Interesting Facts about Guatemala

Guatemala Interesting Facts

Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in North America. Here are some interesting facts about Guatemala:

In 1821, Guatemala gained its independence. El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica are more nations who attained independence in the same year. These nations all won their freedom from Spain.

José Joaqun Palma, a Cuban, not a Guatemalan, wrote the country's national anthem. However, Rafael Alvarez Ovalle wrote the music.

The national bird and flower of Guatemala are the Quetzal and the White Nun Orchid (Monja Blanca), respectively.

There are 22 Mayan languages spoken in Guatemala, which are among the Mesoamerican and northern Central American languages that are spoken by at least 6 million Maya people. However, their official tongue is Spanish.

The lovely Quetzal bird inspired the name of Guatemala's money, the Quetzal. The feathers of this bird were used as money by the ancient Mayans.

The first ever chocolate bar was also invented in Guatemala during the Mayan times.

The longest river in Guatemala is the Motagua River. It is around 250 km long. Coffee, bananas, and other crops grown in the country's eastern lowlands are transported extensively along the river.

The deepest lake in Central America is Lake Atitlán in Guatemala, which may reach a maximum depth of 340 meters. It is also recognized as the most stunning lake in the whole globe, making it the most significant domestic and foreign tourism destination in the nation.

In Guatemala, there are three UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These locations include Quirigua Ruins, Antigua Guatemala, Tikal National Park, and Archaeological Park.

The first mixed UNESCO World Heritage Site in the world is Tikal National Park.

Beans, corn, and chiles are frequently used as important components in Guatemalan culinary dishes. The country's cuisine is predominantly influenced by Mayan and Spanish cuisine. In Guatemala, pachas, a type of potato tamale, are a popular delicacy served most frequently on Thursdays.

There are many different musical genres and expressions in Guatemala. While the Afro-Caribbean-descendant Garifuna people have their own styles of folk music, lower classes prefer the cumbia, a music genre with a strong dancing element. Guatemala's national instrument is the marimba.

Football (soccer) is one of the most played sports in Guatemala. Additionally, Guatemalans take pleasure in the pastime of "spelunking," which involves visiting caverns and exploring them. It is also preferable to engage in outdoor activities like rafting, white-water rafting, kayaking, and volcano climbing.

Some of the occasions that best exemplify Guatemalan culture are the "Palo Volador," the Easter celebrations known as "Semana Santa", "All Saints Day", "The Election of the Maya princess", "Rabin Ajau" in Copán, and others. Additionally, each hamlet honors its patron saint on a certain day, marking the occasion with a variety of cultural events including craft shows, processions, and folk dances.

Tikal, a historic Mayan fortress amid the country's northern jungles, is located in Guatemala. Archaeologists believe that this city dates to the first century AD. Between 200 and 850 A.D., Tikal was in full bloom; but, by the end of the 10th century, it had been abandoned. It was formerly one of the biggest towns in both the Americas and the Classic period of the Maya civilization. Because of its "exceptional biodiversity and archaeological value," such as the presence of jaguars, pumas, and many monkey species, UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site in 1979.

The lifetime of the large, yellow buses used to transport children to and from school in the United States is 10 years or 150,000 miles. When one of these landmarks is reached, they are auctioned off and transported to Guatemala, where the locals repaint them and utilize them as reasonably priced public transit.

Guatemalans and Mayan women in particular, are expert textile manufacturers. Blue denim is one of the most popular fabrics made in the nation.

Gallo is the name of Guatemala's national beer, and while some people adore it, others don't.

A fascinating fact about Guatemala is that it has more volcanoes than any other country in Central America. Four of Guatemala's 37 volcanoes—Fuego, Pacaya, Santiaguito, and Tacaná - are active at the moment.

The Nahuatl term "Quauhtemallan," which means "land of trees," is where the name "Guatemala" comes from.

Guatemala shares land borders with Mexico, Belize, and Honduras.