LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Guatemala: Central American
built 643 days ago
Guatemala is the Mayan heart of Central America, though the government has touted and tortured the Maya - sticking their pictures on brochures and guns in their faces. However, indigenous culture survives in the ancient ruins of Tikal, rituals of Chichicastenango and blazing colors of Mayan dress.
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Most tourists and visitors travel throughout Guatemala without mishap. However, violent criminal activity on the highways continues, and tourists, among others, have been targeted. Many of the robbery attempts have occurred in daylight hours on main highways. Carjacking incidents and highway robberies are often violent. Four Americans were killed in highway robbery attempts in 2002 and three killed and one wounded in 2003. In 2004 one American tourist was murdered, and women and children were raped in highway assaults.
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Coffee, sugar, and bananas are the leading commercial and export crops in Guatemala's mainly agricultural economy. There is some manufacturing, primarily of refined sugar, textiles and clothing for the U.S. market, furniture, and chemicals. Zinc and lead concentrates are mined. There are nickel and petroleum deposits in the north, and a petroleum industry has developed, although it has been limited by political unrest and environmentalist opposition. Extensive jade deposits are found in E central Guatemala. The Mayan town of Chichicastenango is a popular site for the nation's tourist industry.
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This is a harpy eagle, near Tikal, in the Peten region of Guatemala, Central America. Tikal is a famous Maya ruin, and is a World Heritage site. It is part of a large National Park.
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The Mayan civilization flourished throughout much of Guatemala and the surrounding region long before the Spanish arrived, but it was already in decline when the Mayans were defeated by Pedro de Alvarado in 1523-24. During Spanish colonial rule, most of Central America came under the control of the Captaincy General of Guatemala.
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