GuatemalA - Colombia - Panama

In Guatemala, home to the mighty ruins of Tikal, it is apparent that the Mayan past is still deeply rooted in the people. It was at Lake Atitlán where I met indigenous people with entirely unique traditions and clothing styles.

I was also able to discover unique landscapes on my trip through Columbia. The red earth of the Tatacoa Desert had been washed out over the years of erosion and had formed maze-like structures. One scenic contrast to this would be the largest palm tree in the world, growing in the lush meadows of the Valle de Cocora.

I met one particularly unusual ethnic group on the San Blas Islands just off the Caribbean coast of Panama. This is the home of the Kuna people who live on roughly 40 islands in their own independent state, separate from Panama.