Antiquity is at the heart of Guatemala: the country incorporates some of the most spectacular Mayan archaeological sites and the pineforested hills of the Highlands are home to Mayan communities that still wear their traditional weavings. Guatemala has around 21 different ethnic groups, speaking some 23 languages. The staggering Mayan monuments alert the visitor to a mystery that hangs in the air: the Mayans were dominant through much of Central America from the fifth until the eighth centuries, when their civilization rapidly declined and a variety of other ethnic groups moved into the region.

Guatemala was one of the territories overrun by the Spanish conquistador Cortés in the 17th century. Pressure on their empire during the early 19th century forced the Spanish to concede independence to their American colonies, principally Mexico, into which Guatemala was briefly incorporated in 1822. Guatemala then enjoyed comparative stability under a series of dictators who were content to keep the country under a quasi-feudal regime. Eventually, the country slid into almost perpetual civil war between a series of right-wing military Governments and various leftist guerrilla movements: a major figure during this period was the former general Efrain Rios Montt, who as army chief of staff and (briefly) president during the 1970s and 80s, presided over a vicious counter-insurgency campaign whose savagery was exceptional.

Only now has the government admitted that its predecessors were responsible for massive human rights abuses, perhaps because of the findings of a UN-sponsored investigation into the estimated 200,000 killings. This investigation also drew attention to the complicity and active assistance of successive American governments in the counter-insurgency campaign, for which the then-US president, Bill Clinton, apologised. Under the terms of the deal that ended civil war, the culprits go unpunished.

Even Guatemala's cities have been subject to cataclysm. Three attempts to establish a capital were made before Guatemala City was founded in 1775. The first colonial settlement was built in 1524 but continuing battles with Cakchiquel warriors necessitated relocation in 1527 near present-day San Miguel Escobar. An earthquake destroyed this in 1541. A third capital was then established on the present site of la Antigua Guatemala and survived until 1773, when it was hit by a huge earthquake and eventually abandoned. The former capital was thereafter known as la Antigua Guatemala, or Old Guatemala.

But nature wields a double-edged sword in Guatemala, and as much as its effects have scathed Guatemalan infrastructure and land, it has also formed some astonishing sights, such as volcanic peaks, subtropical forests and ancient, sulphurous lakes. Orchids spring out of soil, exotic creatures roam it, and exotic birds soar above it. And equally, just as Guatemala's human history contains some savage chapters, a visitor is still frequently greeted by sincere friendliness. The indigenous Guatemalan culture also persists, and those thinking that the Mayans were totally eradicated centuries ago may be surprised to bump into a few on their travels – they constitute almost half the population.

Geography
Guatemala is located in Central America and shares borders to the north and west with Mexico, to the southeast with El Salvador and Honduras, to the northeast with Belize and the Caribbean sea and to the south with the Pacific ocean. The landscape is predominantly mountainous and heavily forested. A string of volcanoes rises above the southern highlands along the Pacific, three of which are still active. Within this volcanic area are basins of varying sizes which hold the majority of the country’s population. The region is drained by rivers flowing into both the Pacific and the Caribbean. One basin west of the capital has no river outlet and thus has formed Lake Atitlán, which is ringed by volcanoes. To the northwest, bordering on Belize and Mexico, lies the low undulating tableland of El Petén, 36,300 sq km (14,000 sq miles) of almost inaccessible wilderness covered with dense hardwood forest. This area covers approximately one-third of the national territory, yet contains only 40,000 people.