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Essay On Guatemala

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Guatemala is a small country in central America, bordered by Honduras, Belize, El Salvador, and Mexico. Guatemala is best known for their indigenous Mayan culture and excavated ruins of the Mayan empire, nature, and their world class coffee. If you visit Guatemala, you’ll see that it is unique in many ways.
History
The history of Guatemala is divided into three distinct stages, the Mayan indigenous, Spanish colonial, and the modern republic. The Mayan indigenous period lasted from 300 AD to 900 AD and featured highly developed architecture, painting, sculpture, music, mathematics (including the use of 0), a 365-day calendar, roads, and extensive trade. The civilization mysteriously collapsed around 900 AD and by the twelfth century the Mayas had …show more content…

Tikal National Park is in Northern Guatemala and houses the largest excavated site on the North American Continent. It is a well-preserved complex of Mayan Step Pyramids and Hieroglyphic Carvings. Tikal Park also is home to a large swath of rain forest habitats. Secondly, Lake Atitlan the deepest lake of the country is in the Guatemalan highlands. It is surrounded by 3 volcanoes and small Mayan villages. Another Guatemalan landmark is an active volcano known as Mt. Pacaya. Mt. Pacaya is an active volcano in Southern Guatemala located near the Capital, Guatemala City. Mt. Pacaya has been known to engulf homes and villages. The next landmark is the historic town of Antiqua. Antigua is a world heritage site that consists of well-preserved Spanish Colonial architecture. Founded in the 16th century, the town was the colonial capital until 1773, when an earthquake devastated the areas. The last landmark is also a Mayan archeological site. Quirigua was the place where the infamous Mayan calendar was discovered, along with dozens of stone monuments know as Stelae. Stelae are intricately carved with hieroglyphics explaining historical

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