Guatemala

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008)

Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (November 2007)

Guatemala City La Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción
Guatemala City
Nickname(s): Guate
Motto: "Tú eres la ciudad" (You are the city)
Guatemala City Location within Guatemala
Coordinates: 14°37′22.48″N 90°31′53.33″W / 14.6229111°N 90.5314806°W / 14.6229111; -90.5314806
Country	Guatemala
Department	Guatemala
Municipality	Guatemala
Subdivisions	Zonas (zones)
Established	1773
Government
- Mayor	Álvaro Arzú
Area
- Total	692 km2 (267.2 sq mi)
- Land	1,905 km2 (735.5 sq mi)
Elevation	1,500 m (4,921 ft)
Population (2008)
- Total	2,156,000
Time zone	GMT-6 (UTC-6)
Website	Municipalidad de Guatemala

Guatemala City (in full, La Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción; locally known as Guatemala or Guate) is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala. It is also the capital city of the local Guatemala Department and the largest city in Central America.

As of the 2006 census, the city had a population of 2,156,348 although it has grown in great amounts through the last two years.^[1] The city is located at 14°38′N 90°33′W / 14.633°N 90.55°W / 14.633; -90.55, in a mountain valley by the name of Valle de la Ermita in the south central part of the country.

Population

The current population estimates for Guatemala City are about 2,156,000 in the greater metropolitan region.^[2] Guatemalans have a diversity of origins, with Spanish and Mestizo descent being the most common. Guatemala City also now has a sizeable Indigenous population and minority groups consisting of Germans, Jews, Koreans, Other European and many other Latin Americans.

Guatemala City's population has continued to increase since the 1970s with the influx of indigenous migrants from the outlying departments and a smaller influx of foreign groups.

History

National Post Office Building.

Within the confines of modern Guatemala City is the ancient Maya city of Kaminaljuyu. Kaminaljuyu dates back some 9,000 years and is one of America's most notable archaeological sites. The center of Kaminaljuyu was located a short distance from the oldest part of Guatemala City. However, in the late 20th century, the city grew around the ruins, and, in some cases, over some of the outlying ruins before they were protected.

Many of the several hundred temple mounds have been built over with freeways, shopping centers, commerce, luxury hotels and residential areas. The central ceremonial center of Kaminaljuyu was however protected by the Guatemalan government and is now a park within the city. There are also many ruins still in existence, proctected by the government.

In Spanish colonial times, Guatemala City was a small town. It had a monastery called El Carmen, founded in 1629. The capital of the Spanish Captaincy General of Guatemala, covering most of modern Central America, was moved here after a series of earthquakes - that began on July 29, 1773 - destroyed the old capital, Antigua Guatemala.^[3] On September 27, 1775, King Charles III of Spain officialized the moving of the capital. This dramatically increased the potential for expansion of the city.

Guatemala City was the scene of the declaration of independence of Central America from Spain, and became the capital of the United Provinces of Central America in 1821.

Today

Guatemala City is the economic, governmental and cultural capital of the Republic, and it functions as the main port of entry into the country, with the country's largest international airport, La Aurora International Airport. In addition to a wide variety of restaurants, hotels and shops, the city has a wide variety of art galleries and museums (including some fine collections of Pre-Columbian art) and continually offers an increasing amount of cultural activities.

Structure and growth

Guatemala City from air.

Guatemala City is subdivided into 25 zones designed by the urban engineering of Raúl Aguilar Batres, each one with its own streets and avenues, making it very easy to find addresses in the city. Zones 20, 22, and 23 don't exist as they fall on the jurisdiction of neighbor municipalities. The city metro area has grown so fast in the past years that it has absorbed most of the neighboring municipalities, including Villa Nueva, Santa Catarina Pinula, Mixco, and the suburban area of Carretera a El Salvador, currently a big commercial and residential focal point of the city's metro area.

Zone One is the Historic Center, (Centro Histórico), lying in the very heart of the city, the location of many important historic buildings including the Palacio Nacional (National Palace), the Metropolitan Cathedral, the National Congress, the Casa Presidencial (Presidential House), the National Library and Central Park. Efforts to revitalize this important part of the city have been undertaken by the municipal government and have been very successful thus far.

In an attempt to control rapid growth of the city, the municipal government (Municipalidad de Guatemala) headed by long time Mayor Álvaro Arzú, has implemented a plan to control its growth based on transects along its important arterial roads. This plan denominated POT (Plan de Ordenamiento Territorial) aims to allow taller building structures of mixed uses to be built next to large arterial roads and gradually decline in height and density as you move away from such.^[4]

Places of interest by zones

Catedral Metropolitana, Guatemala City.

Zone 1

• Museos de Guatemala [1]
• Centro Histórico [2]
• National Palace (Guatemala) and Metropolitan Cathedral
• Mercado Central (central market)[3]
• Biblioteca Nacional (national library)

Zone 2

• Mapa en Relieve (giant map of Guatemala) and surrounding parks [4]

Zone 4

Main square with the National Palace opposite.

• Centro Cultural Miguel Ángel Asturias
• Cuatro Grados Norte revitalized pedestrian area and cultural district
• Visa Immigration Office for all foreigners

Zone 5

• Estadio Mateo Flores

Zone 7

• Kaminaljuyu and Museo Miraflores [5]

Zone 9

• Torre del Reformador tower
• Parque de la Industria, fairgrounds [6]
• Avenida Reforma and El Obelisco, a parklike boulevard

Zone 10

Monument to Pope John Paul II.

