So You are thinking of visiting Guatemala and wanted to know if it is safe, worth the trip or someplace you might consider relocation to. so I went and took a look, here is my report.
Let's start with a bit of history
Guatemala is one of the poorest countries in the Americas but also one with the largest population. In 1966 a civli war broke out that lasted for 30 years, mostly controlled by the right wing political machine that comprised the military ruled government. In the yaers between 1982 and 1984 a genocide took place by a man called Mayor Tito who is now rumored to be the recently deposed president of Guatemala, The recently deposed President is already in jail,. accused of participation of the genocide with most of the massacres and disappearances taking place between 1982 and 1984. Now it is suspected that Mayor Tito was actually the former President Otto Fernando Perez Molin. Most of this genocide was against the Mayan residents in the countryside. These peace loving people were not a threat but were the target of torture, massacre and more that led to the deaths and disappearance of nearly 250,000 people.
Now the civil war is over, what's going on there now? First thing I noticed when flying into Guatemala City was the huge number of private jets, helicopters and private planes. These are mainly the result of corruption. Keep in mind that Guatemala's per capita income is less than $3000 per year. It is not unusual to see police in full riot gear, carrying pump shotguns and automatic weapons. But times are changing and Guatemala is now attracting a fair share of tourista and expats looking for a lower cost of living and inexpensive vacation experiences. The areas around Lake Atitlan attract lots of tourists, mostly younger backpack type tourists but this group is typically the leading indicator of a larger inflow of middle class tourists and baby boomers. In the area around Antigua, the prior capital of Guatemala before a massive earthquake heavily damaged the city in the 1700's whe the capital was moved to Guatemala City. Guatemala has a sp9ine of mountains and volcanoes, many active, running north to south through the center of the country. Much of the road infrastructure is of fair to poor condition and switch backs are necessary in many areas to traverse the terrain.
The poeple were very nice, calm, appreciative of tourists and helpful when needed. The country is truly third world once outside the capital city and things like hot water are hard to find even in better hotels. The food is traditional mayan with better restuarants showing up, nice large haciendas appealing to the small wealthy class and tourists. The ruins of Tikal are famous but difficult to get to from Guatemala city, I'd visited in the past but from the Belize border side. I also visited the western Pacific coast to the towns of Puerto San Jose and Quetzal, mostly a shipping terminal for containers and oil but with a small tourism economy aimed mostly at "Guate's", those from the capital city. It was easy to find nice hotels but pricing was comparable to other capital cities. The city suffers from urban sprawl but the streets are all nicely signed so getting around was easier than in many other central American capital cities.
The people of Guatemala were happy...
CONCLUSION:
It was a nice place to visit on vacation, albeit a bit rough around the edges but not somewhere to be afraid of visiting. I would not want to relocate there however