Must-see attractions in Guatemala

  • Stone water bowl at Hotel Casa Santa Domingo.

    Iglesia y Convento de Santo Domingo

    Antigua

    Founded by Dominican friars in 1542, Santo Domingo became the biggest and richest monastery in Antigua. Following three 18th-century earthquakes, the…

  • Reserva Natural Atitlán

    Panajachel

    A former coffee plantation being reclaimed by natural vegetation, this reserve is 200m past the Hotel Atitlán on the northern outskirts of town. It makes…

  • Market

    Chichicastenango

    Some villagers still walk for hours carrying their wares to reach Chichi's market, one of Guatemala's largest and a highlight of many people's trips to…

  • Iglesia Merced

    Antigua

    At the northern end of 5a Av is La Merced – a striking yellow building trimmed with white plaster filigree. Its facade is one of the most beautiful in…

  • Arco de Santa Catalina

    Antigua

    The Arco de Santa Catalina is Antigua's most iconic monument, and an early-morning or late-afternoon photo opportunity framing Volcán Agua through its…

  • Casa MIMA

    Guatemala City

    A wonderfully presented museum and cultural center set in a house dating from the late 19th century. The owners of the house were collectors with eclectic…

  • La Galería

    Panajachel

    Overflowing with art by Guatemalan painters and sculptors, this gallery functions as both an exhibit space and cultural center, hosting lectures, films…

  • Ruins of an ancient maya pyramid (La Danta) deep in the Guatamalan jungle. Trees growing on the structure. Shot in El Mirador national park in Northern Guatemala. ; Shutterstock ID 1711358266; your: Bridget Brown; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI Image Update

    El Mirador

    El Petén

    Buried within the furthest reaches of the Petén jungle, just 7km south of the Mexican border, the Late Preclassic metropolis at El Mirador contains one of…

  • Sunset from top of Temple 216 at Yaxha site.

    Yaxhá

    El Petén

    The Classic Maya sites of Yaxhá, Nakum and El Naranjo form a triangle that is the basis for a national park covering more than 37,000 hectares and…

  • Estación Biológica Las Guacamayas

    El Petén

    A scientific research center within the Parque Nacional Laguna del Tigre, Scarlet Macaw Biological Station offers wildlife-watching/archaeology tours and…

  • Templo I

    Tikal

    Templo I, the Templo del Gran Jaguar (Temple of the Grand Jaguar), was built to honor – and bury – Ah Cacao. The king may have worked out the plans for…

  • Iglesia de Santo Tomás

    Chichicastenango

    This church on the plaza's east side dates from 1540 and is often the scene of rituals that are more distinctly Maya than Catholic. Inside, the floor of…

  • Templo IV

    Tikal

    Templo IV, at 65m, is the highest building at Tikal and the second-highest pre-Columbian building known in the western hemisphere, after La Danta at El…

  • Tikal

    El Petén

    The most striking feature of Tikal is its towering, steep-sided temples, rising to heights of more than 44m, but what distinguishes it is its jungle…

  • Crater Azul

    El Petén

    This stunning spring-fed tributary lies just a 90-minute boat ride from Sayaxché, during which you pass birdlife and a mix of farms, fields and forests…

  • East Acropolis & Structure 216

    El Petén

    Near the site entrance is the high point of Yaxhá (literally): Structure 216 in the East Acropolis. Also called the Temple of the Red Hands, because red…

  • Templo Maya el Ceibal Peten, Guatemala; Shutterstock ID 1029397006; your: Bridget Brown; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI Image Update

    Ceibal

    El Petén

    With its strategic position on the west bank of the Río de la Pasión, the independent kingdom of Ceibal amassed considerable power controlling commerce…

  • Honor guards at National Palace, Guatemala City, Guatemala

    Palacio Nacional de la Cultura

    Guatemala City

    On the north side of Parque Central is this imposing presidential palace, which was built between 1936 and 1943 during the dictatorial rule of General…

