Guatemala City: Guatemala City
The capital of the country – Guatemala City or just Guatemala, was founded in 1776 under the name of Nueva-Guatemala de la Asuncion and was the third in turn "option" capital Cities.
A clearly planned on the Spanish system, the city stretched across the mountain valley at the foot of Pasayya and Fuego volcanoes, and the valley itself, and the nearby slopes for which the streets are cracked. Nowadays, this is the largest city of Central America with a population of more than 3 million people, noisy and chaotic, where slums are adjacent to fashionable mansions, and one of the first in Spanish America Universities San Carlos towers over markets and dilapidious buses. Like all Spanish cities, the city is clearly divided into the quarters of the Avenid system (go from north to south) and cache (from the west to the East) generating 15 "zone".
Old city
City center – "Zone 1", represents a launched world of old houses, winding sidewalks, car parks and many pretty unsightly shops. This is undoubtedly the most amazing part of the capital, where the magnificence of old mansions and areas is adjacent to the faceless houses of the late XIX century, and the broken lattices of old fences – with new places that the city administration are opened on the site of the attachment.
The heart of the city is blowed by all winds Park-Sentral Szenral, where all distances in Guatemala are measured from. Despite its importance, the area is a dead place, which only taxi drivers and pigeons visit. Only on Sunday, when a live market opens here, visited by local residents not so much for shopping, as in order to just stroll, gossip and eat in a circle of friends, the area comes to life. And at the same time, next to the giant flagpole with the Guatemalan flag (by the way, it is he is considered to be the center of the country) is the eternal flame dedicated to "Unknown heroes of the world". For many Guatemalants, this is a real pilgrimage place. Also, the National Palace is also lying on the square (now here is the Museum of History of Guatemala), and on the eastern side – the Cathedral with Turquoise Domes of the Cedral Metropolitan (1868 g), on the twelve external columns of which the names of thousands of dead and without a trace of missing victims of the Civil War. The Merkado-Central market was spreading behind the cathedral, the architecture of which is most reminiscent of the nuclear bunker.
South Park-Sentral stretch Avenida 6 and 7, rich in clothing stores and fast food institutions, and at the corner of Avenida 6 and Calue 13, the Church of Iglesia de San Francisco (1780 g). Still in the quarter south of the Police Management Office, which looks like a real castle with medieval gear walls. 300 meters east is the immaculately restored mansion of Casa Mima (XIX c) with a large collection of authentic household items of various periods. In the southern end of the old town, it is possible to find colorful buildings of Centro-Siviko (1961 g), Banco de Guatemala with picturesque frescoes, Teatro-Naconal or Cultural Center Miguel Asturias (1978) and the Museum of the Armed Forces Guatemala. The north of Zone 1 lies shady and calm Park Minerva.
New town
Spacious southern part of Guatemala City or "New town", was built in the middle of the 20th century as a business center of the capital. Its main decorations are Torre del Perfomador – Guatemalan response to the Eiffel Tower, the Church of Yurrite in Neootheic style, Green Avenida-la-Perfoma – the main transport artery of the new city, the Botanical Garden of Jardin-Botaniko and the University of San Carlos, a small museum of natural science, and Also two first-class private museums at the University Campus Francisco-Mrokin – dedicated to the culture of Maya Musseo-Ishchel (Ishilla) and the excellent Mose-Popol-Wau, which is famous for its collection of archaeological finds from all over the country. Next, to the south of Avenida-la-Perfoma will lead to the area of shops, banks and hotels, east of passing to Zone-Vivat, almost entirely occupied by hotels, restaurants, nightclubs and, at the very beginning of Avenida Perfoma, a large shopping center Lo-Seraches.
In Zone 13, it is possible to find Moseo-Nasional de Arkeology-and-ethnology with an excellent collection of objects of the Maya era, Moseo-National De Art-Moderno with the excellent meeting of Guatemalan Art of the end of the 20th century and Musa-Nasional de Historia-Natural.
On the western outskirts of the city, in Zone 7, there are extensive Ruins Kamalhai ("Hill dead") – one of the most important settlements "Classic period" Mayan civilizations (the occurrence of the city belong to the II millennium BC. NS. More than 300 removations of structures and about 13 fields for playing in the ball were found at this place. Unfortunately, the ruins are largely crumpled by the construction of the upcoming urban quarters, and today it is almost impossible to submit that the greatness that this place is 700 years ago.
Reviews and studies of trips
Mundo Maya. Guatemala. From Guatemala City to Semuk Champ
I get up early in the morning – today we have a rather long moving on very difficult roads. Our path lies in Semuk Chapese. Read more →
