The National Palace of Culture, facing Guatemala City's central plaza in the government district of the city.
Known around these parts simply as 'Guate', the capital city is a place we generally try to avoid. Guatemala City is home to over 3 million people, but it's mostly notorious for its soaring crime, violent gangs (called maras, read here for more info), noxious pollution, endless traffic jams, rampant poverty and general squalor. Occasionally we've had to pass through here on our way to other, more desirable locations...but we rarely stop within the city for any reason.
The view of the capital as you drive in on the highway.
A hillside slum in Guate
On to the realities of living in Guatemala - the good, the bad, and the ugly
Strange sights in Guatemala