  • Catedral de Santiago (Santiago Cathedral), Antigua, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Guatemala, Central America

    Catedral de Santiago

    Antigua

    Antigua's cathedral was begun in 1545, wrecked by the quake of 1773, and only partially rebuilt over the next century. The present sliver of a church –…

  • Laguna Petexbatún

    El Petén

    Laguna Petexbatún is a 6km-long lake south of Sayaxché, approached by an hour's lancha (small motorboat) ride up the Río Petexbatún, a tributary of the…

  • Aguateca

    El Petén

    The ruins of Aguateca stand on a hilltop at the far south end of Laguna Petexbatún. Defended by cliffs and split by a ravine, the city enjoyed military…

  • San Miguel & Tayazal

    El Petén

    Covering the western end of the San Miguel peninsula are the remains of Tayazal, among the last of the Maya capitals. The chiefly Classic-era mounds are…

  • Guatemala City, Guatemala

    Museo Ixchel

    Guatemala City

    This museum is named for the Maya goddess of the moon, women, reproduction and textiles. Photographs and exhibits of indigenous costumes and other crafts…

  • Parque Central at night, Antigua, Guatemala, Central America

    Parque Central

    Antigua

    Surrounded by superb colonial structures, this broad and beautiful plaza is the gathering place for antigüeños and visitors alike – a fine, verdant place…

  • Pascual Abaj

    Chichicastenango

    On a hilltop south of town, Pascual Abaj (Sacrifice Stone) is a shrine to the Maya earth god Huyup Tak'ah (Mountain Plain). A stone-faced idol stands amid…

  • El Mundo Perdido

    Tikal

    About 400m southwest of the Gran Plaza is El Mundo Perdido (Lost World), a complex of 38 structures with a huge pyramid in its midst, thought to be…

  • Centro Cultural La Azotea

    Guatemala

    A sprawling coffee plantation outside Jocotenango, La Azotea features a complex of three museums. The Museo del Café covers the history and process of…

  • Dos Pilas

    El Petén

    If you have the time, it's well worth visiting this ruin. It has fine carvings on display, particularly the hieroglyphic staircase, with five 6m-wide…

  • Centro Intercultural de Quetzaltenango

    Quetzaltenango

    Quetzaltenango's railroad station, 1km east of the Templo de Minerva along 4a Calle, lay dormant for many years until the city converted it into this…

  • Acrópolis del Norte

    Tikal

    The Acropolis del Norte predates the nearby temples significantly. Archaeologists have uncovered about 100 different structures, the oldest of which dates…

  • Museo Miraflores

    Guatemala City

    This excellent modern museum is inauspiciously jammed between two shopping malls a few kilometers out of town. Downstairs focuses on objects found at…

  • Iglesia y Convento de la Recolección

    Antigua

    A serene air pervades the remains of the monastery of La Recolección, which stands well west of the center. Erected in the early 18th century by the…

  • Museo Sylvanus G Morley

    Tikal

    This museum exhibits a number of superb ceramic pieces from excavations, including incense burners and vases, with descriptions of their uses and…

  • Parque Centro América

    Quetzaltenango

    Most of Xela's sights crowd in and around the broad central plaza. It's a great place for a stroll or to sit and people-watch. It was originally two…

  • Acrópolis Central

    Tikal

    South and east of the Gran Plaza, this maze of courtyards, little rooms and small temples is thought by many to have been a palace where Tikal's nobles…

  • Convento de Capuchinas

    Antigua

    Inaugurated in 1736 by nuns from Madrid, the convent of Las Capuchinas was seriously damaged by the 1773 earthquake and thereafter abandoned. Thanks to…

  • Colegio de San Jerónimo

    Antigua

    Completed in 1757, the Colegio de San Jerónimo was used as a school by friars of the Merced order, but because it did not have royal authorization, it was…

  • Templo III

    Tikal

    West of the Gran Plaza, across the Calzada Tozzer (Tozzer Causeway) stands Templo III, still undergoing restoration. Only its upper reaches have been…

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