Experience Antigua & Western Highlands

Filled with vestiges of its colonial past -- cobblestone streets, enchanting squares, and deserted convents -- Antigua instantly transports you back hundreds of years to when the Spanish ruled this land. Founded in 1543, the city was initially called Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala after the patron saint of the conquistadors. For 200 years it was the capital of a region that included what is now Central America and part of Mexico. Along with Lima and Mexico City, it was one of the greatest cities of the Americas.

In the 1960s laws took effect that limited commercial development and required what development did occur to keep within the city's colonial character. The National Council for the Protection of Antigua Guatemala was formed in 1972 to restore the ruins, maintain the monuments, and rid the city of such modern intrusions as billboards and neon signs. Restoration projects, both private and public, have transformed Antigua into a captivating destination.

Beginning near Antigua, the Western Highlands run all the way to the border of Mexico. This is a spectacular stretch where grumbling volcanoes rise above broad alpine lakes and narrow river ravines, tropical valleys and misty cloud forests, pine-draped hillsides and pastoral plains. Many people come to the Western Highlands to experience its natural beauty, and few are disappointed.

This region is home to the majority of Guatemalan's indigenous people, most of whom live in small villages you'll find nestled in the valleys and perched on the hillsides. Most are descendants of the Maya, and they proudly hold onto their heritage. Many of the 23 distinct ethnic groups continue to speak their own languages, such as Cakchiquel, Mam, and Tzutuhil. Some still follow the ancient 260-day Tzolkin Maya calendar, one of the most accurate ever invented. And although Christianity has been practiced here for 500 years, it still has only a tentative hold. In Chichicastenango, Mayan ceremonies unfold on the steps of the local church. Maximón, the saint that likes to smoke and drink, hears prayers and receives symbolic offerings of cigars and whiskey from faithful believers in the lakeside village of Santiago Atitlán.

Village life, for the most part, consists of backbreaking work in the fields. Most survive on subsistence farming, selling what little is left over. Entire families pack fruits, vegetables, and whatever else they have onto their backs and head to market. Market day, held at least once a week in most communities, is as much a social gathering as anything else. Activity starts in the wee hours, when there is still a chill in the air. Bargaining and selling are carried out in hushed, amicable tones. The momentum wanes around late afternoon as the crowds depart, eager to head home before the sun sinks behind the mountains.