My goal is to write today’s post about Guatemala in under twenty minutes. Go!
What I knew about Guatemala before today
Erm, it’s Mexico’s southern neighbour. It’s in Central America, has a lot of Mayan ruins, crazy looking buses and apparently, there’s a big Guatemalan community in Los Angeles.
What’s Guatemala’s top tourist attraction?
It turns out I was right about Guatamala’s Mayan history. The top tourist attraction in Guaremala is arguably Tikal, a UNESCO listed complex of Mayan ruins deep inside the Guatemalan jungle. Think Tom Raider.
What was the last war or conflict Guatemala took part in?
This would be the Guatemalan Civil War which raged for an incomprehensible 36 years before finally coming to an end in 1996.
A Bizarre fact about Guatemala
I could go with something straightforward like “Guatemala has the fastest growing population in the Western Hemisphere”.
That’s kind of boring though. And I’m not sure how bizarre it is either. On the other hand I could use this as an opportunity to talk about Guatemalan chicken buses. They remind me of Indian lorries. Take one retired yellow American school bus and then pimp it up with a crazy psychedelic paint job, roof racks and a colourful Guatemalan embroidered interior and you’re done. From what I can tell, chicken buses are the most popular way to get around Guatemala and I have no difficulties working out why.
Was Guatemala a former colony?
Of course! After writing about 69 countries, I’m surprised I still ask this question. Guatemala was a Spanish colony (the Captaincy General of Guatemala) from 1519 to 1821.
What are Guatemala’s main exports?
Coffee, banana, sugar cane and textiles.
What’s Guatemala’s National dish?
Tamales are often claimed to be the national dish of Guatemala, as is pepián. Either way, Guatemalan cuisine is really diverse. I’d love to try kakik, chiles rellenos and basically everything.
I actually, really want to visit Guatemala now. The food looks incredible, and I love a good ruin. Right, time for a cold Gallo, it is Easter after all.
P.s. Guatemala loves Easter.
I'm writing about every country in the world. One a day for 195 days. Learn more