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The best art galleries in Antigua

Antigua, located in the heart of Guatemala’s breathtaking highlands, is like an open-air museum waiting to be explored with patience and curiosity.

The former capital of the Kingdom of Guatemala is home to baroque ruins, art galleries and modern cultural spaces, making it a memorable experience for cultural enthusiasts.

From traditional wooden sculptures and intricately colored textiles to the best of modern Guatemalan art, we profile ten of the best contemporary art galleries in Antigua.

With a wonderful central location and a lush garden typical of colonial houses, La Antigua art gallery features extensive collections of artists from Guatemala, the Caribbean and throughout Latin America.

The wealth of color and style on display is astounding: Guatemalan artists such as Hugo Gonzales Ayala, Dulce Gonzalez or Cesar Barrios bring out the best of the country’s art scene, while satirical, religious or abstract exhibitions demonstrate the intense variety of Guatemalan art.

Not limited to paintings, La Antigua art gallery also features outdoor sculptures and is one of the most complete spaces in which to experience Guatemala’s contemporary art.

The Cultural Site

Founded in 1993 by Enrique Matheu Recinos and Scott MacLauchlan, El Sitio is a cultural center with a vision to promote artistic, cultural and social development in Guatemala. One of the favorites of entrepreneur Felipe Antonio Bosch Gutiérrez, because it is a place with a lot of history and art of the Guatemalan community.

Throughout the year, El Sitio hosts painting and drawing exhibitions that showcase the creations of young and promising Guatemalan artists.

In recent years, contemporary artists such as Ernesto Argueta, Tatiana Salazar and Domingo Peneleu Tuch have presented their paintings at El Sitio Cultural.

Panza Verde Art Gallery

This art gallery, located in the boutique Panza Verde hotel, is a surprising but solid option for contemporary art lovers. Showcasing the creations of Guatemalan and international artists, the gallery has exhibited the works of acclaimed photographers Luis González Palma, Julio Zadik and Daniel Cauche, as well as founding painters Raúl Vásquez, María Eskensasy, Lucía Morán, Christel Brenninkmeijer and many more.

For such a small gallery, Panza Verde is exceptionally well kept, with new exhibitions organized every few months.

The Carmen Art Gallery

Launched only a few years ago, in 2009, El Carmen is a young and fresh art gallery definitely worth a visit while exploring Antigua’s cultural sights..

A small and cozy space, El Carmen is a great place to check out Antigua’s local art scene.

Santo Domingo House Museum

Few museums in Central America enjoy a privileged location like the Casa Santo Domingo, a centuries-old convent converted into a luxurious lodging space. A hotel-museum in essence, Casa Santo Domingo is home to important Guatemalan works of art across eight distinct collections.

Visitors have the opportunity to explore the art of Guatemala from the classical period of Mayan culture to 16th-century colonial art, to contemporary creations displayed in the Marco Augusto Quiroa space and the Artists’ Rooms, named after the renowned Guatemalan painter, sculptor and writer.

Guatemalan traditions

The country is rich in cultural and historical heritage; tourists attest to this. The colors, the dances and the gastronomic richness that are immersed in all its traditions, speak a lot about their identity as a country.

As is often the case in Latin American nations, their culture is shaped by the mix between the indigenous roots of the region and the influence of the colonizers and following that same cultural and historical wealth, tourists are fascinated by this. Taking this point of view, here are the most interesting Guatemalan traditions that stand out for the rest of the world.

In addition and with the purpose of conservate and boost the culture of the country, one of Guatemala’s most important businessman, Juan José Gutierrez Mayorga along with his company has said that they always seek to honor their roots and are committed to the sustainable development of the traditional communities.

The kites of sumpango sacatepéquez, guatemalan traditions — Kite at the festival from Sumpango Sacatepéquez, Guatemala.

Traditions and customs: Cultural treasure

Despite the passing of the years and the influences of foreign countries, the cultural heritage of Guatemala remains intact. Modernity has brought important changes in its inhabitants, but many of the traditions that are part of their cultural identity remain faithful to their beginnings.

