Guatemala City (in full, La Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción; locally known as Guatemala or, informally, Guate) is the capital and largest city of Guatemala.
Within the confines of modern Guatemala City is the ancient Maya city of Kaminaljuyu. Kaminaljuyu dates back some 2,000 years, and is known to have traded with distant Teotihuacan in central Mexico. The center of Kaminaljuyu was located a short distance from the older part of Guatemala City, and in the late 20th century the city grew around the ruins (and in some cases over some of the outlying ruins before they were protected). The central ceremonial center of Kaminaljuyu is now a park within the city.
In Spanish colonial times this was a small town with a monastery called El Carmen, founded in 1620. The capital of Spanish colonial Central America was moved here after an earthquake destroyed the old capital Antigua Guatemala in 1775, and resulted in a great expansion of the city.
Guatemala City has one big airport, La Aurora. There are daily arrivals from the US, México, El Salvador, Honduras (San Pedro Sula), Costa Rica (San José), Nicaragua (Managua), Panamá, Spain. Number of arrivals in parenthesis.There are always taxis at the airport. They operate with fixed prices that are 2-3 times higher than what you would pay for the same distance with an ordinary taxi. There is also a bus route operating the road that passes the airport. It will take you to Zona 10 at around La Reforma and 12 Calle. If you are going to the old city center (Zona 1), there are a lot of buses going that way from La Reforma or from 7 Avenida that runs in parallel with La Reforma one block away.
In almost any town in Guatemala you will find a bus that eventually will take you to Guatemala City. The 2nd class "Chicken buses" are often crowded and not very comfortable, but cheap. Expect to pay around Q5 per hour. There are also various 1st class buses from some of the larger cities and from neighboring countries (Belize, México, El Salvador and Honduras). Most buses end up in Zona 1 or Zona 4.
The city is divided into 21 zones (zonas). Zona 1 is the old historic center. Here you'll find the national palace, the presidential palace, the cathedral, the main plaza. South of Zona 1 is Zona 4 where many of the official buildings are situated, like the national bank, the national theatre, the tourist board (INGUAT). Further south is Zona 10 and Zona 9, divided by Avenida La Reforma. Zona 10 hosts most of the high class hotels, restaurants, bars, shopping facilities. A small part of Zona 10 is called Zona Viva (the lively zone) because of its nightlife.
The common way to get around in Guatemala City is by bus or taxi. Hardly no-one walks (people might find it odd if you do). Traveling inside the city by bus costs Q1.00 (a few routes costs Q1.10 (you'll see a sign in the window of the bus), and everybody charges Q1.25 on Sundays). The buses run from early morning till about eight in the evening. It is not advisable to take the bus after dark. Also, robbery on the buses is quite common (statistics from 2003 shows around 60 robberies per day.)
There are two kinds of taxis, the ones with a meter and the ones that you have to agree on a price before the trip. Of the metered taxis, the best service is given by Taxis Amarillo (Yellow Cabs). It is not possible to hail them in the street, you have to call. The number to the central is 2332-1515. They will demand an address (they can sometimes by quite picky about getting an exact address - look around at nearby houses, and don't forget to give the correct Zona) and normally a telephone number, so it might be wise to have someone call on your behalf, from a restaurant or so. With the Taxis Amarillo every trip is logged, and riding with them is considered safe. The other kind of taxis is white. With these you have to negotiate a price, and being a tourist/foreigner, they most likely will demand more than the normal fare. Normally the white taxis should be cheaper, but if you're not that good at negotiating, the yellow taxis might actually be the cheaper choice. It is also the question of safety. There are approximately 800 unregistered/unlicenced/stolen white taxis circulating the city.
Ixchel Museum of traditional costumes, 6 Calle final, Zona 10, at the campus of Universidad Francisco Marroquín. Tel 331-3638/34. Mon-Fri 9:00-17:00 Sat 9:00-13:00. Q25 adults, Q15 students. A large collection of traditional costumes, information on weaving and dying techniques, the processing of the materials in use, the history and development of the traditional costumes and a collection of paintings by Carmen Pettersen. The explanations are in both English and Spanish. The museum also has a shop where you can get fine examples of Guatemalan artesania. The prices are higher than at the markets, but the quality is also higher and the selection is good. The shop also has a variety of books, including its own series of publications about the traditional costumes of Guatemala, hard to come by in other book stores, and also the book The Maya of Guatemala - life and dress (with text in English and Spanish) by Carmen Pettersen, a bargain at Q210.
Guatemala is famous for its textiles. In the city you should be able to find textiles from all over the country. If you are particularly interested in Guatemala or the Maya, you might find books (in Spanish) here that you can't easily get anywhere else. For books in English you'd most likely get better prices at an online bookstore like Amazon.
