National Palace

On January 6 our first visitors arrived! Mom and Dad Horning came to spend two weeks with us. We took them into Guatemala City to do some sightseeing.

We visited Parque Central (Central Park).

We enjoyed a tour of the National Palace. It was great, because the tour guide spoke both Spanish and English.

This is the courtyard of the palace. The huge building is basically a museum but is still used for some government functions. In fact, we had to wait until afternoon to take our tour because the Guatemalan president was in attendance in the morning.

This statue was built to commemorate the 1996 signing of the peace treaty that ended Guatemala's 36 year Civil War. Every morning a foreign visitor places a fresh rose between the hands. In the background is an 'eternal' flame in the glass case, also symbolizing peace.

We also visited this cathedral. Catholicism is the major religion in Guatemala.