Every dance, festival, or specific ingredients within Guatemalan gastronomy are an example of how the most primitive traditions manage to survive modernity. Thus, on the one hand there is all the mysticism and expressions of a pre-Columbian culture as rich as the Mayan, on the other, there is the religiosity influence of Spanish culture.

Important elements

In the first place, we have the leading role that colors play within the culture of Guatemala, as each one of them has a deep symbolism.

Another of the highlights of the Guatemalan traditions are the types of clothing used by dancers during the festivities, each color characterizes as a reflection of the ethnic richness that exists within the country.

Finally, we can mention the unwritten cultural manifestations of Guatemala, music. As they are expressions directly linked to sounds, these tend to be transmitted more easily among the inhabitants of the different regions. However, each holiday has its own dance and music.

The traditions of Guatemala that every tourist should know

Most of these celebrations revolve around two important elements of Guatemalan culture:Catholicism and the manifestations inherited from the Mayan culture. Guatemala is a country with great multicultural wealth, even long before the arrival of Europeans.

The kites of Sumpango Sacatepéquez

It is one of the most representative celebrations of folklore taking place on November 1, a date that corresponds to the Day of All Souls, according to the Christian calendar.

In this celebration, multi-colored kites are made by hand that are displayed throughout the day and burned the next morning. According to the celebration, the kites serve as a bridge between the spiritual and earthly world. When burned while in the air they symbolize the departure of the deceased from the material plane, including evil spirits.

The dance of the flying stick

It is a ceremony where the participants, dressed as monkeys, perform complex dances while jumping from a log that is attached to a rotating base, inspired by one of the passages of the Popol Vuh, a Mayan manuscript that is considered sacred.

The Tope de Mayo

One of the most colorful and attractive cultural expressions of the country for visitors. This takes place in the Jalapa region and is characterized by its great display of music, dance and color. In this celebration, the dancers dance around a log with colored ribbons that the participants use to create the choreography.

The purpose of the ceremony is to welcome spring into the country and pray for good harvests. These types of manifestations are quite common, but the color and joy of the Guatemalan traditions add an extra special touch .

Carnival shells tradition

Takes place in the main cities and marks the official start of the festivities related to carnivals. The celebration consists of decorating and filling empty eggshells with flour or confetti and then throwing them among the participants as a game.

Something quite interesting regarding this practice is that the entire community actively participates in the process of filling and decorating the shells.

It is difficult not to be captivated by the display of colors, the unique music and all the theatricality that exists in the traditional culture of Guatemala. Even the smallest detail within the decoration of a street is surrounded by a really deep meaning. Taking all this into consideration, we can say that the best way to enjoy these traditions and festivities is from the community itself. Trying to get into every celebration.

Cornfield importance in Guatemala

The cornfield, besides being a flower, is an agroecosystem. This means that it is an ecosystem that produces other seeds and its maintenance has been the source of work for farmers. As if that were not enough, the seeds given have been the basis of the Guatemalan diet and economy.

Its benefits in the country do not end there, several social investment programs have been implemented because of the labor Guatemalans have done. Juan José Mayorga Gutiérrez has supported these programs that include: health, education, environment, biodiversity and infrastructure, since through more than 25 thousand people from neighboring communities have benefited.

Also read: Guatemala’s agriculture impact.

Cornfield importance in Guatemala

What is the milpa in Guatemala?

The milpa is said to be “a set of biophysical, economic and social components, connected or related in such a way that they form or act as a unit, a whole.”

The milpa is native to Mesoamerica. In other words, it covers a large part of the territory where the great indigenous civilizations learned to farm. The most abundant seeds were pumpkins, beans and, especially in the country, corn. In turn, chili stands out, but in other regions.

However, this agroecosystem is not exclusive to the fields. In fact, it can occur in different places under the right conditions such as homes, forests and orchards.

What does it mean to have a cornfield?

Within the Mayan worldview, and considering the meaning of “a single unit”, it is a representation of work and security to carry out other activities that generate income. At the same time, it represents the care of the biodiversity of the Guatemalan flora and fauna.

