Thursday, December 26, 2019, Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala
Guatemala , officially the Republic of Guatemala , is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, Belize and the Caribbean to the northeast, Honduras to the east, El Salvador to the southeast and the Pacific Ocean to the south. With an estimated population of around 17.2 million, it is the most populated country in Central America. Guatemala is a representative democracy ; its capital and largest city is Nueva Guatemala de la AsunciĆ³n, also known as Guatemala City . The territory of modern Guatemala once formed the core of the Maya civilization , which extended across Mesoamerica . Most of the country was conquered by the Spanish in the 16th century, becoming part of the viceroyalty of New Spain . Guatemala attained independence in 1821 as part of the Federal Republic of Cent...