The largest city in Central America, with an estimated metro area population of about four million, Guatemala City spreads across a large valley scarred with ravines into which it extends, fingerlike, surrounded by mountains and smoking volcanoes. For most visitors to Guatemala, this is their first glimpse of the country and it can be a very welcoming one.

Flying into Guatemala City’s La Aurora International Airport on a clear day is a most breathtaking experience. The airplane descends over forested green mountains as clouds part to reveal the sprawling metropolis below. It makes a sharp bank at the edge of the valley just before making its final approach, flying uncomfortably close to the rooftops of dwellings perched precariously on the edge of a deep gulley. At once, the runway rises to greet the plane from out of nowhere. The aircraft bounces with the initial touchdown before coming to a screeching, abrupt halt on the short, high-altitude field.

Guatemala City is a city on the move. You’ll find its newly remodeled airport modern and attractive, befitting of the largest urban agglomeration between Mexico City and Medellín, Colombia. Many first-time visitors express astonishment at the city’s degree of modernity, the high concentration of high-rise condominiums and late-model BMWs cruising down its tree-lined boulevards. Indeed, Guatemala is also a top importer of luxury automobiles.

The city center, long avoided by locals, is also making a comeback and it is the focus of an ambitious restoration project aimed at bringing back its former glory. Hip and trendy new cafés are springing up throughout this part of town and people are starting to come back for an afternoon of fun in the downtown area, something that seemed completely implausible just a few years ago. The construction of loft apartments is also bringing a whole new demographic to a part of town once left to decay.

To make a long story short, it should be expected that a country of such great wealth (though badly distributed) should have a modern capital with all the First World comforts one would expect to find there. Like everything else in Guatemala, it all coexists side by side with some of the uglier realities. It’s all there for you to see, and nowhere else in the country is this striking contrast of wealth and poverty so evident. Look at a visit to Guatemala City as a lesson in history and politics and a worthy introduction to a fascinating country of contrasts with some unexpected surprises around every corner.

The Best of Guatemala City

• Palacio Nacional de la Cultura
• Zona Viva
• Museo Ixchel
• Museo Miraflores
• Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología
• Pacaya Volcano National Park