Antigua, Guatemala
A special edition Gravel Adventure Field Map. Welcome to “the land of eternal spring” in Antigua, Guatemala. This fold-out map encourages exploration of a rich tapestry of sights, smells, and sounds in the Guatemalan Highlands.
Experience Coffee & Cycling like Never Before
Pick up our new Antigua, Guatemala Field Map and learn the history of Antigua and Central American Coffee. Gain access to route that skirt the edge of coffee farms and visit a number of cafés. % routes can be ridden individually and group for longer days. Enjoy the ride.
Cycling Culture
The Vuelta de Guatemal and deep roots on Road and MTB
Since the early 20th century, Guatemala has sustained an active and enthusiastic cycling culture. The first organized road cycling events were in the 1920s, but the country saw informal recreational races emerge. Enthusiasm for the sport was firmly established.
The 1930s introduced more structured competitive races, especially in Guatemala City. These road events allowed local and regional cycling culture to expand, setting the stage for more formal international road competitions.
By 1957, attractiveness for competitive cycling led to the Vuelta de Guatemala. This multi-stage road race’s format was heavily influenced by the Tour de France. It covers diverse terrain, including challenging mountain stages.
The Vuelta’s popularity and growth between 1960-1990 attracted and developed national talent, while also drawing athletes from Mexico, Colombia, and Costa Rica. It elevated cycling’s profile in Guatemala with young cyclists becoming well-known figures, and receiving increased media coverage and expansion.
A byproduct of cycling’s popularity was the establishment of cycling clubs that organized training rides and races for members. Furthering the sport’s appeal were the Travesía (the crossing) rides. These long distance recreational rides and endurance challenges emphasize camaraderie over competition, and encourage participation of all skill levels. A travesía is a community social ride.
The global popularity of mountain bikes immediately made Guatemala a noteworthy destination. Adventure tourism in the 1990s encouraged cyclists to explore the diverse and rugged terrain of Guatemala. Along with the travesía’s ethos for endurance and exploration, off-road cycling culture exploded in Guatemala.
By the early 2000s, off-road cycling grew through greater bike shop distribution, guided offerings, bike parks and events. El Reto del Quetzal is an annual multi-day four stage endurance race that stops in Antigua. Teams of two, or individuals, must pass through checkpoints within an allotted time frame. Each stage has a theme and varies in distance. Times from each stage are accumulated to get a final result. Singletrack, doubletrack, and dirt roads make El Reto del Quetzal an incredibly challenging endeavor.
With a strong road and mountain bike heritage in place, the gravel bike is poised to add onto the cycling culture and lifestyle of the sport in Guatemala. Previous cycling disciplines informed and prepared the way for gravel to emerge as another way to explore the mountains and historical sites surrounding Antigua. Drop-bar and wide tire bikes provide the confidence needed to navigate the varied surface conditions of dirt, gravel, cobblestone, and tarmac. The gravel bike naturally fuses the sport of cycling with adventure, and community within Guatemalan culture.
Internationally Know: The Production of Hand Made Boots
Hard work and dedication to the craft of boot making.
If you are fortunate to spend enough time in Guatemala, one characteristic that stands is peoples work ethic. While the socioeconomic status of the vast majority sits low, there isn’t much many won’t do to provide for themselves and their family. This includes a devotion and dedication to entrepreneurial efforts.
Located at the north end of the Panchoy Valley, 4.5 miles (7 km) from Antigua. is the agrarian community of Pastores. The town is best known today for its 25 plus family owned entrepreneurial businesses that specialize in leather craftsmanship, and the production of hand made boots.
Before the arrival of the Spanish, Pastores was part of a trade and agricultural network to major Mayan settlements. Farming has been a way of life here for centuries. However, like much of rural Guatemala, a lack of infrastructure and resources hindered development and quality of life. This in turn led to many residents to seek opportunities outside Guatemala.
Back in the 1950s, a local resident named Don Julio Acual, realized those who worked the fields in Pastores lacked the proper footwear for the work. It dawned on him that one of the best things he could do to improve the situation was to become a boot maker. After accepting an apprenticeship in Antigua that required him walking the road to town, he became Pastore's first boot maker.
The entrepreneurial efforts of Acual ignited a movement that led to Pastores becoming known for high quality cowboy boots. By the 1970s, businesses like Botas Veras were producing nearly 300 boots a month, with many of them being exported to the United States. Pastore's reputation grew and spread as vaqueroes from across Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Mexico came to town to buy handmade boots. Even musicians learned of them and began to wear them.
