Lying between Mexico (to the north), El Salvador (to the south), Honduras and 50 miles of Caribbean coastline (to the east) and over 200 miles of Pacific Ocean coastline (to the west), Guatemala is Central America's most varied and densely populated country.
The nation is primarily populated by mestizos, a mixture of Indians and Spaniards who form the majority of Guatemala's nine million habitants, who have developed their own identity based on both cultures. There are also twenty-two ethnic groups, the descendants of the original Mayan Indians, most of whom live in remote mountain villages and keep the cultural heritage of their ancestors. On the Caribbean coast there is a large enclave of people whose origins lie in Africa and whose descendants escaped from Haitian slavery.
Though Spanish is the official language, variations of 23 local Indian languages are spoken. While the Indian languages were formally discouraged by both the Spanish conquerors and missionaries, as well as by later Latino governments, there is now an official effort to renew and preserve each of these dialects. The GOD'S CHILD Project actively supports these efforts.
Religion is a very important part of Guatemala life with the dominant religion being Roman Catholic, although Protestantism is rapidly increasing nationwide. In addition, many of the Indians and some Latinos still worship most of the old Mayan nature gods.
Guatemala's central mountain mass divides the country into two systems: the Sierra Madre, which runs along the Pacific Ocean, and the Cuchumatanes Range, which crosses the middle of the country east to west until it reaches the Caribbean.
Another feature that dominates the Guatemalan landscape is its network of more than 30 volcanos, of which 85% are very active. This highly active volcanic field has produced several devastating earthquakes in recorded history. The last major earthquake which produced fatalities was in September of 1991.
The average annual temperature is around 75 degrees F (20 degrees C). In the coastal regions the temperature reaches 100 degrees F (37 degrees C), while in the highlands it drops to freezing. Because of the overall high altitude, in general the nights are quite cool year round. In the central highlands the rainy season lasts from May to October while on the coast-lands there may be rainfall year-round.
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