Guatemala Information, History, and Culture - Niños del Lago
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Guatemala the Beautiful...

Visitors can walk among beautiful fountains and timeless sculptures in some of America’s oldest towns and cities. With 8,000 species of plants, 600 varieties of orchids and 300 bird species, nearly the entire country is a nature lovers paradise. A visit to Guatemala offers visitors the rare opportunity to experience a country that has changed little over the centuries.

Lake Atitlán

Lake Atitlán, which is volcanic in origin, is the main tourist attraction in the County of Sololá. The lake is 90 miles from Guatemala City, and has been described by experts as the most beautiful lake in the world. It is located 5,125 feet above sea level, covers an area of 50 square miles and has a depth of 1,600 feet. Its clear waters are home to several species of fish including the very edible black bass. Three spectacular volcanoes - Tolimán, Atitlán and San Pedro - form a natural backdrop for the lake and the varying light causes the lake to change color.

Mayan Spirit

Almost 60 percent of Guatemala’s population is comprised of indigenous people with roots to the Mayans and Pre-Columbian settlements. The Maya were one of the most amazing civilizations in history comparable to the Romans, the Greeks and the Egyptians. In fact, they lasted six times longer than the Roman Empire and built public monuments equal to the pyramids of ancient Egypt.

The Mayan religion combined a complex and rich pantheon of gods, including the sun, moon, rain, maize and other deities who were inextricably linked to mathematics, astronomy and the natural environment. The Maya worshipped the concept of time. Through their understanding of the seasons they were able to determine the correct time for planting and harvesting, maintaining a consistent food supply. They were mathematicians and astronomers, having invented the concept of zero as well as a calendar thought to be as accurate as the Gregorian calendar used today. The Maya believed -- and continue to believe -- that the winter solstice in 2012 will mark the end of a cycle of 5,125 years and give birth to a new day for mankind.

Mayan Architecture and Civilization

The classic Mayan Empire lasted for 2,000 years and was marked by the construction of dozens of great cities and hundreds of impressive pyramids and temples. Their cities stretched over an area of 1,500 miles in present day Central America, and included Copan, Tikal, Uxmal, Palenque, Bonompak, Xachilan, and Chitzen Itza to name a few. The Maya built monumental architecture, possessed a writing system, perfected arts and crafts, and had an advanced knowledge of astronomy and geometry.

The Mayan empire was a loose collection of independent city-states that shared common social and religious beliefs. However, they were fiercely competitive and were continually at war or building monuments to their kings. The mysterious collapse of Mayan civilization, around 900 AD, has been speculated to be a combination of the over extension of their energy for supremacy in war and ceaseless building, combined with possible disease and drought. Undoubtedly, the Maya created one of the most unique intellectual, spiritual and artistic civilizations the world has ever known.

Mayan People and Culture Today

The modern Mayan world still resonates with ancient mystery. Many of the Maya today are direct descendants of the people who built the ancient pyramids and temples. To better understand the Maya of today, you need to look back at the origins of their religion and art, which dominated every aspect of the ancient Mayan world.

The ancient Maya believed that they lived symbolically on an island in the center of the four directions, each with corresponding color. In the east was the color red, symbolic of new beginnings and rebirth; in the south was the color yellow, symbolic of corn, the harvest and the sun; in the west was the color black, representing night, death and the underworld; in the north, the color white, representing the change that brings rain and the rainbow of new seasons. In the center, the Maya lived on a divine blue-green island, surrounded by a dark blue ocean. Each Mayan city was uniquely located in time and space, linked to the 13 heavens and the nine levels of the underworld.

The Maya had a strong dualistic philosophy, believing there was always a dynamic tension between light and darkness, birth and death, benevolent and malevolent forces. Through the strong connection to nature, the Maya would assign a direction and a color to everything in their world: gods, corn, wind, birds, the sun, the moon, the stars, flowers, plants and animals. Using this symbolic palette of color, the Maya directly communicated their unique expressions of life through patterns of intricate weaving and brightly painted houses and cemeteries.

Although the Mayan traditions have been strongly influenced by the Catholic Church, the Maya still cling to many of their ancient practices, inextricably connected to the earth. Supplications to the rain and agricultural spirits are still performed at altars, which remain throughout the jungle. Interestingly, the Mayans were able to adapt and absorb the Catholic faith by merging it with their pagan beliefs. Religious festivals, ceremonies and prayers became a fusion of shamanic animism and Christian ritual. When Christianity described the blood of Jesus, King of the Jews, as having been spilled for the common people, the Maya easily understood. In their sacrificial ceremonies, bloodletting of kings was a common practice. Jesus then became the “Sun” and Mary the “Grandmother Moon” while various saints were aligned with other spirits in nature.

Today, the Mayan people continue to live outside the political mainstream and use the same agricultural practices they have used for centuries. The faces of the older Mayan people still reflect an ancient wisdom, reserve and dignity. The young show an innocence joy and curiosity not as easily seen in Western civilization. Many of their ancient customs, crafts, and attitudes remain intact. In stark contrast to the wealthier industrialized societies, the Maya exist in what we would consider economic poverty, yet they possess an incredible richness of spirit.

Traveling through their world of ancient ruins, tropical rain forests, volcanoes, lakes, traditional culture, clothing and color, you feel that the ancient Maya still live on in the people of today.

Guatemala Facts

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