Guatemalan Cuisine

Guatemala is the heart of Maya civilization, and its cuisine carries that heritage in every ingredient: corn, chili, squash, chocolate, and turkey — the foundational foods of the ancient Maya world. Guatemalan cooking is among the most complex in Latin America, built on layers of toasted and ground seeds, charred chilis, and slow-cooked spice pastes that predate the Spanish Conquest by centuries. Pepián, the country's national dish, is a direct descendant of pre-Columbian ceremonial cooking — a dish with roots in ancient offerings and modern celebration alike.