Pastores now enjoys recognition as the boot making capital of Central America because of the entrepreneurial effort of one man who saw an opportunity and purpose. His hard work and dedication to his craft contributed to creativity and economic prosperity for his community. If you’re looking for personalized and well made boots and leather goods, Pastores is the place to find it.
Explore Art & Culture on Two Wheels
Miguel Ángel Asturias
Something that few may realize is that the uniquely Latin American literary style of magical-realism has origins in Guatemala through the novels of Miguel Angel Asturías (1899-1974). He was a writer, diplomat, and Nobel Laureate (1967) whose novels with experimental prose and cultural preservation served to be influential well beyond the borders of Guatemala.
Asturia's work explored themes involving indigenous culture and identity, dictatorships and economic exploitation, and Guatemalan spiritual and mythology folk. Using a combination of effervescent imagery, Mayan myths, and social and political critique, Asturias pioneered the blending of reality with the mythical and fantastical to create Magical-Realism. His work influenced other Latin American writers like Gabriel García Márquez and Mario Vargas Llosa, as the literary genre spread in popularity globally during the 1960s.
The life work of Asturias is a testament to the ability for literature to challenge the status quo, while recognizing cultural identity. He was one the first to bring international attention to the social and political struggles of indigenous people in Latin America. Asturias served as Guatemala’s ambassador to France in the 1960s, where he used the position to elevate Latin American culture and literature.
Efraín Recinos
Considered a national treasure, Efrain Recinos (1928-2011) was a polymath whose work spanned disciplines. An architect, painter, sculptor, muralist, and urban planner, Recinos left an indelible mark on Guatemalan art and culture. His engineering background integrated elements of modernist art styles with national folk identity, history, and natural landscapes to forge a sense of movement and dynamism in his work to become an icon of Latin American art.
Recinos helped redefine the perception of public art and architecture in Guatemala. His approach demonstrates how creativity can acknowledge and preserve cultural heritage. Guiding his work was the belief that art and architecture should serve the needs of people by creating spaces that are accessible, meaningful and engaging for the community. Much of his work incorporated bold colors and indigenous motifs and figures.
The best example of his visionary and futuristic aesthetic is the National Theater Miguel Ángel Asturias in Guatemala City. Built in 1978, it was inspired by the shapes of Mayan temples and the country's volcanic landscape.The complex includes murals, sculptures, and open spaces inspired by Guatemala’s diverse history and culture. This architectural masterpiece bridges the gap between ancient traditions and contemporary art. It is one of the many reasons why the Order of the Quetzal, Guatemala’s highest civilian order, was bestowed upon Efraín Recinos.
Mayan Textiles
Traditional Mayan textiles are an important feature to Guatemalan life. They can be considered a living art form, which maintains the connection of contemporary Mayan people to their ancient heritage. These textiles have earned international recognition for their artistry and craftsmanship, and provide economic opportunities while preserving cultural heritage.
The ancient origins of Mayan textiles date to thousands of years ago, with evidence of weaving practices going back to the Preclassic period (2000 BCE-250 CE). In the beginning, plant fibers like agave and cotton were cultivated and dyed using natural pigments. Colors are obtained from natural sources. Red is sourced from cochineal insects, blue from indigo plants, and yellow.
Symbolizing the weaving tradition is Ixchel, the Mayan goddess of weaving and fertility. A simple apparatus called a backstrap loom has been used for centuries in traditional weaving practices. It operates with one end tied to a stationary object, and the other end wrapped around the weaver’s back. This design allows for portability, and the ability to work with narrow and intricate fabrics.
The designs and symbolism of Mayan textiles are significant because each pattern or color holds cultural significance. A weaver’s community beliefs, or personal stories, are told through a design. Textiles can be used in rituals and ceremonies to symbolize a connection to the spiritual world. Common motifs included in designs include animals, plants, celestial bodies, and geometric patterns. Quetzal birds symbolize freedom and beauty, while diamonds the four cardinal directions.
A significant example of a textile carrying artistic meaning are huipiles. These traditional blouses are worn by Mayan women and often intricately embroidered and showcase regional styles and techniques. They carry on an ancient tradition that offers resistance, identity, resilience, and preservation of culture in a rapidly modernizing and globalizing world.