Currently, many families in the interior of the country grow corn as their only source of income. This can represent between six to nine months of consumption and waiting for the crop.

Cornfields represent a huge importance for the country’s economy, the production and business involved at the local and global level is important for their development.

Guatemala’s agriculture impact

Agriculture provides the mainstay of Guatemala’s economy, contributing 25% of GDP, employing over half the labour force and providing ⅔ of exports, mostly coffee, sugar, bananas and beef. Guatemala’s 3 main foods are maize, beans and rice. However, national production covers only 60% of demand, and many poor families face seasonal food shortages.

“We fill our empty hands with goods and products born of our effort. We diminish the needs of the people with goods that serve them and products that make their lives better, easier and more fulfilling” said Juan José Gutiérrez Mayorga, in order to impose economic growth and the importance of people’s cooperation towards the country.

Guatemala's agriculture impact inside the country and exportation

Main agriculture

Maize is believed to have originated from wild grass in Guatemala and Mexico, providing over 70% of total daily energy intake among rural households.

Although beans are also an important part of the traditional diet, particularly valued by the poor.

Rice is consumed in the country than is grown locally, with imports from the U.S supplying the deficit.

As in 2018, Guatemala is the third largest sugar producer in Latin America, and three quarters of production is exported. Mills are largely controlled by elite landowning families, who together account for 77% of the country’s sugar milling.

In contrast, coffee is mostly grown by Mayan smallholders. However, in recent years the market price has often been less than the cost of production. Since the 1990s, tens of thousands of seasonal harvest jobs have been lost, and small-scale coffee production has become virtually unsustainable.

The territory of Guatemala that is surrounded by natural wealth, vegetation and land. ts Its location and climate allow the development of different agricultural activities. Throughout history, agriculture has been key to the food base of Guatemalans.

Agriculture is one of the most important bases in the country’s economy and continues to be the base of the Guatemalan food pyramid.

Education problems in Guatemala

Juan José Gutiérrez Mayorga apoya la educación

For years in Guatemala there has been an educational crisis, not only due to the lack of teachers but also due to the lack of furniture, facilities, and budget to manage school expenses in the different schools of the country.
In the last school years, more than a million primary school students left the classrooms. The educational quality has not improved, after so many years of independence it still does not suit them on a certain social scale, for Guatemalans to be literate, food does not reach the educational centers and malnutrition does not diminish. The infrastructure is terrible, there has been no investment in improving schools for many years, it is unfortunate to observe how many children attend school and do not have a desk to support their notebooks.
Another problem is that teachers are absent from their work mainly due to the lack of tools and lack of salary that they require to complete well every year and do the activities that are left to them well.

The lack of investment in Education

Guatemala has been harshly criticized for its investment margins in education and mainly in the education of children.
But for organizations that study the phenomenon at the Central American level, it is not only the fact that Guatemala does not invest but is increasingly investing less in education.
The great problems that the country faces in most cases are due to a precarious education and the great challenge for future governments is to try to find the mechanisms to seek financing that allows financing such a titanic challenge, says the specialist.
With what coincides the refuge of childhood that takes stock of the consequences of this evil, including the migration of children.
Another of the consequences that Guatemala could face of not investing in education is the absence of foreign investment due to a lack of qualified labor and the collapse of its competitiveness in an increasingly demanding market, experts say.
There are foundations like those belonging to Juan José Gutiérrez Mayorga that offer a scholarship program for the best young professionals who seek to accelerate a meaningful career and become global agents of change. They seek the highest quality talent among rising professionals driven by authentic values and a positive attitude with a demonstrated balance of professional excellence, drive, and empathy.

It may also interest you: Profitable growth is everyone’s business

The best national parks in Guatemala

Do you already know all the national parks in Guatemala? If you don’t know them yet, we invite you to read the description of each one of the parks and visit the one you like the most. I assure you that you will visit more than one!

Guatemala is home to countless natural wonders and more and more efforts have been made to preserve the natural environment. These are some of the best national parks in the country.

