Guatemala: landmarks, animals & facts for kids

Guatemala is a country in Central America, just south of Mexico, with a coast on the Pacific Ocean and a short shore on the Caribbean Sea. Its capital is Guatemala City. It is known as a heartland of the ancient Maya, for its chain of volcanoes, and for brightly coloured hand-woven textiles. Its national bird, the resplendent quetzal, even gave its name to the country's money.

On My Earth Toy you can explore Tikal, a great Maya city whose temple-pyramids rise above the rainforest, and Antigua Guatemala, the old colonial capital with its yellow Santa Catalina Arch beneath the Volcán de Agua. Watch for Geoffroy's spider monkeys swinging through the trees and the shimmering green quetzal.

Geography and nature

A line of volcanoes runs across southern Guatemala, and some, such as Fuego and Pacaya, are still active. Volcán Tajumulco, 4,220 metres tall, is the highest point in all of Central America. In the highlands lies Lake Atitlán, a deep blue lake ringed by volcanoes. The north is the Petén, a flat region of thick rainforest where jaguars, toucans and howler monkeys live and where many Maya ruins are still hidden under the trees.

People, languages and culture

Spanish is the official language, but almost a third of Guatemalans speak one of more than 20 Maya languages, such as K'iche', Q'eqchi', Mam and Kaqchikel. Many Maya women wear a huipil, a woven blouse whose patterns can show which town the weaver comes from. Corn (maize) is the base of daily meals, eaten as tortillas and tamales. During Holy Week in Antigua, people make long carpets of coloured sawdust and flowers on the streets for processions to walk over.

History in a nutshell

The Maya civilisation flourished here during the first millennium AD, building cities such as Tikal. Spanish forces conquered the region in the 1520s, and Guatemala stayed a Spanish colony for almost three centuries. Antigua was the capital until strong earthquakes in 1773 led the government to move to today's Guatemala City. Guatemala became independent on 15 September 1821. In the second half of the 20th century it went through a long internal conflict that ended with peace agreements in 1996.