Yesterday we visited Guatemala. We arrived into Puerto Quetzal and immediately proceeded with a tour group inland towards Antigua, the country’s capital during colonial times. On our way to Antigua, we stopped in the outlying village of San Juan del Obispo and visited the Bishop’s Palace.
There, we were able to see a baroque-style gold-gilded chapel – a private area that is typically off-limits to tourists, but we were allowed to enter inside.
While here we were also presented with authentic Guatemalan chocolate, which they served in liquid form (as is the norm in the area). Talk about the smoothest, creamiest hot (warm) chocolate ever! We then sampled a variety of chocolates, from vanilla to cardamom to spicy chili chocolates. We liked it so much we bought a couple bags (and somehow, I doubt they last until we get home, they are so good!).
After the Bishop’s Palace we headed to Antigua and had a traditional Guatemalan lunch at a restaurant that is doubled as a plant nursery. The meal we were served was pepián – the quintessential Guatemalan dish that was basically a chicken stew served over rice and with tortillas and bread on the side. Although the chicken version is arguably the most popular, pork and beef variations are also commonly substituted. I’m horrible at describing food, so let me just pull from how a separate blogger described it: “To create the dish, a mix of red and black chiles, sesame seeds, cilantro, tomatoes, and tomatillos are roasted individually to build a complex flavor profile and are then blended into the beloved creamy stew.” See, doesn’t that sound tasty? (And it was…)
After lunch we headed into the heart of Antiqua, Guatemala, with our first stop being Jade Maya, a jade showroom and mini museum. We learned that there are different kinds of jade, and the type in Guatemala is called Jadeite Jade. This rare jade is actually not always green – sometimes it’s lavender, black, white, or even blue. We were able to see jade being cut while here.
After perusing the jade (and buying a small necklace), we proceeded to a walking tour of Antigua where we saw many colonial buildings and discovered why UNESCO declared the town a World Heritage Site. The Spanish Renaissance-inspired grid layout of cobblestone streets was lovely to see and walk along. While meandering about, we passed through Plaza Mayor where we saw an unusual 18th-century Fountain of the Sirens (the boys pointed out that the water was spraying from her breasts, so there’s that).
All in all, it was a fun experience. And, even better, we learned many interesting tidbits from our tour guide (Lina) during our drive and walk. Some of these facts are below for your amusement as well. Enjoy!
1. First fact – the name: Guatemala was once called “Quauhtemallan” which means “tierra de abundantes florestas,” or roughly “land of plentiful forests.” I did read somewhere else that some people actually think the name “Guatemala” comes from the word “Guhatezmalha,” which means “mountain of vomiting water.” I think land of many trees sounds a little better…
2. Here’s a fact that Lina shared that I particularly liked: In terms of size, Guatemala is about the same size as Iceland and Cuba. However, whereas Iceland has around 350,000 inhabitants, Guatemala has roughly 17 million inhabitants! Mind blowing!
3. You can see old school buses all over the place. Rather than being the boring old yellow like in the States, however, they are brightly painted and have been remodeled so they can fit more people inside them (wider seats with a narrower aisle). Sometimes referred to as “chicken buses” they are forms of public transport that many people use. Our tour guide told us that there aren’t bus stops – they just watch for people, stop, and continue on. There’s two workers on each bus – the driver and an assistant who handles the money, puts peoples’ bags on the roof, and watches for people flagging the bus down. The buses compete with one another for business, so they keep moving to get more customers – even if the assistant is still putting bags on the roof. We didn’t see that, but Lina said it’s true so it must be. 🙂
4. There are 37 volcanos in Guatemala, but only three of them are active. The tallest volcano is Tajumulco – 4,222 metres (12,529 ft) – which is also the highest peak in Central America. Pacaya volcano (2,552 metres / 8,373 ft) is one of Guatemala’s most active volcanoes. Its frequent eruptions are often visible from Guatemala City. The second active volcano in Guatemala is Santiaguito (3,772 metres / 12,375 ft), which has been erupting every hour for nearly one hundred years. Finally, Fuego (3,763 metres / 12,346 ft) is the most active volcano in Guatemala; it explodes around 5-9 times per hour producing impressive ash plumes. We got to witness Fuego erupting, as you can see with the smoke billowing out in the photo below.
5. A delicious fact for you – McDonald’s Happy Meal comes from Guatemala. In the 1970s, Guatemalan businesswoman and philanthropist Yolanda Fernández de Cofiño came up with a meal with small portions for kids. She called it the “Ronald Menu.” Today, in Guatemala, it is known as the Cajita Feliz, which means the happy little box. For the record, we did *not* eat at McDonalds during our visit.
6. While Spanish is the official language of Guatemala, there are 24 other languages spoken in the country including 22 Mayan languages. Some of the Mayan languages are spoken by only a few thousand people, whereas others are spoken by millions. I’m not going to lie – I had no clue modern-day Mayans and Mayan languages existed, so this fact was fun to learn.
7. We arrived into Puerto Quetzal. What the heck is a quetzal? Good question. The quetzal is a brightly colored bird sacred to the ancient Mayas and Aztecs. Quetzals are iridescent green or golden-green birds with red bellies and long tails. It is the national symbol of Guatemala. The bird is on the country’s flag and coat of arms. Also – quetzal is also the name of the country’s currency, the Guatemalan quetzal. Additional fun fact: the quetzal (the money this time, not the bird) has Mayan numbers on it. You can see it in the upper right corner of the bill in the image below.
8. I already mentioned Happy Meals, but Guatemalans are responsible for several other well-known inventions as well, such as instant coffee, CAPTCHA, and the language-learning website and mobile app, Duolingo. Fun, right?
9. Here’s a cool holiday they have: All Saints Day Kite Festival is Guatemalans’ way of honoring their dead. Every year on November 1st, Guatemalans partake in this ritual that has been around for more than 3000 years. People go to the cemeteries to clean and decorate the graves of their loved ones. Then they fly massive and intricately-decorated kites high in the sky.
10. The last fact I’ll share is about the Guatemalan worry dolls. These are tiny (super tiny) handmade dolls that you’re supposed to tell your worries to and then place them under your pillow when you go to bed at night. By morning the dolls have gifted you with the wisdom and knowledge to eliminate your worries. The legend of the worry dolls comes from a story about a Mayan princess named Ixmucane. The princess received a special gift from the sun god that allowed her to solve any problem a human could worry about. The worry doll represents the princess and her wisdom. Each of us got some worry dolls as gifts at the end of our tour, which was cool.