• Museo Ixchel del Traje Indígena (Mayan dress museum) [7]
• Museo Popol Vuh
• Zona Viva entertainment district
• Botanical garden [8]

Zone 13

• Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología [9]
• La Aurora Zoo [10]
• La Aurora International Airport

Transportation

• The newly renovated and expanded La Aurora International Airport lies in the southern part of the city and is the main gateway to the country.
• Urban public transportation is provided mainly by bus and recently supplemented with a BRT System. The construction of freeways and underpasses by the municipal government, the implementation of reversible lanes during peak rush hour traffic flows, as well as the establishment of the Department of Metropolitan Transit Police (PMT) has helped traffic flow in the city, however, the Guatemalan metropolitan area still faces a growing transportation problem. A new BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) system called Transmetro, consisting of special-purpose lanes for high-capacity buses, began operating in 2007 and aims to improve traffic flow in the city through the implementation of an efficient mass transit system. The first line (Eje Sur) is proving to be a success and work has begun on the second line (Eje Occidental) as well as a smaller central line (Eje Central). [11] This may also lay the base for the possibility of a light rail system in the future. Traditional buses are now required to discharge passengers at central stations at the city's edge to board the Transmetro. This is being implemented as new Transmetro lines become established. In conjunction with the new mass trasit implementation in the city, there is also a prepaid bus card system that is being implemented in the metro area to limit cash handeling for the trasportation system.

Universities

There are 10 universities, Universidad Mariano Gálvez, Universidad Panamericana, Universidad Mesoamericana, Universidad Rafael Landivar, Universidad Francisco Marroquin, Universidad del Valle, Universidad del Istmo, Universidad Galileo, Universidad Rural and Universidad de San Carlos, the only public one and third oldest university in America.

Sports

Estadio Mateo Flores.

Guatemala City possesses several sportsgrounds and is home to many sports clubs. Football is the most popular sport, with Comunicaciones, CSD Municipal, and Aurora FC being the main clubs. The Estadio Mateo Flores, located in the Zone 5 of the city, is the largest stadium in the country, followed in capacity by the Estadio Cementos Progreso and the Estadio del Ejército. An important multi-functional hall is the Domo Polideportivo de la CDAG.

The city has hosted several international sports events: in 1950 it hosted the VI Central American and Caribbean Games, and in 2000 the FIFA Futsal World Championship. On July 4, 2007 the International Olympic Committee gathered in Guatemala City and voted Sochi to become the host for the 2014 Winter Olympics.^[5]

Guatemala City was announced in November 2007 to host the 2008 edition of the CONCACAF Futsal Championship, played at the Domo Polideportivo from June 2 to June 8 2008.^[6][7]

Crime

Guatemala City has a crime rate of 92.44, making it one of the most dangerous cities in the world.

Natural disasters

View of Guatemala City with the Agua, Fuego and Acatenango volcanoes in the background.

Earthquakes

Guatemala City has been affected several times by earthquakes. The worst quakes were registered in 1917/1918 and 1976.

Volcanic activity

Four volcanoes are visible from the city, two of them active. The nearest and most active is Pacaya, which at times expels a considerable amount of ash, resulting in the closure of La Aurora International Airport and subsequent flight delays.^[8]

Mudslides

Due to heavy rainfalls some of the humble neighborhoods built at the edge of steep valleys are frequently washed away and buried under mudslides, as in October 2005.^[9]

Sinkhole

In February 2007 a large sinkhole opened in a poor neighborhood in northeast Guatemala city, killing three people. The sinkhole was 100.5 m (330 ft) deep, and apparently was created by fluid from a sewer dissolving the rock underneath. As a result, one thousand people have been evacuated from the area.^[10] The sink hole has since been mitigated and plans to develop on the site have been proposed.

Zona Ten and Zona Viva

Zone Ten along with being the financial district of the city is among the most popular areas for pop culture, shopping and entertainment. A district within Zone Ten, known as Zona Viva, contains many of the city's most popular hotels, restaurants, bars, discothèques, and other entertainment venues for the urban elite. Also, many of the embassies are located in Zone Ten.

Sister Cities

Guatemala City is twinned with:

• Madrid, Spain ^[11]
• La Paz, Bolivia
• San Juan, Puerto Rico
• San Salvador, El Salvador
• Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
• Taipei, Taiwan (Republic of China)
• Trujillo, Peru

Sons and daughters of the city

• Raúl Aguilar Batres, Engineer, creator of Guatemala City's system of avenue/street notation
• Miguel Ángel Asturias, writer and diplomat, Nobel Prize Laureate
• Manuel Colom Argueta, Former mayor of Guatemala City and renowed politician
• Carlos Mérida, painter
• Carlos Peña, singer, Winner of Latin American Idol 2007
• Fernando Quevedo, Theoretical Physicist, currently a professor of High Energy Psysics at the university of Cambridge
• Rodolfo Robles, Physician, discovered onchocercosis "Robles' Disease"
• Fabiola Rodas, 2nd Place in The Last Generation of La Academia
• Carlos Ruíz, football/soccer player
• Shery, singer / songwriter
• Jaime Viñals, Mountaineer (Scaled seven highest peaks in the world)
• Luis von Ahn, Computer Scientist, CAPTCHA's creator and Researcher at Carnegie Mellon University
• Ted Hendricks, Oakland Raiders NFL Hall Of Fame Linebacker. 5-Time Super Bowl Champion.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ciudad Guatemala

• 2007 Guatemala earthquake
• La Aurora International Airport
• Guatemala City travel guide from Wikitravel

References

External links

• Official Website of the Municipalidad de Guatemala

v • d • e Guatemala Department Capital: Guatemala City Municipalities  · Amatitlán · Chinautla · Chuarrancho · Fraijanes · Guatemala City  · Mixco  · Palencia · Petapa · San José del Golfo · San José Pinula · San Juan Sacatepéquez  · San Pedro Ayampuc · San Pedro Sacatepéquez  · San Raymundo · Santa Catarina Pinula · Villa Canales · Villa Nueva