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Guatemala City’s Zona 1

Guatemala City, Guatemala

Catedral Metropolitana on Parque Central in Guatemala City

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Guatemala // Central America· Guatemala City Guatemala Location: [post_gps_latitude], [post_gps_longitude]

Guatemala City, or Guate to the locals, isn’t what you’d call a pretty city. Nor, for that matter, is it an especially safe one. Your first clue of that will be the guards with pump-action shotguns outside every store, followed closely by the prodigious amounts of razor wire strewn over everything.1 It’s a big, sprawling metropolis where population growth has outpaced the city’s ability to deal with it.

Security is a major problem, and poverty is rampant. The city has an official census population of almost 2.5 million, but the actual population is almost certainly millions more–in recent years there has been a flood of people that haven’t been counted.

So it doesn’t come as much surprise that Guatemala City has an uphill battle ahead of it to attract tourism. Most tourists use the airport–and it’s a surprisingly modern and efficient one at that–and then head straight for the much more inviting Antigua about 45 minutes away. That said, in the center of Guatemala City, in Zona 1, radiating from the Parque Central (Plaza de la Constitucion), there are some impressive churches, markets, and museums worth seeing.

Photos of Zone 1 in Guatemala City

Guatemala City skyline silhouette

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Calle Real in downtown Guatemela City at dusk

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Iglesia San Francisco procession

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Palacio Nacional de la Cultura & fountain

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Libreria Proa building in Guatemala City

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Iglesia San Francisco

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Abandoned building in Guatemala City

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Iglesia San Francisco Ceremony

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Calle Real at dusk

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Christmas procession on Calle Real at dusk

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Catedral Metropolitana statues

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Catedral Metropolitana in the setting sun in Guatemala City

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Mercado Central pottery store Guatemala City

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Catedral Metropolitana on Parque Central in Guatemala City

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Guatemalan flag on Parque Central in Guatemala City

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Iglesia San Francisco

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Grains, Spices, & Seeds for sale in Mercado Central Guatemala City

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Mercado Central

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Catedral Metropolitana, Guatemala City, in late afternoon

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Mercado Central clay figurines store Guatemala City

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Fountain & Catedral Metropolitana on Parque Central in Guatemala City

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Religious figures for sale in Mercado Central in Guatemala City

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Butcher in Mercado Central in Guatemala City

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Palacio Nacional de la Cultura and fountain in Guatemala City

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Catedral Metropolitana interior dome in Guatemala City

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Catedral Metropolitana interior in Guatemala City

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Rundown Colonial Building in Guatemala City

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Nativity Scene in Mercado Central in Guatemala City

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Colonial architecture in Guatemela City

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

What to Know Before you Go

You can find travel advice for safety and security when visiting Guatemala, including Guatemala City specifically, from the State Department and British Foreign Office.


  1. If you need more evidence, check out David Grann, “A Murder Foretold: Unravelling the Ultimate Political Conspiracy,” New Yorker, 4 April 2011. ↩

Where to Next?

  • Children playing in Antigua, Guatemala
    The Town that Defied God and the Government
  • Chichicastengo market fruit and vegetables wide-angle
    Market Day in Chichicastenango
  • Flores Guatemala Boys Fishing From Canoe on Lake
    Flores, Guatemala - A Caribbean Island 100 Miles from the Sea
  • Pacaya Volcano Tour Group at Summit
    Pacaya Volcano, Guatemala
  • Tikal Mayan Ruins and Morning Mist
    The Mighty Maya City of Tikal


Travel Advice for Guatemala

You can find the latest U.S. Department of State travel advisories and information for Guatemala (such as entry visa requirements and vaccination requirements) here.

The British and Australian governments offer their own country-specific travel information for Guatemala . You can find the British Government's here and the Australian Government's here.

Health & Vaccinations

The CDC makes country-specific recommendations for vaccinations and health for travelers. You can find their latest information for Guatemala here.

David Coleman Photography

I take photos. I travel. I write. I do it for a living. Seven continents. Dozens of countries. Up mountains. Under water. And a bunch of places in between. You can find my main site at havecamerawilltravel.com. Or check out what’s in my go-to travel photography kit. Or get in touch here.


Location: Guatemala City
Country: Guatemala
Coordinates:
      Latitude: 14.641916
      Longitude: -90.513231

      # Central America
      # Guatemala City Guatemala



About David Coleman

I take photos. I travel. I write. I do it for a living.

I’m based in Washington, DC.

You can find my photography gear reviews and tips at havecamerawilltravel.com/photographer.

David Coleman Photography

I take photos. I travel. I write. I do it for a living. Seven continents. Dozens of countries. Up mountains. Under water. And a bunch of places in between. You can find my main site at havecamerawilltravel.com. Or check out what’s in my go-to travel photography kit. Or get in touch here.

Licensing & Prints

Looking for travel stock photos or prints? I might be able to help. You can search my collection here:

If you already have a buyer account with Alamy and would prefer to use that, you can search my images directly here.

Get in Touch

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Photos by David Coleman. Please contact me for licensing images.
All images are registered with the U.S. Copyright Office.


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