There are approximately 5 million Catholics in Guatemala, which is about 50-60% of the total population.There is no state religion in Guatemala, however the Guatemalan Constitution recognizes the legitimacy of the Roman Catholic Church. The constitution also provides freedom of religion to all of its citizens, and the government protects and honors this law. Although the Roman Catholic Church is the only religion recognized by the Guatemalan Constitution, any other religious affiliation can file a copy of its bylaws and a list of its initial membership to the Ministry of Government in order to receive recognition. Young man in his market stall selling everything catholic. Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, 2014.
Volcán de Fuego is an active stratovolcano in Guatemala. It sits about 20 miles (16 kilometers) from the colonial city of Antigua Guatemala. It has erupted frequently since the Spanish conquest. "Fuego" is famous for being almost constantly active at a low level. Smoke issues from its top daily, but larger eruptions are rare. On August 9, 2007 Fuego erupted spewing lava, rock and ash. Guatemala's volcanology service reported that seven families were evacuated from their homes near the volcano. The volcano is joined with Acatenango and collectively the complex is known as La Horqueta. A new round of activity began on 19 May 2012, with lava flows and ejections of ash. On September 13, 2012, the volcano once again began spewing lava and ash, prompting officials to begin "a massive evacuation of thousands of people" in five communities. More specifically, the evacuees, roughly 33,000 people, left nearly 17 villages near the volcano. It spewed lava and pyroclastic flows about 2,000 feet (600 meters) down the slope of the volcano. Volcan Fuego as seen from the top of Volcan Acatenango. Guatemala, 2014.
A Mayan man sitting in his bedroom. San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala, 2014.
