Guatemalan drinks are some of the most diverse, deeply rooted, and least-known traditional beverages in all of Latin America — from fermented frescos served at Semana Santa processions to thick, spiced atoles ladled out before sunrise at highland markets. Some of them go back to the Maya. Some arrived with the Spanish. Most of them … Read more
This fresco de tiste recipe is one of the oldest traditional Guatemalan drinks you can make at home — a cold, dark, slightly thick cacao drink made from toasted cacao seeds and toasted corn, ground together with cinnamon and cloves and stirred into cold water. It’s been around since the Mayan people were drinking it … Read more
This fresco de pepita recipe is one of those traditional Guatemalan drinks that most people outside the country have never heard of, even though it’s been a staple in Zacapa and Chiquimula forever. It’s made from toasted squash seeds — pepita de ayote — blended with water and sweetened to taste, served cold over ice. … Read more
This fresco de suchiles recipe is one of the most iconic and culturally significant traditional Guatemalan drinks you’ll ever make. This lightly fermented, deeply aromatic Semana Santa drink that’s been poured in Guatemala City’s Zona 1 for generations. This is a unique traditional Guatemalan drink that almost nobody outside Guatemala has ever heard of. If … Read more
This fresco de chinchivir recipe is my version of one of Guatemala’s most distinctive and least-talked-about traditional drinks — a sharp, spiced lemon and ginger fresco that originated in the colonial city of Antigua Guatemala and has been quenching the thirst of Guatemalans during the hottest part of the year for generations. I tried chinchivir … Read more
This article contains affiliate links. If you book or buy something through one of my links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products, places, and services I have personally used or vetted. Planning 7 days in Guatemala and tired of seeing the same recycled itinerary everywhere … Read more
This fresco de chilacayote recipe is one of those traditional Guatemalan drinks that’s been on Semana Santa tables for generations but somehow never makes it into the conversation outside of Guatemala. It’s made by simmering chilacayote squash with panela, cinnamon, cloves, fresh ginger, and allspice until the water turns a beautiful golden amber — then … Read more
If you are traveling to Guatemala in February or March 2026, you are arriving during one of the most culturally and spiritually rich times of the year, and most visitors have no idea. Everyone plans for Semana Santa. But Cuaresma, the 40-day Lenten season that begins on Ash Wednesday February 18 and runs through March … Read more
If you are planning Holy Week in Guatemala and trying to decide where to go, Semana Santa at Lake Atitlán offers something that no other destination in the country can match: twelve indigenous villages, each with its own Holy Week traditions, spread around one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. While most travelers … Read more
Maximón is Guatemala’s most mysterious and misunderstood spiritual figure, and possibly the most fascinating thing you will encounter in the entire country. He is a wooden deity who sits in a smoke-filled room accepting offerings of cigars and liquor, and he will grant petitions that no Catholic saint would touch. Want revenge on someone who … Read more
