The Taiwanese president, Tsai Ing-wen, and her Guatemalan counterpart, Alejandro Giammattei, took in the jungle ruins of a Maya civilisation citadel where they observed an ancient ritual before reaffirming diplomatic ties.
The two shook hands in front of the stone pyramid known as El Gran Jaguar on Saturday, vowing to maintain strong ties in the face of a diplomatic offensive by China, which sees Taiwan as part of its territory awaiting reunification.
Jenny Barrios, Guatemalan deputy culture minister, said today that the assembled dignitaries witnessed the strengthening of the friendship between our nations.
The two Presidents walked to a nearby esplanade and shook hands for a symbolic official photo while a bonfire lit during a Maya dance ceremony. They also witnessed a traditional ballgame played in Mayan times.
Tsai thanked him for his support last year when China conducted military manoeuvres near Taiwan in a meeting with Giammattei on Friday night.
She also spoke about cooperation with Guatemala, one of only 13 diplomatic allies the self-governing island has in the world, mostly small nations in the Caribbean, the Pacific and Latin America.
Giammattei called Taiwan the one and only true China, according to the media with Tsai at his side. Some Guatemalans believe that their nation is losing economic opportunities by choosing Taiwan over mainland China, according to Giammattei.
Since China is a market of more than one billion people, it would be in the interest of some Guatemalan sectors to export and import products from China, according to sociologist and political analyst Miguel Angel Sandoval.
The decision to switch diplomatic ties from Taiwan to China resulted in accusations of dollar diplomacy being levelled at Beijing.
On Sunday, Tsai will visit a new hospital in Chimaltenango, western Guatemala, built with a $22 m donation from Taipei.
The Honduran president, Xiomara Castro, is expected to visit China soon.
On her way home, Tsai will stop in California to meet with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a meeting that has prompted China to warn Washington that it is playing with fire.