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…
Must-see attractions in Guatemala
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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Panajachel
Overflowing with art by Guatemalan painters and sculptors, this gallery functions as both an exhibit space and cultural center, hosting lectures, films…
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…
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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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…
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…
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 –…
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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…
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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…
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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
This museum is named for the Maya goddess of the moon, women, reproduction and textiles. Photographs and exhibits of indigenous costumes and other crafts…
Antigua
Surrounded by superb colonial structures, this broad and beautiful plaza is the gathering place for antigüeños and visitors alike – a fine, verdant place…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Antiguo Colegio de la Compañía de Jesús
Antigua
Established in 1626, the Jesuit monastery and college was a vital component of Antigua life until the order was expelled in 1767; just six years later,…
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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…
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Tikal
The Acropolis del Norte predates the nearby temples significantly. Archaeologists have uncovered about 100 different structures, the oldest of which dates…
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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…
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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…
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Tikal
This museum exhibits a number of superb ceramic pieces from excavations, including incense burners and vases, with descriptions of their uses and…
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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…
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Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología
Guatemala City
This museum has the country's biggest collection of ancient Maya artifacts, but explanatory information is very sparse. There's a great wealth of…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Tikal
West of the Gran Plaza, across the Calzada Tozzer (Tozzer Causeway) stands Templo III, still undergoing restoration. Only its upper reaches have been…