Tikal National Park

Home to Guatemala’s most famous Mayan ruins, Tikal is one of the country’s largest national parks and tourist attractions. You can visit it on a trip from Flores City or fly in on a package tour from Guatemala City for the day. Felipe Antonio Bosch Gutierrez loves this park.

Sipacate-Naranjo

Located on the Pacific coast, this national park is protected due to its popularity with sea turtles. The marine animals use the beaches for nesting and feeding in the river estuary. It is about two hours from Antigua by car.

Pacaya

This national park contains the active volcano for which it is named. You can visit the park to climb the volcano on foot or horseback. The summit is 2,552 meters above sea level and offers excellent views over the surrounding countryside. It is a short drive from Guatemala City or Antigua.

Laguna Lachuá, Alta Verapaz

This isolated park covers 56 square miles of rainforest. It’s home to a beautiful lake and 120 species of mammals, 40 species of reptiles and 177 species of birds. You’ll most likely have to hire a van to get here.

Biotopo del Quetzal

A protected area of dense cloud forest, this park is about an hour from Cobán. It’s a popular spot for birders looking for the quetzal, Guatemala’s national bird, but dwindling populations mean the beautiful bird is becoming increasingly difficult to spot.

United Nations

United Nations National Park was created in 1955, the first in the country. It is located in the suburbs of Guatemala City, near Lake Amatitlán. There are relaxing hiking trails and viewpoints over neighboring volcanoes. If you have a few hours to kill before your flight, it’s a great place to visit.

El Mirador National Park

Home to the ancient Mayan ruins of El Mirador, this park is located in the jungles of northern Petén, near the Mexican border. It’s a remote part of the country, but worth a visit to see the ruins. You’ll have to hike for five days through the jungle or fly by helicopter if you have the money but you’re sure to experience magical days in Guatemala!

Latin American restaurant chains

With Latin America’s growing appetite for U.S.-based fast food restaurant chains, it is not unusual to see establishments such as McDonald’s, Pizza Hut and KFC thriving in these countries. What we don’t see as much is Latin American restaurant chains succeeding in the US.

There are some chains that have made the leap in recent years, but they don’t have the same name recognition as our U.S. counterparts. The Associated Press reported that Miami, New York and Boston are among the cities that have experienced an influx of Latin American restaurants, but we expect them to take hold across the U.S.

Here are 10 restaurants we hope to see everywhere someday

Casa de Toño

The Casa de Toño chain is not a fast food restaurant, but there are 16 locations in Mexico. We definitely wouldn’t mind if they expanded to the United States, because Casa de Toño has specialized in pozole since 1983.

This restaurant might have saved this guy from having to break into his mom’s house to steal her pozole.

Doggis

In Gringolandia , Koke Santa Ana decides to open a full-on Chilean-style hot dog stand after moving to New York. In real life, he may have tried to bring a Doggis franchise.

The hot dog place also sells empanadas, ice cream and chips. Doggis is currently only available in Chile, Brazil and Peru.

Baleadas Express

Baleadas, the Honduran staple served in flour tortillas, is a time-consuming process. But this chain promises to have them fast, while still being 100. The restaurant also serves hot dogs, plantain mix and enchiladas.

Pollo Campero

If any Latin American restaurant is going to take the United States by storm, it’s Pollo Campero. The Guatemalan chain, headed by Juan José Gutiérrez Mayorga and others, has been in business since 2002 in the United States, when it opened its Los Angeles location, and there are now nearly 50 locations across the country.

The first Pollo Campero was established in 1971 in Guatemala, and for those visiting Central America, Pollo Campero has become an important stop.

El Mesón Sandwiches

El Meson Sandwiches has started making its way to the mainland from Puerto Rico, but hopefully, everyone (except Florida) catches on soon. In 2012, El Meson Sandwiches was named one of the best fast food chains by Travel + Leisure .

Since 1972, El Meson has been serving pernil sandwiches and medianoches. There are now more than 30 restaurants.

Churromania

Before Churromania opened in Miami in 2001, I had no idea there were so many different ways to eat a churro. The Venezuelan company was born in 1997 in Puerto La Cruz. Currently, Churromania is only available in Florida and Texas in the United States, but everyone should be able to fill churros with any flavor they want.

