Meaning of Flag
The blue stands for the two oceans that wash Guatemala's shores (Pacific Ocean and the the Atlantic Ocean (Caribbean sea)) and sky
White symbolizes peace and purity
Resplendent Quetzal symbolizes liberty
The bay laurel crown symbolizes victory
Parchment scroll indicates Central America's independence from Spain (15 September 1821)
Crossed rifles stands for Guatemala's willingness to defend itself by force if need be
Crossed swords symbolize honor
Geography
- Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between El Salvador and Mexico, and bordering the Gulf of Honduras (Caribbean Sea) between Honduras and Belize
- tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands
- mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and rolling limestone plateau
- petroleum, nickel, rare woods, fish, chicle, hydropower
- Population: 14,647,083 (July 2014 est.)
Currency
- Quetzal
- 1 US Dollar = 7 Quetzals
Culture
The culture of Guatemala reflects strong Mayan and Spanish influences and continues to be defined as a contrast between poor Mayan villagers in the rural highlands, and the urbanized and relatively wealthy mestizos population (known in Guatemala as ladinos) who occupy the cities and surrounding agricultural plains.
Those expecting Guatemalan marimba music to sound in any way picturesquely primitive, or even folky in any meaningful sense, might be shocked by this disc, which features the locally prominent ensemble Marimba Chapinlandia playing a variety of compositions from throughout the 20th century, focusing on the marimba ensemble style that came into its own at around the turn of that century.
Common Foods & Cuisine
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Tikal Tikal is a ruined Maya city located in the northern Petén province of Guatemala. During the heyday of the Maya Empire, Tikal was a very important and influential city, controlling vast stretches of territory and dominating smaller city-states. Like the rest of the great Maya cities, Tikal fell into decline around 900 A.D. or so and was eventually abandoned. | National Palace of Culture National Palace of Culture is identified as Guatemala City's symbol in its monumental architectural context. It was the most important building in Guatemala and was the headquarters of the President of Guatemala. The building is the origin of all the roads in the Republic, and has a spot known as Kilometro Cero (Zero Kilometer). It is actually a museum and is also used for important acts of the government. | Torre del ReformadorThe Torre del Reformador is a 75 meter tall steel framework tower in the Zone 9 of Guatemala City. The tower was built in 1935, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Justo Rufino Barrios, who was President of Guatemala and instituted a number of reforms. |
Tikal
National Palace of Culture
Torre del Reformador
The Torre del Reformador is a 75 meter tall steel framework tower in the Zone 9 of Guatemala City. The tower was built in 1935, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Justo Rufino Barrios, who was President of Guatemala and instituted a number of reforms.