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Guatemala - Culture & Geography
Guatemala’s population is almost equally divided between indigenous Maya and Ladinos (people of mixed blood and/or who follow Western culture), and, despite years of persecution and abuse, the indigenous Guatemalan culture is alive and well. For some 450 years, the ancestors of the great Maya civilization have managed to retain many of their original beliefs and customs because within their communities they were for the most part left alone. The opportunity to experience the strikingly pure modern version of the ancient Mayan culture, which is colorfully exhibited during fiestas, parades, markets, and the indigenous people’s every-day life, is what draws nearly a million travelers to Guatemala every year.
The Republic of Guatemala sits at the northern end of the Central American Isthmus and is bordered by El Salvador, Honduras, and the Pacific Ocean to the east and south, Belize and the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, and Mexico to the north and west. The Guatemalan geography is wildly different from one end of the country to the other. The coastal plains that begin in the south gradually give way to a string of mighty volcanic cones at the southern limit of the central highlands. Beyond the volcanoes lie impressive granite peaks and rolling hills where the majority of Guatemala’s indigenous population resides. And yet further north, past the Cuchumatanes mountain range, is the huge tract of virgin rainforest known as Petén, which harbors the most impressive Mayan archeological treasures anywhere as well as a tremendous array of wildlife.
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