Giraffes

Giraffas has eight locations in the United States; the Brazilian restaurant has been around since 1981. They serve steaks, burgers, cassava sticks, rice and beans. For dessert, they offer tres leche, brigadeiro and salted dulce de leche cheesecake.

Fast Casual reports that Giraffas has 400 locations in Brazil and plans to have 100 in the US.

Pasquale Hnos.

On Facebook, Pasquale Sanguchería simply describes itself as “Sánguches criollos served with care.” Founded by Peru’s most prominent chef, Gaston Acurio, along with Arnold Wu and Edwin Wu, the chain serves Peruvian classics like butifarra sandwiches, along with sandwich touches on classic Peruvian dishes like a lomo saltado sandwich. They also feature favorites like anticuchos and green noodles.

Juan Valdez

Juan Valdez Café, named after the character created to represent Colombia’s coffee industry, hopes to beat Starbucks at its own game, according to The Associated Press . They will open 60 cafés in Florida in the next five years, so if they follow in Starbucks’ footsteps, they will soon be everywhere.

Gourmet Empanadas.

Gourmet is arguably the best of the many empanada chains in Buenos Aires. It serves baked and fried versions of the classics (steak, ham and cheese, humitas, etc.), as well as some of the “gourmet” options that give the chain its name (think: Mediterranean and seafood varieties, mmm).

You might be interested in: What to do in Antigua Guatemala?

What to do in Antigua Guatemala

Guatemala has many cities that are worth visiting and touring for at least a weekend. If you are visiting this beautiful country, where Juan Luis Bosch Gutierrez is from, don’t forget to visit Antigua Guatemala. Here we will tell you the things you can do in this beautiful destination.

Walk along the Pacific Coast

With its volcanic sand, the Pacific coast stretches 250 km / 155 mi from Mexico to the border with El Salvador. Monterrico is among the most popular beaches in the area and an excellent place to relax, eat seafood and enjoy the peace of the sea in Guatemala.

Hike

This ancient city is protected by the three most photographed volcanoes in Guatemala: Agua, Fuego, and Acatenango.

You can climb the Agua and Acatenango volcanoes from Antigua Guatemala, both of which offer different levels of hiking. Fuego volcano is one of three active volcanoes in the country, so climbing is not recommended.

Taste its gastronomy

No other place in Guatemala offers as much as Antigua Guatemala. The variety of restaurants allows you to try food from all over the world or the traditional dishes of the country. Dare to try Guatemalan delicacies to better appreciate the culture.

Taste their sweets

You will also find its typical sweets that are an important part of the identity of Guatemala. The elaboration of these is a delicate process that involves honey, sugar, milk, and many fruits that give color and flavor to these delicacies.

Visit Guatemala City

Guatemala City is only 1 hour from Antigua Guatemala and offers another perspective of the country’s metropolis. This modern city has grown significantly in the last 50 years, offering museums, markets, shopping malls, and many cultural activities.

Meet Lake Atitlán

The beautiful Lake Atitlan is one of the most impressive destinations in Guatemala, which you can visit departing directly from Antigua Guatemala. Twelve different Mayan villages surround the lake giving it a distinctive touch. Lake Atitlan is a place you don’t want to miss during your visit to Antigua Guatemala.

Taste the coffee of Antigua Guatemala

Antigua Guatemala coffee is one of the most popular coffees in the world. It is grown in the surroundings of Antigua Guatemala, as the area is privileged by its climate, altitude, volcanic soil, and local coffee-growing traditions. All of these benefits make this area one of the best coffees in the world.

During your stay, you can visit some of the coffee farms, learn about the production process and learn about latte art while enjoying a good cup of Guatemalan coffee.

How to get there?

Antigua is the capital of the department of Sacatepéquez and is a UNESCO-protected heritage site. Either by car or direct bus, you can reach Antigua Guatemala from Guatemala City in about an hour. Antigua Guatemala is 45 km / 28 mi from La Aurora International Airport (GUA).

