Guatemala 60 Day News Brief: 13 Stories You Should See
Everything you need to know that happened in the last 2 months in Guatemala.
Each day we sift through hundreds of articles in English & Spanish to bring you the very best ones from Central America.
From investment indicators to new infrastructure projects. Adventure stories to politics. It’s all here.
Guatemala April 2014.

Rigostar
Guatemala Lifestyle
- Couple retired since age 38: Americans don’t realize how wealthy they are (My Northwest.com) One of the Internet’s most famous retired couples is still comfortably retired and living in Atitlan Panajachel, Guatemala. One of their secrets – is to keep traveling. Which would lead you to think that would be expensive. Except a lot of the time, their lodging is free.
- Why expats are ditching their U.S. passports (Yahoo Finance News) Donna-Lane Nelson, 71, who has lived in Switzerland since 1980 says she threw up after giving up her U.S. passport. Why did she take the same path as so many other Americans who have renounced their citizenship? Her decision to renounce was triggered when her bank threatened to close her account because she was American.
- Top places to watch the sun rise and set (Stuff NZ) Looking for the perfect sunset? Check out Volcano Pacaya’s live lava flows at sun set…spectacular.

Chensiyuan
Guatemala Tourism
- Central America offers something for everyone (KPLU Travel) There are seven countries in Central America, all smashed into a thousand miles of land between Mexico and Colombia. KPLU travel expert Matthew Brumley says among those seven countries that Guatemala, nearly two decades after war, is earning new fame as a top tourist destination.
- Antigua, Guatemala off the beaten path (Gayapolis) Get your sweet fix of chocolate history and trivia (and, of course, free samples) at the ChocoMuseo in Antigua Guatemala, which brings ancient Maya’s cacao culture to life.
- Government applies support plan for tourists in Antigua Guatemala (StarMedia via Google Translate) Guatemalan authorities will initiate a special security action plan to insure higher safety standards for those traveling to Antigua Guatemala, one of the main tourist centers.
- Guatemala: Tourism grew 12% during first two months of 2014 (El Nuevo Diario via Google Translate) Good job Guatemala! The nation proved that its increased tourism presence has paid off with a 12% increase in the number of visitors who came to the country in the first two months of the year compared with the same period in 2013.

Elder99
Guatemala Investment
- European Union offers $3.4 billion aid package for Latin America (Tico Times) The European Union is handing out to Latin America 2.5 billion euros ($3.4 billion) in development aid over the next seven years to fund projects ranging from environmental aid to education.
Andris Piebalgs, EU’s Development Commissioner says “this aid package marks a new step in the way we work with Latin America, and sends a very strong signal of our commitment to continuing to support the region’s development efforts.”
- Road announced at a cost of U.S. $ 350 million (La Hora via Google Translate) Guatemala has announced a new $350 million highway. The 280 km stretch of road will run from Cocales, Suchitepéquez up to the border crossing between Guatemala and Mexico, Tecum Uman.
- Urban Territories (Prensa Libre via Google Translate) The dynamics of cities in Guatemala has faced changes in the past four decades. The National Development Plan of K’atun projects that in 2032, 79% of Gautemalans will live in urban areas, and the report suggests, these are also the areas with the greatest potential for investment.
- Top 100 central American banks ranking, 2014 (The Banker) Colombian banks are gaining ground in Central America, but the good news is that locally owned banks are still scoring well in this year’s Top 100 ranking of Central American banks. Banco Azteca Guatemala came in first place for a locally owned bank with Top Return on Assets.

Chensiyuan
Guatemala Environment
- Ecocide in Guatemala: Call for international solidarity (IC Magazine) Groves of fish are turning up dead in Guatemala, an unsightly example of ecocide. The contaminated rivers through which these fish swim are ancient tributaries in Mayan territories and remain a source of life-giving sustenance for the surrounding indigenous populations of present day Playitas Chizec and Alta Verapaz.
- Clandestine cartel heliports are ruining Central America’s forests (Motherboard) Drug runners using helicopters is the leading cause of rain forest destruction in Central America, but the environmental impacts this sort of deforestation places on the environment can’t be overstated.
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