Guatemala Highlands

See Highlands Ceramic gallery

   See Highlands and Pacific Lowlands Sculpture Gallery

Preclassic Stone Mushrooms  ca 500 BC     

Guatemala Highlands can be divided in three parts, Western, Central and Eastern. Not only for convenience, but for geographic, and population differences.
                                

Yulchunab, Ixtatán, Huehuetenango

The Western Highlands show occupation since the Pre Classic, but no major center lies there, although almost all the important Post Classic sites are there, like Zaculeu, Chuitinamit, Gu’marcaj,  and Iximché,  it is now heavily populated by the Mam, T'zu'tuh'il, Ki’ch’es and Kak’chik'el nations, and many other linguistic groups, the landscape is beautiful and includes Pine forest, fertile valleys and beautiful Lakes like Lake Atitlán in Sololá, world renown for is beauty, Volcanoes, some of them Active and the Tallest in Central America (Tajumulco in San Marcos), The Cities and Villages are a destination by itself, like Xel'ajuh or Quetzaltenango, were according to the Popol Vuh, the battle within the Conquistadores and the K'íché hero Tecún Umán,  took Place, it is the second largest in the country, and is more than 2000 m. above sea level, Chichicastenango with its unique market days (Sundays and Thursdays) that is the most colorful and maybe the Largest  of its kind in Latin América. In These Highlands You will understand why Guatemala is the most Colorful country in the world.  Recently a Village submerged in Lake Atitlán has been discovered, it is named Samabaj, follow this link to see a Video from UFM

 

 Preclassic sites in the Western Highlands

The Central Highlands, were Guatemala City is located, has probably one of the most important archeological sites in the country, not for its big structures, but for its long occupation (2000 BC to 1200 AD), maby  due to its Obsidian quarries (El Chayal), that the sites of Naranjo followed by Kaminaljuyú, controlled for centuries as well as, or the commerce routes between the Pacific Lowlands, the Highlands and  the Petén Lowlands, the site  is located in Guatemala city, and has been engulf by it, only a small part is preserved,  Kaminaljuyú,  Naranjo and Miraflores, among several smaller sites  are located in the western part of the city.  Mixco Viejo a Pok'omán city conquered by the Kak'chik'els the site is located 60 Km north of Guatemala city on a well paved road.                            

The  Third Capitol of the "General Captaincy of Guatemala", that included Chiapas, Yucatán, Tabasco, Belize and all other Central América's countries,  Antigua Guatemala is in this area too, a UNESCO World Heritage Monument, well known all over the world. The first was Tecpán near Iximché, and the Second Ciudad Vieja, near Antigua , that was destroyed by a Mud slide from the Agua Volcano.

 

Chiwi Tinamit, Rabinal, Baja Verapaz
                             

The Verapaz Region, to the north of Guatemala City, which has sites from the pre Classic such as El Portón in Baja Verapaz, where the earliest Maya Hieroglyphic carving has been found (400 BC) and Classic such as Las Limas, Yalpemech, Rarxrulhá Viejo, among others, and is home to El Quetzal Biotope also has a landscape that is close to what could be a Natural paradise, with Caves such as Candelaria, Hul Nal Yé and Lanquín, Lagoons such as Labná, Lachuá and Sepalau,  and Rivers like the Cahabón with the Semuc Champey pools, and its Class III-IV  rapids, or tubing in the Candelaria river that goes into seven caves, that make this region a must destination during Your visit to Guatemala.      

See Landscapes Galleries

Mesoamerican Commerce Routes and goods production
 from the Pre Classic to the Post Classic

The Eastern Highlands are a semi--dry environment, dominated by the Motagua river Valley, its Archeology had been overlooked until recently, but is very rich in sites that show occupation since the Pre Classic with more than 152 sites such as Vega del Cobán in Teculután, Zacapa and Guaytán in San Agustín Acasaguastlán, El Progreso, both large Classic Maya sites that had importance for its Obsidian and Jadeite quarries and workshops, as well as smaller sites such as Asunción Mita, Jutiapa, El Aguilicho,  Cerro Chucunhueso, Carrizal Grande, Los Encuentros and La Ceiba, among others at Río Tambor Basin, Jalapa.    All the Maya and Mesoamérica Jade comes from this region, and its blue Jade (Olmec Jade), is unique in the world, also de Ixtepeque and Acasaguastlán Obsidian quarries are located here, giving this region an utmost importance trough history. Its current population is mostly white and tall, different from the other parts of the country. A series of sites have been documented in 2007, that follow the mountain range up to the Caribbean coast, believed to be the Land Commerce Routes, guardians, in 2009 those will be studied more profoundly, (The exact location has not been disclosed).