For centuries, history and culture in Guatemala have been uneasy at best. With the arrival of the Spanish, the Maya (themselves a divisive civilization) were subjugated and oppressed for centuries. The country, particularly the people in the highlands, have yet to recover, and their conditions were often made worse by the civil war, which lasted for half a century and only ended in 1996. Nonetheless, as a visitor this history provides for an astonishing array of landmarks and ruins to visit, some of which are the most impressive of their kind in Central America. Check out some cultural destinations in these places:

Antigua

Panajachel

Quetzaltenango

Tikal / Petén 

Nebaj

Cobán