The Museo Nacional de Historia, in a colonial-era building near the Plaza de la Constitución in Zona 1, documents Guatemalan history from the colonial period through independence and into the 20th century. The collections include colonial-era maps, documents, paintings, uniforms, weapons, and photographs that trace the country's political and social development.
The museum is small and can be covered in under an hour. It is most useful for visitors who want context for the country's complex history — particularly the Liberal Reform period of the 1870s and 1880s, which shaped modern Guatemala. Admission is minimal.