Greetings! In January I took a trip to Guatemala in Central America. I wrote three blog posts on the first three stops in my itinerary as follows:
Today I'm sharing my tour and photos in
Guatemala City, the capital of Guatemala and the largest city in Central America. Its official name is Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción (New Guatemala of the Assumption). The population of Guatemala City is about two million, however, with the addition of the neighbouring municipalities, the total increases to about four million.
Guatemala City is divided into twenty-two zones, which are numbered in a spiral fashion starting in downtown Guatemala City. I decided to book a half-day city tour to explore the various city zones. The tour included hotel pick-up and drop-off. There were eight people, including me, in the tour group, plus an English-speaking tour guide and a driver. Our shuttle van could accommodate twenty people so we had lots of room in the vehicle.
Our tour began with a visit to
Plaza Berlin which offers a good view of
Guatemala City and its surrounding mountains. From there, we made a few
stops to see
Iglesia Yurrita, a Catholic church known for its ornate Gothic features, and the
Central Post Office which has the arch
way similar to the Santa Catalina arch in Antigua.
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| View of Guatemala City from Plaza Berlin |
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| Plaza Berlin, Guatemala City |
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| Yurrita Church in Guatemala City |
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| Main Post Office in Guatemala City |
We continued on to
Central Plaza, also known as
Constitution Plaza, at the heart of Guatemala City. Here, we viewed the
Cathedral, built between 1782 and 1815, and the
National Palace, one of the most important Guatemalan architectural
achievements of the last century. Formerly the seat of the government,
it is now a museum and venue for government affairs.
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| Cathedral in Guatemala City |
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| National Palace in Guatemala City |
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| Constitution Plaza , Guatemala City |
The tour also took us through the residential, the educational, and the business
districts of the city to gain a full understanding of life in Guatemala
City. We visited a gated residential district where many embassies and consulates are located. Photos are not allowed in this area. We also viewed at a distance zones that are deemed unsafe to visitors due to gang-related crimes, and passed by the Zoo.
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| The Zoo, Guatemala City |
We walked through the city's Historic Centre, part of it is being converted to pedestrian-only area, and the Central Market where fresh produce and colourful handicrafts are visual treats.
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| Fruit in Central Market, Guatemala City |
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| Fruit juice selection in my hotel |
Guatemala City is a clean city as the municipal government has educated and encouraged its residents to keep the city clean. I was pleased with my decision to take the Guatemala City tour. It covered a lot of ground in three and a half hours. The tour guide was very knowledgeable, and with a small group, the pace was relaxing. This is my last stop in Guatemala, before flying home from La Aurora International Airport (airport code GUA) the next day.
My trip to Guatemala, known as the Land of Eternal Spring, was amazing! I hope you've enjoyed visiting (or revisiting) Guatemala through my lens.
I'd love to hear your comments.