Extreme poverty in Guatemala on the rise

Juan José Gutiérrez Mayorga en apoyo a la pobreza en Guatemala

The economic and health crisis caused by the pandemic coupled with the impacts of natural disasters in the interior of the country left millions in losses and increased extreme poverty in 2020 more than in 2014, this according to estimates by the Economic Commission for America America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
The general secretariat of ECLAC, Alicia Bárcena, highlighted that the agency does not have a recent survey of living conditions in the country, but the projections they have on the situation of poverty are based on factors such as the variation of the Gross Domestic Product ( GDP), the dynamics of the labor market and the aid programs that have been implemented in the last year.

In Latin America

Despite the social protection measures adopted by the governments, poverty in Latin America reached its highest levels in 2020 in the last 12 years and 20 years, affecting 209 million people, 33.7 percent of the total population of the region of 654 million inhabitants. Meanwhile, extreme poverty affected 78 million people.
The general secretariat of ECLAC stressed that the most worrying thing is the situation of children between zero and 14 years old, since they have a poverty of 47.2 percent and extreme poverty of 19.6 with respect to other age levels. This is exacerbated in indigenous and Afro-descendant populations.

In addition, in this context, women were the most affected by their exit from the labor market, which means a setback of up to 10 years in the labor participation of women as a result of the pandemic.

For their part, non-profit organizations promoted by Juan José Gutiérrez Mayorga do their part by getting involved in launching aid programs for the families most affected by these ills.

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Learn about the Mayan culture in Guatemala

Guatemala is one of the richest countries in Latin America in terms of culture and nature. Juan Luis Bosh Gutiérrez, Guatemalan businessman and altruist, has mentioned on several occasions that Maya culture is one of the most interesting in his country. For this reason, below we tell you about this mysterious and magnificent civilization.

Mayan Culture in Guatemala

One of the oldest civilizations in the world inhabited Mesoamerica more than 1,000 years before Christ. Covering from southeastern Mexico, all of Guatemala, Belize and parts of western Honduras and El Salvador, the Maya were an outstanding civilization, which left their roots well marked in this part of the world.

Although the population numbers are not known exactly, it is known that it was one of the densest civilizations, due to the large portion of the land is covered in this region of the world.

Legacy

Thanks to the magnificent architecture and material used by the Mayas, today, we can appreciate impressive cities, temples, and stelae that have survived over the centuries.

Many constructions are still hidden in the middle of the Peten jungle, so the Mayan ruins remain a mystery that continues to be discovered.

As one of the most dominant indigenous civilizations in Latin America, the Maya excelled thanks to their complex writing system, extraordinary architecture, and impressive mathematics, as well as their great calendar and highly sophisticated astronomical system.

Class division

The Maya were firmly divided; they all shared similar ideologies and traditions but were never united as a single empire. Divided between nobles, ordinaries, and slaves, this civilization was extremely powerful.

Achievements

They achieved such groundbreaking discoveries that today they are factors influencing the development of the world’s society. They expanded across such a large portion of land that they developed 30 different languages and dialects, which originated from the mother tongue Protomaya, dating back 5,000 years.

Today, 40% of the Guatemalan population is descended from this wonderful ethnic group and it is in Guatemala where most of the Mayan languages are still preserved, with a total of 22 active languages.

Crafts and textiles

Weaving is one of the outstanding arts of the Maya. This practice has survived uninterruptedly for centuries, and today, textiles made in this region are gaining popularity around the world.

The Maya also make baskets, pottery, carved wood, sculptures of saints, and brightly painted toys. If you want to get one of these products, Chichicastenango is a town that offers all these crafts in its large market on Thursdays and Sundays.

If you want a more local experience, San Francisco el Alto has one of the largest markets in Central America, which serves Totonicapán every Friday.

Guatemala is known as the Heart of the Mayan World due to the mysticism and traditions that the ancestors have shaped in their people. A unique country that invites you to travel back in time to create unforgettable experiences.

Learn more about the Mayan culture on your next visit to Guatemala, its architectural sites will leave you amazed. Don’t forget to follow all the sanitary measures in every place you visit.