South Central Guatemala is a land of volcanoes! On one of our tours someone shared a perspective that Guatemala’s geography is like the U.S. but compressed into 200 miles. In the U.S., the Atlantic Ocean is to the east and the Pacific is to the west; however, in Gautemala the Atlantic is to the north and the Pacific is to the south. And while the Guatemalan distance from Atlantic to Pacific is only 200 miles, the geography changes like it does in the U.S. – smaller mountains near the Atlantic Ocean, a flat plains region, then higher and more rugged mountains (where the volcanoes are concentrated) leading to the rockier shores of the Pacific coastline.
From the town of Antigua, at least 3 volcanoes were readily visible (Agua, Acatenango, and Fuego). During our tour of a church in downtown Antigua, we witnessed Fuego actively emitting smoke.
The second half of our trip we visited Lake Atitlán. This deep lake is about 5 miles in diameter. We learned the lake is actually the caldera of an ancient super volcano. Today, the lake is ringed with younger volcanoes, most of them still active as they are essentially vents for the original volcano.
The region of south central Guatemala is located above three tectonic plates, which accounts for the volcanic activity. The region experiences regular earthquakes and tremors, some of which have destroyed towns. Antigua was once the capital of Guatemala, but when an earthquake in the 16th century destroyed most of the buildings, the capital was moved to its current location in Guatemala City, relatively less active.
The mountains are very steep and roads very windy. Absolutely gorgeous. If you love mountains as I do, Guatemala may become your surprised most-loved central American country.
johnny88keys 