Twenty-three-year-old Graphic Designer Ari Lopez is highlighting the latin and indigenous history of her homeland, Guatemala, along with Belize, Mexico, and Peru. She’s doing it through her latest project, titled The Antigua: Latin America Travel Guide.
Lopez’s designs, which earned her a feature in Al Dia News this week, were a part of a student exhibition in Philadelphia. According to Al Dia, the 23-year-old’s guide “taps into her preferred color scheme, earth tones — creating a sense of wonder for ancient sites in Guatemala — to earthy red hues that resemble The Murals of Bonampak in Mexico.”
Highlighting Under-Appreciated Sites
Altun Ha Maya Site. Photo by Alisa Matthews on Unsplash
According to Al Dia, Ari Lopez makes an effort to avoid mainstream attractions typical in Latin America and the Caribbean. Exotic resorts in Cancun and Punta Cana are common conceptions of the ideal vacation, the newspaper says. Lopez, however, focuses more on “sophisticated and mysterious” Maya sites that are often overlooked .
On her website, she notes that “Antigua is a travel guide series that encourages travel to Mesoamerican archeological sites.” For Belize, she highlights Cerros, found in the northern district of Corozal. She also takes time exploring Altun Ha, found in the Belize District.
The Blue Creek Cave.
The ancient Maya temples aren’t the only feature of Belize’s indigenous heritage she mentions. Lopez also shares a bit about the Blue Creek Cave–an off the beaten path destination in the Toledo district.
Read the full feature on Ari Lopez here. Or, explore Lopez’s travel guide on her website here.
Photo by Ari Lopez Design
Featured Photo of Cerros Maya Site by Duarte Dellarole. This article was adapted from “Travel guides celebrate Latin culture” written by Jennifer Hernandez for Al Dia News.
