GUATEMALA CITY, SECOND LEG OF JOHN PAUL II'S TRIP

VATICAN CITY, JUL 29, 2002 (VIS) - On the occasion of John Paul II's apostolic trip to Guatemala City, capital of Guatemala, we offer some information about the country and its civil and ecclesiastical state.

Guatemala is the center of Mayan civilization which flourished between the 10th and 12th centuries. It fell to Aztec domination in subsequent centuries until Pedro de Alvarado, Hernan Cortes' captain, conquered the country for the Spanish crown in 1523.

Guatemala belonged to Spain until 1821 when it declared its independence. In 1839, it declared itself an autonomous republic. Another important date in its history is 1954, when President Arbenz Guzman, supporter of radical agrarian reform, was over thrown after a military coup. Since then, and till 1985, the various military regimes that have gained power have faced guerilla forces which consist primarily of indigenous people. In 1996, the government and the National Revolutionary Union signed a peace accord.

Guatemala City, founded in 1776, after an earthquake that destroyed Old Guatemala, is the nation's capital and political, social, cultural and economic center. In addition, it is the biggest city in Central America.

After the country declared its independence, Guatemala City was the capital of the province of Central America for two years under the Mexican empire of Augustin de Iturbide and until 1833 it was also the capital of the Federation of Central America. The real capital of Guatemala until 1902, however, was Quetzaltenango, which was destroyed in the same year by an earthquake. From that date on, the most influential families moved to Guatemala City.

Affected by many earthquakes, the capital was reconstructed between 1917 and 1918. Its main monuments are the churches of San Francisco de la Merced and Santo Domingo, the latter famous for its Holy Week processions. The National Archeological Museum contains important collections of Mayan art. On the outskirts of the city, half of the country's industry is concentrated. The village of Chimnautla, famous for its ceramics, is close to Guatemala city, as are the Indian communities of San Pedro and San Juan Sacatepequez.

The archdiocese of Guatemala City consists of 2,922,080 people, of which 2,045,456 (70%) are Catholics. There are 125 parishes, and 47 churches or missionary stations. There are 96 diocesan priests, 325 religious priests, 579 non-priest, male religious and 1,128 female religious. There are 92 educational institutions and 89 charitable centers. The archbishop is Rodolfo Quezada Toruno and the apostolic nuncio is Archbishop Ramiro Moliner Ingles.

The Pope will be received by Alfonso Portillo Cabrera, president of the Guatemalan Republic, the prime minister of Belize and the presidents of El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and the Dominican Republic. The bishops of Guatemala, the diplomatic corp and different civil and religious leaders will also welcome the Holy Father.

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