake, it now deals in colorful Guatemalan handicrafts such as textiles, carved wood, metalwork, pottery, leather goods and basketry, and is a pretty good place to shop for these kinds of things, with reasonable prices.
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Casa MIMA
The Casa MIMA is a wonderfully presented museum and cultural center set in a house dating from the late 1800s. The owners of the house were collectors with eclectic tastes ranging from French neo-Rococo, Chinese, and art deco to indigenous artifacts. The place is set up like a functioning house, filled with curios and furniture spanning the centuries.
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Museo de los Niños
Almost opposite the entrance to La Aurora Zoo is the Museo de los Niños, a hands-on affair that is a sure success if you have kids to keep happy. The fun ranges from a giant jigsaw-map of Guatemala to a Lego room and, most popular of all, a room of original and entertaining ball games.
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Centro Cultural Metropolitano
On the first floor of the Palacio de Correos you'll find the Centro Cultural Metropolitano, a surprisingly avant-garde cultural center, hosting art exhibitions, book launches, handicraft workshops and film nights.
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Museo Nacional de Historia
The Museo Nacional de Historia is a jumble of historical relics with an emphasis on photography and portraits. Check the carefully manicured hairstyles of the 19th-century generals and politicos.
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Museo Nacional de Arte Moderno
Museo Nacional de Arte Moderno has a collection of 20th-century Guatemalan art including works by well-known Guatemalan artists such as Carlos Mérida, Carlos Valente and Humberto Gavarito.
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Jardín Botánico
The Universidad de San Carlos has a large, lush Jardín Botánico on the northern edge of Zona 10. Admission includes entry to the university's Museo de Historia Natural
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La Aurora Zoo
La Aurora Zoo is not badly kept as zoos go, and the lovely, park-like grounds alone are worth the admission fee. If you're traveling with children, this could be a good option.
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Banco de Guatemala
More rewarding than you'd think is a visit to the Banco de Guatemala. The bank building bears relief sculptures by Dagoberto Vásquez depicting his country's history;
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Museo de Historia Natural
The university's Museo de Historia Natural is at the same site as the Universidad de San Calos's botanical garden where the admission price covers both.
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Centro Cívico
The Centro Cívico is a set of large government and institutional buildings constructed during the 1950s and '60s.
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Municipalidad de Guatemala
Municipalidad de Guatemala the city hall contains a huge mosaic by Carlos Mérida, completed in 1959.
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Museo Nacional de Historia Natural Jorge Ibarra
This museum's main claim to fame is its large collection of dissected animals.
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