Women in Santiago Atitlán still wear their beautiful huipiles embroidered with birds and flowers to buy tomatoes at the market, the same way their mothers and grandmothers did long before tourists arrived. I’ve been coming here since I was a kid growing up in Guatemala, and that detail still tells me more about this town … Read more
Before 6 AM on a clear morning in Panajachel, with the water still and the sky just beginning to lighten, the three volcanoes appear across the lake. San Pedro, Tolimán, Atitlán. All three, unobstructed. It takes your breath away. I’ve been watching this view my whole life and I still stand there for a few … Read more
Disclosure: 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 places and services I have personally used or vetted. A cacao ceremony at Lake Atitlán sounds, from the outside, like an extraordinary thing. … Read more
Disclosure: This may contain 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 places and services I have personally used or vetted. The temazcal has been part of life in Guatemala for as long as anyone … Read more
Mayan ceremonies in Guatemala are not a travel trend. They are the living spiritual heartbeat of my country — traditions that have survived colonial suppression, forced conversion, and five centuries of outside pressure, and are still practiced today by communities across the highlands, the lake shores, the cloud forests, and the jungles of Petén. I … 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 10 days in Guatemala and not sure how to make every day count? … Read more
If you are looking for an affordable boutique hotel in Antigua Guatemala that is genuinely beautiful, has free parking, and does not feel like every other hotel in the city, Villa Colonial is the one I would tell you to book. I am Guatemalan, I grew up visiting Antigua, and I have stayed at a lot of hotels here … Read more
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
