SPECIAL FEATURE: GUATEMALA
WE SAW MORE HOWLER
MONKEYS THAN PEOPLE; THEIR SIZE BELYING THEIR ROAR
to El Mirador.” A statement I couldn’t disagree with. I chilled out with the lizard and
marvelled at the tree we were sitting under. It must have been 20ſt tall, yet it grew atop the pyramid with no soil and very little water. It wasn’t just surviving, but thriving; it was a miracle.
HEADING SOUTH Aſter the fall of El Mirador and other once-powerful kingdoms, many Mayans headed south to start new lives in the foothills of the volcanoes. Different kinds of pyramids. This would, many years later, put them
on a collision course with the Spanish, who arrived in modern-day Guatemala in the 16th century, and established the all-powerful city of Antigua. The conquistadors used indigenous
labour to construct Antigua, which was all-but destroyed by a deadly earthquake in 1773. Another quake leſt a similar trail of devastation in 1976, but again the city picked itself up and dusted itself off. Today Antigua endures as one of the most striking colonial cities in Central America; its crumbling churches, victims of the last quake, merely adding to its beauty. Antigua sits roughly 10 miles as the
crow flies from the Fuego-Acatenango volcano complex, which made headlines in June following the deadly eruption of Fuego. Dozens were killed, hundreds injured and thousands leſt homeless by the devastating geological event, which scientists were unable to predict. Though active volcanoes are wont
to acts of intermittent and devastating violence, they also provide fertile land for agriculture and, in the case of Fuego, opportunities for tourism. Indeed, some weeks before the eruption, I’d embarked on a hiking expedition up Acatenango volcano, with the express intention of camping at the top and watching Fuego
View of Antigua from the Hill of the Cross, with a backdrop of Agua Volcano
erupt. Not erupt as it would on 3 June, just cough and splutter, which it did several times an hour. It’s a popular expedition that provides
employment for many people in the region, including Pami Mendizabal, founder of Hiking Guatemala, who, with the help of her porters, leads regular trips up Acatenango. “It’s very special to see an active
volcano,” Pami had told me, words that would later seem vaguely haunting. The truth is, though, she was right. Watching Fuego billow smoke and splutter lava — feeling the ground shake as it rumbled — was spectacular. The seething volcano had a savage beauty. Also spectacular was my altitude
sickness. The 6.5-hour trek up Acatenango had taken me beyond an elevation I’m comfortable with and I spent much of the night being violently sick out of my tent; erupting almost in unison with Fuego. The howling wind and sub-zero temperatures further tested my resolve; at one point I became delirious. Like the Mayans, I had peaked too soon.
ESSENTIALS Getting there & around
There are no direct flights to Guatemala from the UK, but Iberia flies to Guatemala City via Madrid.
iberia.com Guatemala’s famous ‘chicken buses’ go almost anywhere in the country and are the cheapest and most memorable mode of transport. Internal flights can be arranged through Tag and Avianca.
tag.com.gt avianca.com
When to go
High season (December to April — average temperature 26C) is the best time to go if you’re trekking to El Mirador, which means you’ll avoid the rain. Low season (April to September — average temperature 23C) is best to avoid the crowds and get the best deals.
More info Guatemala by Lonely Planet (£14.99)
Check FCO advice for latest safety updates.
gov.uk
Produced in association with VISIT GUATEMALA.
visitguatemala.com
Adventure September 2018 57
IMAGE: GETTY
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