GUATEMALA

March 2016

In 2016 I went to Guatemala on a Habitat for Humanity Global Village build. I was with a team of nine Canadians all from Edmonton, Alberta.

The build was in Rabinal which is a town of about 40,000 residents located in the   Guatemalan Department of Baja Verapaz and it is about a four hour drive north of Guatemala City. The area around Rabinal is mountainous and remote. The population of Baja Verapaz is 59% indigenous, ranks 6^th in poverty in the country with over 70% of the population living in poverty. The major source of income in Baja Verapaz is agriculture and there is also some artisan production such as fabrics and ceramics. Habitat Guatemala arranged a visit to a local family operated ceramic factory which makes items for local use as well as for sale to tourists. Photos of Ceramics

Here are some photos of the town of Rabinal and some of the people who live there. We did some touring in the surrounding area and visited a small waterfall and a small town called Cubulco (photos of Rabinal Excursions). I also a have a few photos of Guatemala City and other things we saw on our travels.

We visited the Quetzal Biotope (Mario Dary Rivera Nature Reserve) which is a protected area covering almost 3,000 acres of cloud forest. There are lots of streams, a few waterfalls, ferns, ancient trees, flowers and everything is green. On the same trip we stopped at the Cueva de Chicoy Altar de los Mayas which is a sacred Mayan cave is in the municipality of Purulhá, Baja Verapaz Department which since ancient times has been used as a ceremonial center by the local indigenous peoples. Photos of Quetzal and the Mayan cave.

After the Habitat build the team went to Antiqua which is a colonial city originally founded by the Spanish conquistadors in 1543. Antigua is a well preserved colonial city with lots of churches, parks, squares and ruins. Photos of Antigua and historical buildings. Antiqua is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

I then met up with my wife and flew to Flores which is a town in the Guatemalan department of Petén. It is an island on the lake Lago Petén Itzá and is connected to the shore bya causeway and bridge.  Flores is the closest accessible town to Tikal which is one of the most well know Mayan ruins sites in Guatemala. Photos of Flores and Tikal

The Tikal National Park website has a very good historical write-up and some interesting pictures.

After the visit to Flores and Tikal we then went to Caye Caulker in Belize for a week.

Go to Habitat Guatemala to view details of my Habitat Global Village build in Rabinal, Guatemala.