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The People of Guatemala
Home » Guatemala » Guatemala - People and Culture » The People of GuatemalaThe Maya civilization lasted 3,000 years. During that time they created a calendar, a written language, art and architecture. Today's Maya still play an important role in today's society. They practice a religion that is a mixture of their ancient beliefs and Catholicism, they live off the land much as their ancestors did and they create beautiful pottery, baskets and textiles that are valued the world over.
The inhabitants of modern-day Guatemala can generally be broken up into two main groups. Fifty-five percent of the people are referred to as Mestizos or Ladinos. These people are of mixed Mayan and European ancestry. The vast majority of Ladinos live in the cities. Forty-three percent of the people are indigenous Maya and they live mainly in the rural areas. The remaining two percent are White/Black/Asian. The total population of Guatemala is estimated to be 13,314,079. About 40% of all Guatemalans live in cities with nearly a quarter of them in Guatemala City alone. At the other extreme, less than 5% of Guatemalans live in the department of El Peten in the north.
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