Bienvenido a la biblioteca de libros de Guatemala
Welcome to Guatemala's book library
Guatemala โ quotes, proverbs & wisdom
Real words from the people of Guatemala, each with a verified source. New quotes are added as each is fact-checked.
The story of Guatemala
Guatemala sits at the heart of the ancient Maya world. From around the first millennium BC, Maya civilization rose across the region, reaching its Classic-era peak between roughly 250 and 900 CE with great cities such as Tikal, whose stone temples still rise above the northern rainforest. Most of the great lowland cities were abandoned by around 900 CE, but Maya peoples and languages endured in the highlands. Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado arrived in 1524 and subdued the highland kingdoms, and for nearly three centuries Guatemala was the seat of the Captaincy General of Guatemala, a Spanish colonial region covering much of Central America, ruled from Antigua Guatemala until a devastating 1773 earthquake forced the capital to move to present-day Guatemala City. Independence from Spain came on 15 September 1821, followed by a brief period in the Federal Republic of Central America. The 20th century brought upheaval, including a civil war from 1960 to 1996 that ended with UN-mediated peace accords. Today Guatemala is the most populous nation in Central America, a country where more than twenty Mayan languages are still spoken alongside Spanish, and where ancient ruins, colonial towns, and volcanic highlands sit side by side.
Timeline โ key moments
- circa 250-900
Classic Maya period; Tikal and other lowland city-states flourish.
- circa 900
Most Classic-era Maya lowland cities are abandoned.
- 1524
Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado begins the conquest of the Guatemalan highlands.
- 1543
Antigua Guatemala founded as capital of the Captaincy General of Guatemala.
- 1773
The Santa Marta earthquake devastates Antigua Guatemala, forcing relocation of the capital.
- 1821
Guatemala declares independence from Spain (15 September).
- 1823-1841
Guatemala is part of the Federal Republic of Central America.
- 1960-1996
Guatemalan Civil War, one of the longest and deadliest conflicts in Latin America.
- 1996
Peace Accords signed between the government and URNG, ending the civil war.
Top 10 things to know about Guatemala
- Tikal, once one of the largest Maya cities, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site deep in the northern rainforest.
- Antigua Guatemala, the former colonial capital, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of Spanish Baroque architecture.
- Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America.
- The quetzal currency is named after the resplendent quetzal, a brilliantly coloured bird sacred to the ancient Maya.
- Miguel รngel Asturias won Guatemala's first Nobel Prize, for Literature in 1967.
- Rigoberta Menchรบ won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992 for her advocacy for indigenous rights.
- Guatemala has more than 20 Mayan languages still spoken today alongside Spanish.
- The country has over 30 volcanoes, including active ones such as Fuego and Pacaya.
- Lake Atitlรกn, ringed by three volcanoes, is often described as one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.
- Guatemala is one of the world's major coffee-growing countries.
Famous people from Guatemala
Novelist
Won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1967, the first Guatemalan Nobel laureate; author of "Men of Maize".
Human rights activist
Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992 for her work publicizing violence against Guatemala's Maya population.
Writer
Celebrated short-story writer, author of the famously brief "The Dinosaur".
Painter
Pioneer of modern Latin American art blending European modernism with Maya and indigenous motifs.
Singer-songwriter
One of Latin America's best-selling recording artists.
Say it in Guatemala's language
Hello
Hola
OH-lah
Thank you
Gracias
GRAH-syahs
Thank you (K'iche' Maya)
Maltyox
mahl-TYOHSH
Did you know?
- โ The name "Guatemala" likely comes from the Nahuatl "Cuauhtฤmallฤn", meaning "place of many trees".
- โ Guatemala City became the capital only after Antigua Guatemala, the earlier capital, was wrecked by the 1773 earthquake.
- โ Tikal was once home to tens of thousands of people at a time when few cities in the world reached that size.
Guatemala culture
- Traditional woven textiles, with patterns that vary by town, remain a living Maya art form worn daily by many highland communities.
- Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Antigua Guatemala is famous for elaborate street carpets made of dyed sawdust and flowers.
- Marimba is considered the national instrument and is central to Guatemalan folk and popular music.
- Corn (maize) holds deep cultural and spiritual significance, rooted in Maya creation stories recorded in the Popol Vuh.
Why read Guatemala's books
From the Popol Vuh, the sacred Maya K'iche' creation narrative, to Miguel รngel Asturias's Nobel-winning fiction, Guatemala's books carry both an ancient indigenous voice and a modern literary one. This shelf is where that story continues.
Continue exploring
Spotted an error about Guatemala? Report a correction โ we fix fast. Every fact here is checked, but if we got something wrong, tell us.