Pase Adelante

Our first impressions of Guatemala were the dry volcanic landscape and the snail passing our bus uphill. Almost immediately we were confronted by the bright colorful dress of Mayan women. Unlike El Salvador who decimated their indigenous population, the Maya constitute over 50% of the Guatemalan people. However, they don’t live in the many gated and razor-wired communities we passed by.

Now, we are in the tourist epicenter of Antigua. Every storefront and restaurant we pass is met with ¨pase adelante¨which roughly translates to ¨spend your money here, gringo.¨ The coffee sucks. The food is expensive, and the churches are glorious. There are shuttle buses to Panama, Costa Rica, and Mexico, but we think we’ll give Guatemala a few weeks.