For Europeans, this slogan is accompanied by several misconceptions. In Guatemala, as in all countries in this geographical zone, there are effectively only two seasons: summer and winter, or rainy season and dry season. However, the pleasantly warm daytime temperatures and cool to cold nights in the highlands do indeed convey the feeling of eternal spring.
An encounter with Guatemala’s national bird and symbol – the quetzal – is rather unlikely. Anyone looking forward to seeing this magnificent mountain forest dweller will certainly have a much better chance in Costa Rica or Panama, as it is considered largely extinct in Guatemala.
Finally, the “Land of the Maya” brings to mind a lost culture whose legendary ruins are hidden in the rainforest of Petén, most notably Tikal, which is the only site in the world to hold both World Cultural Heritage and World Natural Heritage status. In fact, however, the Mayan culture is still very much alive in Guatemala, where their descendants make up the majority of the population and have preserved their traditions and customs into the 21st century. The markets of Chichicastenango and Todos Santos are impressive evidence of this, as are the countless festivals in which dancers, singers, and musicians participate in traditional clothing and costumes of incredible colors. The Easter Week processions, with the streets of Antigua and other towns and villages covered with elaborate carpets of colourful sawdust, flowers, petals, berries and fruits, remain unforgettable for all spectators.
Guatemala is a country of great scenic beauty. A series of active volcanoes forms the backbone of the western highlands. Lake Atitlán is considered one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. On its northern shore sits Gringotenango, which in the Quiché dialect means “the place of the gringos,” as the locals call Panajachel, the traveler’s oasis with its countless hotels, restaurants, and souvenir shops. The former capital Antigua, with its incomparable setting, which still preserves all the splendor of the Spanish colonial empire in the ruins of its churches and baroque facades; the bizarre limestone caves of Lanquín and the natural swimming pools and rock formations of Semuc Champey; the tropical course of the Rio Dulce; the rainforests of the Petén with the Mayan sites of El Ceibal, El Zotz, and El Mirador, the mighty Sierra de Cuchumatanes mountain range, and last but not least, two coasts that could hardly be more different: the Caribbean enclave of Livingston with its typical atmosphere and the black, untouched Pacific beaches.