Guatemala City

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Guatemala City
Ciudad de Guatemala

Capital City

Ciudad de Guatemala [1]

Top:View of Zona 14 area, Second:Santa

Catamina Arch (Arco de Santa Catalina) in
Antigua Guatemala heritage area, Miguel Angel
Asturias Theater, (left to right) Third:Guatemala
City National Palace, Guatemala City Metropolitan
 Ciudad de Guatemala

Capital City

Ciudad de Guatemala [1]

Top:View of Zona 14 area, Second:Santa

Catamina Arch (Arco de Santa Catalina) in
Antigua Guatemala heritage area, Miguel Angel
Asturias Theater, (left to right) Third:Guatemala
City National Palace, Guatemala City Metropolitan
Cathedral, (left to right), Bottom:View of Centro
Civico municipal business area

Flag Coat of arms

Motto(s): "Todos somos la ciudad" (We are all the

city), "Tú eres la ciudad" (You are the city).
 Flag Coat of arms

Motto(s): "Todos somos la ciudad" (We are all the

city), "Tú eres la ciudad" (You are the city).

Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
Interactive map outlining Guatemala City

Guatemala City
Location within Guatemala [2]
Show map of Guatemala
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
Interactive map outlining Guatemala City

Guatemala City
Location within Guatemala [2]
Show map of Guatemala
Show map of Central America
Show map of America
Show map of Earth
Show all

Coordinates: 14°36′48″N 90°32′7″W

Coordinates: 14°36′48″N 90°32′7″W

Country Guatemala
Department Guatemala
Established 1776
Government
 • Type Municipality
 • Mayor Ricardo Quiñónez Lemus
(Unionist)
Area
 • Capital 220 km2 (80 sq mi)
City
 • Water 0 km2 (0 sq mi)
Elevation 1,500 m (4,900 ft)
 Government
 • Type Municipality
 • Mayor Ricardo Quiñónez Lemus
(Unionist)
Area
 • Capital 220 km2 (80 sq mi)
City
 • Water 0 km2 (0 sq mi)
Elevation 1,500 m (4,900 ft)
Population (2020)
 • Capital 2,934,841[3]
City
 • Density 4,722/km2 (12,230/sq mi)
 • Metro 5,103,685
Time zone UTC−06:00 (Central America)
Climate Cwb
Website www.muniguate.com
Guatemala City (Spanish: Ciudad de Guatemala), locally known as
Guatemala or Guate, officially Ciudad de Guatemala (art. 231 of the
Political Constitution of the Republic of Guatemala),[4] is the capital and
largest city of Guatemala,[5] and the most populous urban area in Central
America. The city is located in the south-central part of the country, nestled
in a mountain valley called Valle de la Ermita (English: Hermitage Valley).
The city is the capital of the Municipality of Guatemala and of the
Guatemala Department.
Guatemala City is the site of the Mayan city of Kaminaljuyu, founded
around 1500 BC. Following the Spanish conquest, a new town was
established, and in 1776 it was made capital of the Kingdom of Guatemala.
In 1821, Guatemala City was the scene of the declaration of independence
of Central America from Spain, after which it became the capital of the
newly established United Provinces of Central America (later the Federal
Republic of Central America).[citation needed]
In 1847, Guatemala declared itself an independent republic, with
Guatemala City as its capital. The city was originally located in what is now
Antigua Guatemala, and was moved to its current location in 1777.[6]
Guatemala City and the original location in Antigua Guatemala were almost
completely destroyed by the 1917–18 earthquakes. Reconstructions
following the earthquakes have resulted in a more modern architectural
landscape.[citation needed] Today, Guatemala City is the political, cultural,
and economic center of Guatemala.
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 External linksHistory[edit]
This section needs additional citations for
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adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced
material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Guatemala City" – news · newspapers · books ·
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Early history[edit]
 "Cerrito del Carmen" church. First construction ever built by the Spaniards in the
valley that eventually became Guatemala City.
Main articles: History of Guatemala City and Timeline of Guatemala City
Human settlement on the present site of Guatemala City began with the
Maya who built a city at Kaminaljuyu.[7] The Spanish colonists established
a small town, which was made a capital city in 1775. At this period the
Central Square with the Cathedral and Royal Palace were constructed.
After Central American independence from Spain the city became the
capital of the United Provinces of Central America in 1821.
The 19th century saw the construction of the monumental Carrera Theater
in the 1850s, and the Presidential Palace in the 1890s. At this time the city
was expanding around the 30 de junio Boulevard and elsewhere,
displacing native settlements from the ancient site. Earthquakes in 1917–
1918 destroyed many historic structures. Under Jorge Ubico in the 1930s a
hippodrome and many new public buildings were constructed, although
peripheral poor neighborhoods that formed after the 1917–1918
earthquakes continued to lack basic amenities.
During the Guatemalan Civil War, terror attacks beginning with the burning
of the Spanish Embassy in 1980 led to severe destruction and loss of life in
the city. In May 2010 two disasters struck: the eruption of the Pacaya
volcano, and two days later Tropical Storm Agatha.
Contemporary history[edit]
 Zone 10 of Guatemala City.
Guatemala City serves as the economic, governmental, and cultural
epicenter of the nation of Guatemala. The city also functions as
Guatemala's main transportation hub, hosting an international airport, La
Aurora International Airport, and serving as the origination or end points for
most of Guatemala's major highways. The city, with its robust economy,
attracts hundreds of thousands of rural migrants from Guatemala's interior
hinterlands and serves as the main entry point for most foreign immigrants
seeking to settle in Guatemala.
In addition to a wide variety of restaurants, hotels, shops, and a modern
BRT transport system (Transmetro), the city is home to many art galleries,
theaters, sports venues and museums (including some fine collections of
Pre-Columbian art) and provides a growing number of cultural offerings.
Guatemala City not only possesses a history and culture unique to the
Central American region, it also furnishes all the modern amenities of a
world class city, ranging from an IMAX Theater to the Ícaro film festival
(Festival Ícaro), where independent films produced in Guatemala and
Central America are debuted.
Structure and growth[edit]
This section needs additional citations for
verification. Please help improve this article by
adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced
material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Guatemala City" – news · newspapers · books ·
scholar · JSTOR (November 2021) (Learn how and
when to remove this template message)

Plaza España at Night

Evening view from a plane

 Ciudad Cayalá, a city inside Guatemala City.

Zone 14 of Guatemala City

Guatemala City is located in the mountainous regions of the country,
between the Pacific coastal plain to the south and the northern lowlands of
the Peten region.
The city's metropolitan area has recently grown very rapidly and has
absorbed most of the neighboring municipalities of Villa Nueva, San