Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
change tires in Guatemala). The important thing is not to lose sight of the inside of your
vehicle for a moment. Thieves can be extremely crafty at distracting you and getting into
your car while you take care of the urgent business at hand. Locked doors may be a deter-
rent but are not going to stop the thieves if they've targeted you. For information on other
precautionsandcommonscamstowatchoutforwhiletravelinginGuatemala,seetheState
Department'sConsularInformationSheetonlineat
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/
Sights will be listed by city zone, the official format for divvying up the city's land area.
Most of the city's historic sites are found within the Centro Histórico. Some of the nicer
museums are found near the airport in Zona 13 and in the Miraflores area west of the city
center in Zona 11.
TheoriginalcoreofGuatemalaCity,datingtoitsfoundation,iscomposedof1ato17Calle
and1ato12Avenida,knowntodayastheCentroHistórico.Mostofthearchitectureisneo-
classical, a sharp departure from the baroque architecture found in the previous capital of
Antigua Guatemala. Few of the original buildings remain, having largely been destroyed
by earthquakes in 1917 and 1976 or modified with the passing of time. Yet some excellent
examples of the original architecture can still be found and there is an ongoing campaign
to restore several historic buildings in the downtown core. This program, known as Ren-
aCENTRO, is a collaboration between several entities, including the local municipality,
INGUAT, the private sector, and Argentinean, Spanish, and French cooperation.
Guatemala City was once nicknamed “The Silver Teacup” for its urban Spanish Renais-
sance design and architecture, including elegant theaters, large colonial mansions, broad
avenues, imposing churches, and charming side streets. Although its aesthetics are badly
deteriorated,theyarenotbeyondrescueandthisispreciselyRenaCENTRO'smissionviaa
multifaceted, holistic approach to restoring the grandeur of Guatemala's colonial-era capit-
al. The restoration inexorably hinges upon local economic reactivation. Things are starting
to come around, as evidenced by the numerous new cafés opening on downtown streets.
Given Guatemala's huge tourism potential, it seems only fitting that its capital would be-
come a welcome stop along the visitor's path, though this is still an ongoing process.
Parque Central
