The Historic City of Antigua, Guatemala (In Pictures), Antigua, Guatemala

Earlier this month, I traveled to Guatemala with my teenage daughter to attend the Giant Kite Festival in Sumpango during Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) on November 1 (you can watch the spectacular video I shot and edited HERE). Just under a three hour flight from Fort Lauderdale and bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the territory of modern Guatemala once formed the core of the Maya civilization, which lasted until the mysterious collapse of the civilization around 900 AD. The first evidence of human habitation in Guatemala actually dates back to 12,000 BC(!).

The land was conquered by the Spanish in the 16th century and since then has endured destructive floods and earthquakes, volcanic mudflows (Guatemala has 37 volcanoes, four of which are still active!), a series of dictators, a decade-long revolution, a military coup, a bloody civil war and political scandals as recent as 2015 when President Otto Pérez Molina resigned due to a corruption scandal.

Guatemala, however, is rich in natural, historical and cultural appeal – not to mention its charming Spanish Baroque-influenced architecture. And despite Guatemala’s bloody past, the people here will warm your heart. People walked past us on the street with a smile and a “¡Buen día!” wherever we went. And it all started when we arrived in Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (a landmark which has been officially recognized by the United Nations which are are legally protected by international treaties) and once the capital of Guatemala (currently Guatemala City). ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).