Sociology

The Pan American Highway is not a single road but a great network of roads that have been built into a connected highway system. It extends from the Alaskan city of Prudhoe Bay in North America and runs all the way to the lower parts of South America. In Canada and U.S.A however, no comprehensive route has been officially defined as the Pan-American Highway and several highways in these two countries have been referred to as Pan American. Measuring about 29,800 miles in total length, this highway system has been classified as the worlds longest motor-friendly road as it inter-links the mainland American nations. Throughout its course, the Pan American Highway passes through diverse ecological and climatic regions and because it passes through many different nations, it does not have a uniform style of construction. Although most sections of the Pan American Highway are now complete, a debatable section of the road remains incomplete on the boarder between Panama and Colombo where dense rainforests made construction of the highway almost impossible. Some sections of the highway are said to be impassable during the rainy season. In Guatemala, the highway runs from the Mexican boarder, across most of the Western Highlands to the boarder with El Salvador. It is the major mode of transport to most of Guatemalas travel destinations (Absolute Astronomy 2009, s 1-3 Lee Stacy 2002, p.612 Argueta 2007, p.424).

Pan American Highway  Guatemala
The history of the Pan American Highway dates as far back as the 16th Century when Charles V, the Roman Emperor and King of Spain desired to link the New Spain colony which is now Mexico to other South American territories under his jurisdiction. In 1844, the U.S Congress proposed the construction of a Pan American railroad which never materialized but nevertheless bore the idea of a Pan-American Highway. In 1923, the Fifth International Conference of American States was held in Santiago, Chile and a proposal was put forth for the formation of a congress that would look into the possibility of connecting all the American nations through a network of highways. In 1925, the Pan American Highway Congress had its first meeting in Buenos Aires and it was permanently established as the organization that would overlook the construction of the highway. The congress later became a branch of OAS or Organization of American States and has continued to meet after every four years to review the progress of the highway. This mainly because the highway is made of several routes in each of the countries that it passes through and every country designates those roads within its boarders that should be included in the highway (Stacy 2002, p.612).

Guatemala is a very mountainous country that has a varied climate which is largely determined by the altitude. The country is bordered by Mexico, Pacific Ocean, Belize, Caribbean, Honduras and El Salvador. Guatemala is quite famous as a tourist destination notably because of its beauty and the well preserved Mayan culture, as well as the famous Mayan ruins. Along the highway, is common to see local women dressed in the traditional Mayan skirts or cortes and blouses locally known as huipiles (Arbonboy 2009, s 5-6). In Guatemala, the Pan American Highway also referred to as CA-1 or Interamericana runs from the Mexican boarder town of La Mesilla and meanders through most parts of the Western Highlands to the capital city Guatemala, and then east to San Cristobal at the boarder with El Salvador. From Guatemala City heading to Lake Atitlan, the Pan American Highway passes through the towns of Chimaltenango and Los Encuentros and then runs north towards Chichicastenango, Santa Cruz del Quiche finally getting to Nebaj and the Ixil Triangle. From here, the highway then turns south to Solol and the region around Lake Atitlan. From here, it continues to the Quetzaltenango, Totonicapn and Huehuetenango highland region before finally getting to the Cuchumatanes Mountains. At Chimaltenango, the highway takes to one side of the town and is marked by very unattractive and diesel fume-filled workshops right by the roadside. However, the next section of the road running to Antigua is a beautiful 20km tree-lined stretch of road. Good hotels such as La Villa II and Posada de Mi Abuelo are found along this stretch of the highway (Boobbyer 2002, p.138).

The Guatemalan section of the Pan American Highway is branched into two. There is the southern branch of the highway which is also the older section and the northern branch, also referred to as the new Pan-American Highway. The new section of the highway is much faster when compared with the old section and all public transport uses this route going past Tecpan, over what is referred to as the Chichi pass and into Los Encuentros. From Los Encuentros, the new highway goes west, skirting along the shores of the irregular sheet of water known as Lago Atescatempa to San Cristobal, Totonicapn and then swings north-west to the Mexican boarder settlement of Ciudad Cuauhtmoc. The old Pan American Highway takes a westerly direction through Quetzaltenango and towards the Mexican town of Tap Chula.  The old and new sections of the highway come together again at El Cuchillo, 11 km from the town of Solol (Boobbyer 2002, pp.140-141).

Very indigenous culture is visible along the Pan American Highway in Guatemala. Quaint mountain villages, gorgeous alpine scenery, as well as colorful Mayan markets are spread along parts of the highway. The spectacular Lake Atitlan that is surrounded by three volcanoes and about a dozen Mayan villages makes the scenery even more striking. As the highway continues west, it passes through Salcajas, a dirty ugly looking town but one which is home to the first Christian Church in Central America, dating as far back as 1524. The small town is also famous for some of the oldest fermented beverages, caldo de frutas and rompopo. The highway then runs on to Quetzaltenango, the second largest city in Guatemala. Quetzaltenango is endowed with natural attractions such as the Chi cabal volcano which holds a very fantastic crater lake. The town is also home to the Kiche Mayans and NGO workers and language students love the city. Spanish classes are especially popular in this city. Though situated in a sprawling valley, the town can be quite chilly because it sits on a vey high altitude of about 8,000 feet (2,400 meters). The city is considerably safe and has ample hotels and restaurants and its layout is said to give it a very European like atmosphere (Argueta 2007, pp.15, 11, 169, 184).

From Quetzaltenango, the Pan American Highway stretches on to Chichicastenango, a town that is home to the most famous market at Guatemala known as El Quiche. Also situate in this town is the Ixil Triangle, an emerging cultural and eco-tourism scene. The Pan American Highway traverses the Western Highlands in several parts and several of Guatemalas major attractions such as the Iximche ruins on Guatemalas original capital of Kaqchikel are visible along the way. From the town of Tecpan, the highway passes through the Western Highlands as it heads west to the junction at Los Encuentros. This stretch of the highway is characterized by a lot of roadside restaurants such as Katok, Paulinos, Kape and Itacienda Tecpan. Lovely alpine scenery or pine studded forests marks the stretch of the highway between Quetzaltenango and Huehuetenango. From Huehuetenango, the highway leads to the boarder town of La Mesilla and onto Mexico (Argueta 2007, pp.110-114, 168, and 185).

Conclusion
The Guatemalan section of the Pan American Highway has opened this beautiful country to worldwide tourism. This is because the highway has reached deep into Guatemalan country through intersecting roads and her rich culture and exquisite scenery is now accessible despite the mountainous terrain of part of the country. Various roads have been constructed that have likened very interior parts of the country to the Pan American Highway and opened such areas to tourism. Travelers to Guatemala can now take advantage of a good network of interconnecting roads that join or exit the highway at various junctions. Various hotels and restaurants have come up to cater for the large number of visitors who not only bring their different cultural traits to Guatemala but also enjoy the countrys very rich cultural background. To Guatemala, the Pan American highway is a good economic investment as it also connects the country to other neighboring nations through Mexico and El Salvador (Argueta 2007, pp.110-114, 168-169, and 184-185).